Chapter 86: The Dark Tide

Ruoyu sighed, “Indeed, the name is quite peculiar, but if you understand certain things, you will see why we call ourselves as such.”

“Living at the very bottom of the dark realm, each day is a struggle between life and death. Though we are humble, merely crawling in the endless darkness, our numbers are as vast as the sands of the Ganges, serving as the foundation of the dark realm’s pyramid. We fight for freedom, hoping one day to overthrow the Eternal Night Council and take our fate into our own hands!”

The woman’s last words were tinged with passion. Qian Ye raised an eyebrow, “Are you all humans?”

“No, humans are just a part of us. Among us, there are werewolves, vampires, and even demon descendants. Race doesn’t matter; what matters is that we share a common belief: to overthrow the Eternal Night Council!” Ruoyu seemed rather agitated.

“What is your mission here?”

Ruoyu hesitated, looking at Qian Ye’s expression, slowing down her speech as if carefully choosing her words, “To find potential rebels, bring them into our organization, and then train them. As our members grow stronger, so do we.”

“So, if I kill Brudo, I would be your enemy?” Qian Ye’s voice carried a hint of menace.

“Why must it come to that?” Ruoyu countered, “At least on the point of overthrowing the Eternal Night Council, our interests align, don’t they?”

Qian Ye pondered for a moment, putting away his Twin Flowers, “You may go. Go back and tell Brudo my decision. As for your organization, do not operate within my territory anymore.”

Ruoyu was taken aback, immediately defending herself, “But our existence will not hinder you in the slightest! The Eternal Night Council should be our common enemy. I believe we can cooperate in many areas.”

Qian Ye tapped his fingers lightly on the table, unfazed, “Perhaps, but I am not interested now. Let’s see what happens in the future.”

After Ruoyu left, Qian Ye sat alone in his tent, deep in thought.

He instinctively disliked organizations like the Crawlers in the Dark. Their ideals sounded lofty, and their power might be considerable, but to set their goal as overthrowing the Eternal Night Council, guarded by several powerful figures, was undoubtedly a delusion.

Moreover, what after overthrowing them?

The meaning of freedom was too broad, a perfect word for empty talk. If he allowed such an organization to operate freely in his territory, who knew what might happen.

As for the possible retaliation after eliminating their influence, Qian Ye was not particularly afraid. This was something any lord would have to face in the process of controlling a territory. If not the Crawlers in the Dark, there would be others. And regarding Brudo, there was nothing to worry about. Just as Qian Ye had told Ruoyu, the cost of war was something the werewolf viscount could not afford, not him.

Qian Ye gave instructions to Duan Hao and Zhu Wuya on the subsequent matters. Seeing that it was still early, he decided to return immediately. With the werewolf tribe subdued, the plan to advance westward had come to an end, and his initial vision was fully realized.

This was Qian Ye’s first true territorial expansion, yet his mood on the return journey was not light. The appearances of Ruoyu and the Dusk made the entire region heavy with gloom, which might worsen in the future.

The sky of Eternal Night was always so dreary, but the darkness did not make the dark races feel comfortable.

Though the dark origin force on this continent was rich, it was wild and ferocious, not a suitable place for most dark races to survive and cultivate. Compared to the upper continent, the birthplace of ancient races on the Dusk Continent, it was far inferior. Whether human or one of the four major dark races, no one would willingly stay here if they had other choices.

At this moment, atop a lonely peak piercing the clouds, Ye Ting stood facing the wind, with an abyss just a step away. Count Kaos stood behind her, his hair completely white and wrinkles deeper, all within a month.

Looking at Ye Ting standing silently, appearing particularly lonely, Kaos sighed and finally spoke, “Your Highness…”

Ye Ting turned around, speaking softly, “Don’t call me Your Highness. In my heart, you have always been my father.”

Kaos was surprised, hastily saying, “No, you cannot say that! You have awakened the bloodline of the great lord Adonia. That is your true inheritance. If others hear this, it won’t matter to me, but it will cause you great trouble!”

Ye Ting smiled self-mockingly, “Do I have any less trouble now? I don’t mind a little more.”

Kaos also sighed, asking, “What do you plan to do next?”

Ye Ting replied calmly, “I will not let them control me. I will never agree to this engagement!”

