Chapter 147: The Oath

Just as Song Zining had spoken half a sentence, he suddenly felt an incredible force surge through his hand. His entire body hung on Qian Ye’s arm, and in an instant, he was dragged off the ground and flying.

Qian Ye took a step, covering dozens of meters in a flash, and arrived beside the young girl. The Dongyue sword swept horizontally, instantly slicing several werewolves in two. With another downward strike, he flattened two more blood kin, effortlessly resolving the young girl’s predicament.

“Hmm?” Qian Ye suddenly felt that he had overlooked something. Turning his head, he saw Song Zining clinging tightly to his arm, being dragged along the ground, glaring at him with a furious expression.

“Zining, uh…” Qian Ye was at a loss for words, so he feigned ignorance.

Song Zining got up, huffing heavily as he patted the dust off his silver armor, his face filled with anger, “Savage, barbarian! You’ve been completely corrupted by the Wei family’s wild boar! How… how am I supposed to fight you now?”

The dual-bladed girl burst into laughter, showing no signs of being wounded or embarrassed.

Qian Ye looked at her, momentarily stunned, then realized that the girl was not injured at all; the blood on her was from someone else.

Song Zining’s face became serious as he introduced her to Qian Ye, “This is Miss Nan Hua, one of my… oh, one of my confidantes, cough, cough. Actually, if she were to use her full strength, it would be no easy feat for me to defeat her.”

Qian Ye couldn’t help but look at the girl, dressed in the attire of a maidservant, with newfound respect. After this battle, Qian Ye had clearly seen Song Zining’s combat prowess. Anyone who could make him say such a thing about winning was no ordinary person. However, Qian Ye felt there was something odd in Song Zining’s tone.

At this point, the battle was entering its final stages. After Luther’s main forces were almost completely annihilated, the remnants began to disperse. The Darkflame defenders, under the cover of artillery fire, opened the city gates and pursued the retreating enemy.

However, among the remnants, there were still many elite troops, each belonging to a different tribe or region. Although their leaders were not dark knights, they were generally strong individuals. These small teams fought and retreated, causing significant casualties to the Darkflame pursuers.

Now, both sides were engaged in a chaotic mêlée, with military formations intermingled like a dog’s teeth. The large defensive weapons on the city walls had ceased firing to avoid friendly fire. As the cannon fire paused, the sounds of origin guns on the battlefield stood out even more.

On the other side of the battlefield, a shadow of a monstrous beast suddenly appeared in the air, lunging towards a small, inconspicuous figure. It had antlers like a deer and five claws like hooks—the innate totem of the demonkin! Apart from Luther, there was another demonkin on the battlefield.

The small figure darted forward, her cloak unfurling like a banner in the wind, and a meter-long flame erupted from within. The gunshot sounded like rolling thunder, reverberating across the entire battlefield.

With Qian Ye’s keen eyesight, he immediately saw the fist-sized bullet being ejected from the short gun, traveling at an unimaginable speed. He instinctively felt the astounding power of the shot.

The tiny figure was none other than Black Moon. With a single shot, the demonkin warrior dozens of meters away was forced back two steps, his protective origin force fluctuating, and the monstrous shadow in the air violently shaking, halting its attack.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Black Moon moved like lightning, reloading and firing repeatedly, driving the demonkin warrior back, shattering his protective origin force in an instant. Terrible bloody holes appeared on his body, and the innate totem in the air dissipated.

Black Moon rushed to the demonkin warrior’s corpse, cutting off his head and hanging it at her waist. This series of actions was incredibly smooth, demonstrating great proficiency. The remaining dozens of demonkin warriors were intimidated by Black Moon’s ruthless display and dared not approach.

To blast open the protective origin force of an eighth-level demonkin and kill him instantly, it was clear that Black Moon’s gun was nearly as powerful as a fourth-level origin gun. But the advantage of firearms was that, as long as there was ammunition, one could keep shooting. Her weapon, which resembled a short gun, was actually more like a human hand cannon, with enormous recoil. Only someone with a mechanically enhanced body like hers could handle it below the rank of war general.

After harvesting the eighth-level demonkin, Black Moon leapt into the crowd, hunting down high-ranking soldiers among the fleeing troops. Those below the fifth level were not worth her attention. Like a wolf on the battlefield, though small, she was swift and deadly.

Not only did Qian Ye notice Black Moon, but Song Zining also spotted her, exclaiming, “A Gao Hu warrior?”

Qian Ye nodded, “Yes. She’s called Black Moon, a friend I met on the way. She plans to earn some military merit in Blackstream City.”

Song Zining appraised Black Moon for a moment, then said, “Gao Hu warriors are mostly on the rebel side. I’ve had many dealings with them, and they are indeed very difficult to deal with. From what I can see, Black Moon is a high-ranking warrior among the Gao Hu. Though they are traditionally loyal to their employers, we still need to be cautious.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on her,” Nan Hua said.

