Chapter 46: The Youth at the Summit of the Peaks

The werewolf’s chest heaved violently, but with every deep breath, more blood seeped from his wounds. He struggled to say, “With the Apex of the Peaks, you will not… succeed!”

Duras laughed heartily and said, “As long as I kill you, how would the Apex of the Peaks know? You stinking dogs, forever lacking brains, hahaha!”

He walked up to the young werewolf Xi’er, the tip of his longsword pointed at the werewolf’s heart, and coldly said, “You know too much, and you saw what you shouldn’t have. Now, go to your death!”

But just as Duras was about to thrust his sword, he suddenly felt an indescribable sense of danger. In that life-and-death moment, he could only desperately shift his body, trying to leap aside.

However, a sudden heat in his lower back, followed by a force like a heavy hammer, struck him. All he managed was a cry of agony before he was sent tumbling away.

In the air, a silver light appeared, catching up to Duras in an instant. This time, the vampire viscount didn’t even have time to scream before the silver light pierced his abdomen, immediately burning a fist-sized hole.

Yet, the size of the wound was the least of his worries; the pain where he was injured felt like being set on fire, excruciatingly intense. Duras was instantly terrified; this was a sign of mithril entering his body. Although the injuries, given his strength, were severe but not fatal, if mithril mixed into the wounds, it would be a sure death.

Struck by two mithril anti-magic bullets in vital spots, even Duras, who came from one of the twelve ancient clans, was left gravely wounded.

The other vampires, taken by surprise, only looked up to the treetops after Duras was hit twice, from where the two anti-magic bullets had been fired.

As the group of vampires quickly shifted their gaze upwards, Qian Ye had already leaped back, landing swiftly behind the tree trunk.

Now, a couple of vampires rushed to Duras, while the rest surged toward the large tree, some leaping mid-air, swords drawn, slashing at the treetops.

Qian Ye emerged from behind the tree, his dual guns booming, firing four shots in quick succession, sending four vampire warriors screaming to the ground. None of them had reached the rank of viscount; the highest among them was merely a knight. Being hit at close range by Bloodscent Mandala and Illusionary Mankasha meant either imminent death or an end to their vitality.

After firing four shots, Qian Ye put away his twin guns, drawing out Crimson Tooth, and pounced on the nearest vampire warrior. This vampire was only level six and couldn’t withstand even one of Qian Ye’s moves.

Crimson Tooth cut through the air, leaving a faint shadow, instantly piercing the vampire’s heart. As soon as Qian Ye landed the blow, he pulled out Crimson Tooth and turned to another nearby vampire.

This one was a blood knight, already with sword in hand, poised and ready. Seeing Qian Ye approaching, he immediately thrust his sword. The sword strike was stern and dignified, true to the style of the ancient clans. But Qian Ye blocked it with his bare hand, and then smashed a powerful fist into the knight’s face!

Under the force of Qian Ye, who rivaled a viscount in strength, the blood knight’s entire face caved in, and he fell to the ground.

At this moment, bursts of red light exploded from Qian Ye’s body as he was hit by several primal energy rounds. However, all the higher-ranked vampires had been wiped out by Qian Ye, and the remaining were barely knights. With Qian Ye’s defense and robust constitution, he suffered only minor injuries from the shots.

Qian Ye grabbed a Minigun from An’dy’s mysterious space, his eyes glowing blue. Wherever his gaze passed, the lower-rank vampire warriors felt a stabbing pain in their hearts, and their movements slowed. The Minigun in Qian Ye’s hands roared wildly, spewing a storm of metal, sweeping down the vampire warriors one by one.

The Minigun in Qian Ye’s hand was a specially modified weapon, using large-caliber special bullets, highly potent at short distances, and even a threat to blood knights. It was a powder-based weapon, and as long as there was enough ammunition, it could be used infinitely, making it a devastating weapon in a melee. The only issue was its high consumption of ammo. But with An’dy’s mysterious space, ammunition was no longer a problem. So, Qian Ye had brought several powder weapons for this trip, to deal with spider servants, wargs, and blood thralls.

When the Minigun ceased its roar, no standing vampire could be seen within Qian Ye’s line of sight.

Qian Ye drew out Crimson Tooth once more, walking around the battlefield. Whether the vampires were dead or alive, he stabbed them in the heart with Crimson Tooth, ensuring they were no longer a threat, and absorbing their essence blood.

The warm currents flowing from Crimson Tooth made Qian Ye feel very comfortable. These vampires were from ancient clans, and even if their ranks were the same, the purity of their blood far exceeded those of the lesser clans. In terms of effect, absorbing the essence blood of a baron from one of the twelve ancient clans was more beneficial than that of a viscount from a lesser clan.

After making a full round of the battlefield, Qian Ye finally stood before Duras.

The third-grade viscount glared at Qian Ye with intense hatred, gritting his teeth and saying, “You… will face our clan’s furious vengeance! Your entire family… will…”

“Truly sorry, but that won’t happen,” Qian Ye said, as Crimson Tooth pierced Duras’s blood core.

