Chapter 13: The Crimson Feast

A blazing sun rose within Qian Ye, filling the entire world with light! The Dawnforce continuously surged from the four nodes, flowing into every limb and bone, replenishing the consumed force.

The blood energy seemed ill-suited to such an abundant environment of Dawnforce, peeling off from the organs and re-converging into seven streams, sequentially making their way towards the heart. However, at this moment, a golden blood energy suddenly shot out, catching a regular stream and devouring it in an instant.

Still unsatisfied, it pulled out the remaining blood energy streams that had tried to hide in the heart, one by one, until only two were left, before it slowly made its way to the power rune. It finally changed, noticeably thicker, and upon returning to the rune, the golden blood energy coiled into a ball, eventually forming a small golden cocoon, lying dormant.

Qian Ye concluded his cultivation, slowly opening his eyes. In the dim room, a dark red light seemed to flash.

He was now, at last, a fourth-rank warrior.

A fourth-rank warrior would not only significantly enhance all physical attributes, but after the realm stabilized, there was also a chance to awaken a new ability. As for what this ability would be, it varied based on individual talent.

Qian Ye slightly moved his body, clearly feeling a slight change happening within. Power was quietly growing from every corner, an unprecedented sense of strength giving him an unparalleled confidence.

Now, even if he encountered Yu Renyan again, Qian Ye was confident he could win in a direct confrontation, though if the other party wished to flee, it would be difficult to keep them.

Becoming a fourth-rank warrior brought a more immediate benefit: Qian Ye could now use Falcon Strike twice in a single battle. Though after firing both shots, he would be close to exhausting his force and would need a stimulant to continue using force in combat.

The progress of his training exceeded Qian Ye’s expectations; a set of potions allowed him to successfully activate the fourth node. It was no wonder that so many young experts emerged from aristocratic families—while the first two nodes required self-cultivation to lay a solid foundation, subsequent nodes could be forcibly advanced through the use of potions, until all innate potential was fully realized.

In the eyes of these families, whether one possessed innate talent was measured by the ability to break through the Warrior General threshold.

However, the higher the level corresponding to the potion, the higher the price. Generally, each rank increase saw the price double. From the fourth to the fifth rank might be acceptable, but from the fifth to the sixth rank, the cost could start at tens of thousands of gold coins. Even for noble clans, this was no small sum.

Yu Yingnan had not yet returned, and the details of the mysterious mission remained unknown. Yet, Qian Ye had already used up three hundred gold coins worth of potions, indicating that regardless of the mission, he must accept it. Otherwise, where would he get the money to pay? With greater strength, he could earn more, and with more money, he could gain more resources, leading to even greater strength.

Over the next few days, Qian Ye planned to continue his cultivation, consolidating his current realm, and once again cultivating the blood energy back to seven streams. A reduction in the number of regular blood energy streams clearly weakened the protection of the organs. With only two streams, Qian Ye could endure thirty-three waves of force tides, but not thirty-four. Though seemingly just one wave, the difference meant a ten percent decrease in training speed.

The Yu Renyan whom Qian Ye was thinking about was not in the city. After recovering from his injuries, he once again eluded the Dark Blade’s futile search across the major cities of Rocky Territory, joining a high-level hunter mission. He was now hundreds of kilometers away from Darkblood City, in the wilderness.

This was the edge of human-controlled territory, where dark races often conducted large-scale activities. The primary method of control by humans was the deployment of expeditionary forces for irregular patrols. Additionally, the military offered bounties, relying on mercenaries and hunters to clear out dark forces in the area.

Yu Renyan was fully equipped for the outdoors, with a short cloak covering most of his face, resembling a seasoned hunter. Five others accompanied him, all at least five-star experienced hunters, forming a powerful team.

The team, in combat formation, entered a settlement for search. About a hundred people lived here, originally intended as a stopover point on their journey.

It was dusk, the sky long since dark, with some buildings emitting dim lights. But the settlement was eerily silent, not a sound. The hunter team stood at the entrance of the only road into the village, even the hunting dogs were still.

Suddenly, Yu Renyan made a stop gesture, pulled down his mask, and took a deep sniff with his large nose. No longer hiding their tracks, he ran towards the central hall. He paused on the steps and gently pushed open the door.

One by one, the hunters entered the hall and stood in silence.

What was once a meeting hall was now a scene of chaos. At the center, a long table for thirty people was arranged with the remains of several youths, their heads intact, faces frozen in agony and fear, while their bodies were nearly devoured.

Human bodies hung like specimens on the walls, and more littered the ground. The floor, walls, and even the ceiling were covered in thick, congealed blood. Half-eaten limbs and organs were scattered everywhere, and deep in the hall, a row of stakes held impaled individuals!

All the residents of the settlement were here.