Qian Ye nodded without objection, knowing that Nan Hua’s recently displayed strength was indeed enough to overpower Black Moon.

By now, the battle was over. Luther’s army, divided into several camps, had been completely routed and almost entirely eliminated, with only the main force led by Luther suffering the most. After the demonkin viscount’s death, the other camps, having lost their overall commander, chose to retreat.

As the last battle flag of the dark army vanished into the distance, the people inside and outside Blackstream City erupted in joy.

Since the start of the battle, the besieged city had been seen as a hopeless cause, but today’s victory was a miracle to the city’s soldiers and civilians, like a dream come true.

“Let’s go, have a drink first, then we can talk more,” Song Zining patted Qian Ye’s shoulder, leaving the cleanup and aftermath to the Darkflame officers.

Back in the city, Song Zining and Qian Ye settled into the study.

When they were alone, Song Zining seemed to relax completely, shedding his worldly pretenses and the killing intent that came with wearing the ghost mask. His aura was deep and calm, his movements fluid and graceful, each gesture exuding a sense of completeness.

Qian Ye sat across from Song Zining. In contrast to Song Zining, Qian Ye naturally exuded a domineering and powerful presence, as if he could smash any obstacle in front of him with a single strike.

Song Zining looked at Qian Ye carefully, then shook his head, saying, “You truly are different now. It seems you gained much from the Bloodbath behind the Iron Curtain!”

Thinking of his experiences in the Black Forest, Qian Ye smiled bitterly and said, “I condensed a blood core.”

Contrary to Qian Ye’s expectations, Song Zining did not react with shock. Instead, he seemed to have anticipated it. He tapped his fingers on the table, and a transparent leaf with clear veins floated toward Qian Ye, “Do you mind if I take a look?”

Qian Ye activated his blood qi and pointed at the leaf, causing both of them to tremble slightly. A chaotic and colorful light flashed in the air.

Song Zining waved his hand, dispersing the leaf, looking puzzled, “It’s strange. Your blood qi does not carry any clan emblem, indicating no infection, but why can’t the ancient Song scrolls refine this blood qi? Instead, it has formed a blood core?” He thought for a moment and then asked, “But when you used that heavy sword, you still used the Military Decree, right?”

Qian Ye nodded and extended his right hand. With a soft hum, the crimson origin power of the Military Decree shone through his arm.

Song Zining thought for a moment and smiled, “That’s fine then. Who would be able to cut open your body to see the blood core? Once you ascend to the rank of war general, even if your attacks contain dark origin power, it won’t matter much. However, the Military Decree cannot cross the threshold of the war general realm…” He hesitated, then said, “The Zhao clan’s secret techniques are top-notch even among the great families. Perhaps you should consider…”

Qian Ye’s expression remained somber, and he suddenly interrupted Song Zining, “Zining, I need you to promise me something.”

Song Zining’s eyes changed abruptly, then settled. He didn’t ask what Qian Ye meant, simply nodding, “I promise. If, in the future, a blood kin can suppress your will with source blood, I will do everything in my power to kill you. I will not let you live like a walking corpse.”

Qian Ye exhaled deeply, finally showing a look of relief.

Song Zining asked again, “What happened during those days when you disappeared? Was it the Nan Gong family too?” As he spoke, his voice turned cold, filled with unrestrained, icy killing intent.

Qian Ye was silent for a moment, then said, “I dragged you into this.” He knew now that Song Zining’s entrapment in Blackstream City was a spur-of-the-moment decision by the Nan Gong family, who had originally targeted him.

Song Zining laughed, “We are brothers. Why say such things? If I were afraid, I wouldn’t have come to Blackstream City to fight this losing battle. Besides, I have my own troubles, no less than yours. Are you telling me not to drag you into my problems next time?”

Qian Ye laughed, “Alright, the ones after me are Bai Kongzhao and the Nan Gong family. But I have already killed most of the Nan Gong family’s pursuers.”

Song Zining’s gaze sharpened, “Bai Kongzhao? I’ve heard of her. But is she acting on the orders of the Bai family?”

“I don’t know,” Qian Ye shook his head.

Song Zining stood up and paced around the study, asking, “What are your plans?”

“I won’t let Bai Kongzhao off, but I’m not sure how the Bai family will react afterward.”

Song Zining pondered, then said, “The Bai family has many strong elders, but they lack top-tier experts. They have three god generals, but two of them are old and no longer active. In recent years, Bai Ao Tu’s power has grown significantly, as she is the most likely to become a god general among the new generation.”

Pausing, Song Zining continued, “Bai Ao Tu is extremely dominant and aggressive, and Bai Kongzhao was brought into the Bai family by her. If we want to kill Bai Kongzhao, we will inevitably clash with Bai Ao Tu. A battle with the Bai family may be unavoidable.”

Qian Ye nodded, calmly saying, “I understand.” Their tones were both relaxed and indifferent, as if their opponent was not a great family, but just two ordinary noble clans.