An enormous flow of essence blood immediately poured through Crimson Tooth, being absorbed into Qian Ye’s body. Feeling the loss of essence blood, Duras’s eyes widened, fixated on Qian Ye, and shakily shouted, “This is impossible! You also have sacred blood…”

But he could not finish his sentence. Qian Ye coldly watched him, suddenly increasing the speed of blood absorption. Duras’s blood core rapidly shriveled and dried, then cracked, like a withered fruit.

Qian Ye had no habit of wasting words on a dying enemy, especially in the Dark Lands.

Slowly pulling out Crimson Tooth, the blade’s edge gleamed with a cold light, not a trace of blood left behind. Qian Ye sheathed the dagger and searched Duras, but found nothing special besides standard equipment. He then approached the young werewolf.

The young werewolf, having already resumed human form, sat leaning against a tree, pale and wary, growling threateningly at Qian Ye, but his eyes betrayed uncontrollable fear. This boy had curly brown hair and a youthful face, and, like William, he had the tattoo of the Apex of the Peaks on his neck.

He seemed to be just a young man, yet he possessed the strength of a baron, raising Qian Ye’s evaluation of him by a notch.

Qian Ye casually tossed the Minigun on the ground, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and asked, “Your name is Xi’er? Can you still fight?”

The young werewolf did not answer, instead instinctively shifting further away, trying to distance himself from Qian Ye. The entire squad of vampires that had chased him to the ends of the earth had been defeated in mere minutes by this man. The precision, ruthlessness, and ferocity of this man’s combat were unmatched in the young werewolf’s experience. Even the elders of his original tribe, perhaps stronger in cultivation, could not match this level of efficient and precise killing.

Humans were the common enemy of all dark races, though often the hatred within the Evernight faction far outweighed their enmity towards humans. In the young werewolf’s eyes, Qian Ye and Duras were both enemies.

Seeing the young werewolf’s mix of fear and wariness, Qian Ye smiled, holding out the cigarette, and asked, “Want one?”

The young werewolf slowly shook his head, his gaze never leaving Qian Ye.

“You don’t need to be so afraid of me…” Qian Ye began, but the young werewolf suddenly shot forward, rolling to grab the Minigun, pointing it at Qian Ye.

“Let me go.” This was the first time the boy spoke.

Qian Ye gave a light smile, pointing at the Minigun, and said, “Do you think that thing is effective against me?”

The young werewolf’s gaze swept over the few wounds on Qian Ye’s body. During the battle, Qian Ye had taken a round of primal energy gunshots from the vampire warriors, getting hit at least five or six times. Through the large holes in Qian Ye’s armor, the wounds were clearly visible, already closed, leaving only faint marks. And even if they hadn’t closed, the wounds were small and shallow, at most superficial flesh wounds.

If level-three vampire primal energy guns could only leave minor injuries, a Minigun was even less of a threat. Besides, with Qian Ye’s lightning-fast speed, Xi’er might not even get to pull the trigger before his head was taken off.

The young werewolf, stubborn, waved the Minigun and shouted, “Let me go!”

Qian Ye took out the metal plate from William and showed it to the young werewolf, saying, “You are badly injured. Even if I let you go, you won’t make it out of these mountains. Besides, seeing this, I think you should at least hear me out.”

Seeing the metal plate in Qian Ye’s hand, the young werewolf’s eyes widened, and he said incredulously, “This is, the Sacred Messenger Token of the Apex of the Peaks! How do you have this?”

Qian Ye smiled and said, “A guy named William gave it to me. His fighting skills were average, but he could really eat.”

The young werewolf hesitated, sniffing the token, and then slowly lowered the Minigun, saying, “It does indeed have the scent of the Sacred Land. This token is real.”

Qian Ye put away the token and said, “Of course, it’s real. William asked me to look after the local tribes. Why were you pursued by these vampires? Also, although you bear the mark of the Apex of the Peaks, honestly, your strength doesn’t quite match the title. What’s going on?”

By the last sentence, Qian Ye’s voice carried a hint of chill. If he encountered someone falsely claiming to be from the Apex of the Peaks, he wouldn’t mind taking a bit more essence blood. With Qian Ye’s current strength, the amount of essence blood his body could hold had increased. Having taken the essence blood of an entire squad of vampires, including a third-grade viscount, he still had some room, unlike before when a single viscount’s essence blood would overwhelm him.

The young werewolf said, “I… my name is Xi’er. Not long ago, I was part of the Sharp Fang Tribe. Our ancestors migrated to this region over four hundred years ago and have lived within Count Stuka’s territory ever since. And I, I am the top warrior of the younger generation in the tribe, recently gaining the qualification to participate in the Great Hunt on the Upper Continent, and earning a place among the top thirty, thus securing the right to join the Apex of the Peaks.”

“So, you haven’t had the chance to study at the Apex of the Peaks yet?”

“Yes,” the young werewolf answered.

Qian Ye nodded, finding the explanation reasonable, and then asked the most crucial question:

“Why were these vampires pursuing you?”