Suddenly, a rustling noise filled the hall, and dozens of fist-sized spiders emerged from the corpses, turning their heads to face the hunters, their red compound eyes glaring, mandibles clicking.

“Slave spiders of the spider demons,” a veteran hunter said grimly.

“At least five or six bloodline members, otherwise, they couldn’t have arranged such a blood feast.”

“They’ve just left, probably less than a day ago.”

Yu Renyan drew his pistol and blasted several approaching newborn slave spiders, then said coldly, “Pursue and kill them!”

The other hunters agreed without hesitation. Seeing this, no one could contain their anger.

Gunfire erupted, the six hunters formed a circular formation, their weapons spitting fire, annihilating the swarm of slave spiders.

Even in the hands of these elite hunters, automatic rifle fire was as accurate as aimed shots, every bullet hitting its mark. In moments, the hundreds of slave spiders in the hall were wiped out.

A white-bearded six-star hunter pulled out a flamethrower, ready to toss it, but Yu Renyan stopped him.

“Keep it. Let others see this, lest they forget the history of a thousand years, and the countless wars with countless casualties,” Yu Renyan said.

Blood feasts were uncommon, especially in human-controlled areas. When they occurred, the Empire’s expeditionary forces viewed them as serious provocations. Regardless of the leaders’ thoughts, they would act with full force. In human territories, the appearance of a blood feast often signaled the beginning of a new racial war.

Yu Renyan’s words held deeper meaning, and the other hunters fell into thought. On the continent of Eternal Night, some humans used the special geography of abandoned lands to secretly trade with dark races, a near-open secret. Even within the Empire’s expeditionary forces, there were whispers about coexisting with some dark races.

Yet, how could thousands of years of spilled blood be washed away by a mere coexistence?

“These black-blooded bastards are not weak,” a hunter said slowly.

“Neither are we! Are you scared?” another young, brash hunter retorted.

The first hunter grew angry, “Scared? I was hunting these black-blooded bastards before you were even born!”

The older hunter said, “Listen to Xiao Yu’s opinion. He has more experience than us.”

It was not flattery, but acknowledgment. Yu Renyan had cooperated with them multiple times, earning respect through his strength and achievements.

Yu Renyan’s voice was hoarse, “This can’t be tolerated. Pursue and eliminate those bastards!”

The older hunter immediately agreed, “Alright! We’ll eliminate those bastards, no matter how strong they are!”

The hunter team left a marker outside the settlement and plunged into the desolate wilderness.

The dark race team left few traces, but the strong smell of blood and the unique stench of the spider demons were clear markers to these experienced hunters. Moreover, Yu Renyan, the tracking master, chewed a small piece of slave spider flesh, memorizing the scent of the two spider demons involved in the blood feast.

After a day and night, the hunters spotted a dark race encampment. The final traces of the dark race team that orchestrated the blood feast led here.

The hunters dispersed, quietly approaching. Gunfire rang out, and several dark race warriors patrolling the perimeter fell.

The hunters felt a chill; this was just a harassment, yet it was too easy. If senior dark race warriors were on guard, half of the ambush hits would be good, and at worst, seriously wounding the enemy. Yet, the ambush hit all, and instantly killed, indicating these sentries were not true fighters, but cannon fodder!

Yu Renyan was the first to react, standing up from cover and issuing a warning cry, a traditional sign of volunteering to stay behind. The other hunters remained in place, not fleeing in panic, knowing that showing their backs to dark races in the wilderness was a death sentence.

Shadows emerged from the encampment, dozens of senior warriors, mainly spider demons and bloodkin, spreading out in a wing-like formation, aiming to trap the attackers.

Four bloodkin then exited the gate, tall and haughty, clad in overly ornate armor, clearly from the same clan.

The hearts of Yu Renyan and the hunters sank! Blood knights, four of them!

Blood knights, at least seventh-rank, occasionally included some young sixth-rank geniuses from great clans, often even more troublesome. Yu Renyan was confident he could defeat a blood knight one-on-one, but against two, he was certain to die.

With their team’s strength, facing three blood knights would lead to defeat, and against four, it would be difficult to escape, even at the cost of several lives. Moreover, the dozens of senior warriors watching were no ordinary cannon fodder.

Two more figures emerged from the encampment, one a tall, handsome youth with a vertical eye in the middle of his forehead—a rare demonic breed, signifying he had broken through to the Warrior General level!

Beside him stood a girl with a purely human appearance.

She was very pretty, with large, bright eyes and long, silky black hair cascading to her shoulders, her exquisite face wearing a look of innocence and confusion. She was somewhat frail, barefoot, wearing a dirty, torn white dress. She looked about twelve or thirteen, with unhealed wounds on her hands and legs.

In her small hand, she dragged a massive, meter-long, square-headed, thick-bladed bone cleaver! This heavy weapon, when swung, could split a lion’s head with its weight alone!