The peculiar nature of this crystal lay in its ceaseless generation of void origin power within. Qian Ye bent down, picked it up, and examined it closely for a while. The crystal was perfectly natural, without any sign of carving, yet there was a flaw on it.
Looking at the shape of the defect, Qian Ye suddenly recalled a strange crystal he had obtained from the treasure chamber of Duke Botu, a spider demon. He immediately retrieved that crystal from his necklace space, checked its size and shape, and found it to be a perfect fit for the rhombic crystal’s missing piece.
As Qian Ye inserted the smaller crystal into the void, it seamlessly locked in place, and the entire rhombic crystal suddenly burst with a dazzling light, spreading an invisible fluctuation far and wide, propagating unknown distances in mere moments.
After emitting its brilliance, the crystal dimmed. However, under the true sight, it appeared even more profound and inscrutable, perhaps this was its original form. After scrutinizing the crystal for some time, Qian Ye could not discern anything further, so he stored it in his necklace space, planning to seek an expert’s opinion later.
Searching around again, Qian Ye only found the Twinflower, but Crimson Fang was nowhere to be seen, likely corroded by the beast’s fluid. Crimson Fang was a fifth-level blood blade, superior in material to the Twinflower, but the Twinflower, enhanced by the lingering consciousness of the Black Wing Sovereign, emerged unscathed.
After such a long time, Qian Ye had grown attached to these two short guns, and he was overjoyed. Only the gun sheath was missing, so he stashed them in his necklace and put on a set of clothes, solving his state of partial undress.
Once everything was sorted, Qian Ye looked around, seeking a path to escape this bizarre forest. After observing for a while, he felt something amiss.
With a powerful punch, Qian Ye struck the ground, causing a loud rumble and dust to rise. This blow created a deep crater, and upon activating his true sight and looking into it, he could no longer detect any void origin power.
Qian Ye now understood why the forest felt different. The strange, intense vitality that once permeated the forest had vanished, and the entire woodland had lost its vitality, becoming a desolate, unchanging place.
Recalling the events that transpired in the Black Forest, Qian Ye managed a bitter smile, murmuring, “Already… a vampire viscount, huh?”
His emotions were indescribable.
The Black Forest had perished, and all its oddities had naturally disappeared, no longer the deathtrap it once was. Recognizing his orientation, Qian Ye chose a direction at random. Now that the forest could no longer disrupt his senses, he knew he would find the edge if he kept walking.
As for why the Black Forest had died, Qian Ye could only speculate, perhaps related to the death of the chaotic beast or other reasons. There were many legends about the Black Forest on the Eternal Night Continent, yet no one had ever uncovered its secrets.
On his way, Qian Ye saw numerous strange scenes—humans wrapped in giant cocoons, half-devoured by trees, and warriors frozen in agony. The methods of death were grotesque and varied.
There was even a giant tree with several human faces embedded in its trunk, each face displaying extreme pain. They still wept, their tears having crystallized, eternally fixed on their faces.
With the Black Forest dead, the trees had lost their vitality, and those consumed by the trees were forever frozen in their final moment of struggle. Those who ventured into the Black Forest, even ones as powerful as Nan Gong Jiancheng, ultimately became nourishment for the forest.
Occasionally, Qian Ye found some relics beneath the trees. Upon inspection, he discovered tokens from the Nan Gong family and more from other clans. Some relics were ancient, rusted metal and weathered parchment, dating back hundreds of years, indicating the Black Forest’s existence for at least three centuries.
From this, Qian Ye deduced that another team of elite Nan Gong family soldiers had perished in the Black Forest, pursuing him. Counting the casualties, Qian Ye estimated that at least a hundred elite warriors had died by his hand, including two generals and Nan Gong Jiancheng, a true powerhouse. His enmity with the Nan Gong family was truly deep.
Qian Ye quickened his pace, eager to leave and return to Darkstream City. He had lingering concerns; Bai Kongzhao was ruthless, and after a grueling pursuit, he didn’t know what else she might do.
Moreover, was Bai Kongzhao acting on her own or under the White House’s orders? If the White House was involved, even with Zhao Yuying’s name, Darkstream City might not be safe.
The priority was to get out of the forest first.
In Darkstream City, Song Hu sat in his office, staring at the piles of documents on his desk, feeling a headache. Over the past few days, unidentified individuals had entered the city, and with his sharp senses, Song Hu had already detected their malicious intentions. However, he had no good solutions.
Qian Ye had gone out to battle and hadn’t returned, and Zhao Yuying had gone back to the Zhao House to recuperate, leaving no strong figure to hold the city.
Rumors had spread that Qian Ye had been killed in the dark realm. While these rumors were likely spread by those with ulterior motives, if Qian Ye did not reappear, even falsehoods would cause unrest.
The best solution would be to initiate a diversionary conflict. Song Hu studied the map on the wall, but he couldn’t make up his mind, sighing heavily.
Originally just a battalion staff officer, and severely injured, he was struggling to handle the situation. Such a desperate move, if successful, would be a relief, but if it failed, the consequences would be dire, not what Qian Ye had intended when he left Song Hu in charge.
At that moment, the office door was thrust open, and a soldier rushed in, saying, “Sir, something terrible has happened! Our men are in conflict with others, and several of our brothers have been killed!”
Song Hu’s face turned grim, and he barked, “Who did this?”
“The Nan Gong family’s team!”
With a slam, Song Hu’s fist hit the table, and he snarled, “Them again!”
The soldier gritted his teeth, saying, “Sir, this isn’t the first time! More than ten of our brothers have been killed by them. We can’t fight them, but we can give it our all! Sir, trust us, none of us will be cowards. We’d rather die fighting than suffer like this!”
Song Hu’s face twitched, but he remained indecisive. The city was a mix of various factions, and recently, a Nan Gong family team had entered. For a small border city like Darkstream, the Nan Gong family was a colossal force. Since their arrival, they had clashed with the Darkfire soldiers, leading to violence and even deaths.
No matter how elite the Darkfire soldiers were, they were no match for the Nan Gong team’s true experts. A group of officers, angry at the repeated losses, had led a full company to confront the Nan Gong team. The result was a devastating defeat, with hundreds of soldiers knocked down and several left dead.
The Nan Gong team, numbering dozens, consisted of high-level experts. Instead of engaging in combat, they wandered around the city, constantly provoking the Darkfire soldiers. In a few days, conflicts had erupted daily, with the city’s inhabitants watching with cold indifference.
Song Hu, also from a noble family, understood the difficulty. Reporting to higher-ups would be futile, and showing weakness might lead to opportunistic actions from those who already disliked the Darkfire soldiers.
To address this, there were typically two options: either send a strong figure to eliminate the opponent, or use a large force to overwhelm them. But with Qian Ye and Zhao Yuying absent, the first option was impossible. The second, using a mass attack, was risky, as it was hard to stop the Nan Gong team from breaking out, potentially resulting in heavy casualties with little gain.
Furthermore, key figures like Duan Hao and Zhu Wuya, who were managing strategic nodes, and Qian Ye, who was deeply embroiled in battles, could not be called back at this critical time.
Song Hu, a military strategist, was skilled in handling military affairs but lacked decisiveness in major matters.
However, the continued agitation by the Nan Gong team had begun to undermine morale, and action was necessary.
As Song Hu pondered, the door opened again, and a figure walked in, smiling, “Uncle Tiger, it’s been a while. Why are you so hesitant now, even about this?”
Recognizing the visitor, Song Hu was shocked and pleased, exclaiming, “Seventh Young Master! What brings you here?”
It was Song Zining, fanning himself. “I’ve been feeling restless lately and came to clear my head, and I heard the Nan Gong family has been causing trouble?”
Song Hu sighed, “For days, we’ve lost several soldiers to them. But with Lord Qian Ye away, we can’t do much…”
Song Zining closed his fan with a snap, his smile fading, and a murderous intent surfaced. “Just some petty clowns. As I’ve just advanced to general, I’ll go and play with them. You wait here.”
“Seventh Young Master, but…” Before Song Hu could finish, Song Zining had vanished.
Knowing Song Zining well, Song Hu understood that despite his seemingly easy-going demeanor, he was resolute and unfaltering. Though worried, he did not dare to follow, pacing anxiously by the Darkfire gate.
Within half an hour, Song Zining returned, smiling as he saw the anxious Song Hu. “Prepare, the Nan Gong family will be here soon. I have some questions for them.”
Song Hu, bewildered, realized how quickly Song Zining had returned. Could it be that he had merely ‘played’ with them?
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