“The prince will not allow Phira to act as he claims,” Kaos reminded.

Among the twelve ancient clans, marriage was a sacred term, but in many cases, it was merely a formality.

For the long-lived high-bloods, marriage’s true meaning was an alliance, and secondly, to create powerful pure-blood offspring. Not every vampire had the right to marry, especially in the twelve ancient clans, where having the right to marry meant recognition from the clan.

Though Phira’s talent was not as good as Ye Ting, he was also a pureblood, from the fifth-ranked Spark Clan, and a strong contender for the next chieftain. In terms of identity and strength, he was a perfect match for Ye Ting.

Knowing what Kaos was about to say, Ye Ting interrupted, “I have decided to go to battle.”

“Go to battle?” Kaos was shocked, urgently saying, “Don’t be rash. You have just been promoted to viscount. This war is under the Iron Curtain, the cruelest of bloodbaths! If you go to the battlefield, you will face the real danger of death.”

A faint, inexplicable emotion rose in Ye Ting’s eyes, “The blood battles offer the most credit. If I have enough merit, those old guys’ words will carry more weight, right?”

Kaos hesitated.

This matter was not something a little merit could resolve. However, he understood Ye Ting’s current state of mind, just wanting to keep a glimmer of hope. But while the blood battles offered abundant credit, the risk of accumulating enough credit was a gamble with a slim chance of survival.

The roar of engines resounded across the wilderness as Qian Ye drove his motorcycle at full speed.

On the distant horizon, Heilu City was already in sight. Here, within the human-controlled area, the beasts and various wanderers on the wasteland posed no threat to Qian Ye, yet for some reason, he felt an inexplicable sense of oppression and unease, growing more intense.

The roar of the motorcycle shook the ground, and from an inconspicuous hole in the earth, several giant rats suddenly leaped out. They were about a meter long, resembling vicious dogs. Seeing the speeding motorcycle, their eyes turned red, and they hissed, pouncing towards it.

Suddenly, a shield of origin force light enveloped the motorcycle, roaring through the pack of giant rats. Blood splattered in the air as the rats were flung far, unable to impede the motorcycle’s progress.

Qian Ye suddenly braked, spinning a few rounds before stopping. He dismounted, walking over to the corpse of a giant rat, lifting it with a dagger.

Colliding with the fast-moving origin force shield was like hitting a steel wall. The giant rat’s bones were shattered, hanging limply from the dagger, almost unrecognizable.

However, what intrigued Qian Ye was why they attacked the motorcycle.

Giant rats were at the bottom of the food chain in the wasteland. Normally, they would never provoke metal behemoths like motorcycles or off-road vehicles. Today, they attacked Qian Ye en masse, a reckless action against their nature.

Yet, Qian Ye found no reason for their sudden madness on the corpses. He threw the dead rat aside, putting away his Crimson Tooth. The gloom that had settled on his brow deepened.

In fact, on his way back, he had encountered such incidents more than once. Apart from the omnivorous giant rats, even many normally docile small animals suddenly became fierce and launched suicidal attacks on passersby.

The atmosphere of the entire wasteland seemed different.

In the distance, the roar of engines sounded again. Two battered off-road vehicles appeared on the horizon, speeding towards Heilu City. The vehicles were scarred, with large patches of dried blood. Even from a distance, Qian Ye could see that the passengers were injured, some severely.

Seeing Qian Ye, they veered slightly, slowing down as they approached. A burly driver shouted, “Brother, get back to the city! The beasts in the wasteland have gone mad, attacking anyone they see! It’s a beast tide, don’t stay outside to die!”

With that, he didn’t wait for Qian Ye’s response, stomping on the accelerator. The vehicle emitted a cloud of black smoke and sped away like a wild horse.

“Beast tide?” Qian Ye had lived in the Eternal Night for some time but had never heard of this term.

Yet, the wasteland was indeed changing. Near the city, it was still manageable; the beasts’ strength was limited and could hardly threaten warriors. But in the depths of the wasteland? Would the ferocious beasts capable of manipulating origin force also become mad?

Ordinary and maddened beasts were entirely different concepts. Once beasts went berserk, their combat power would increase by one or two levels, becoming relentless after seeing blood. For example, a mountain crocodile, a fifth or sixth-level magical beast, was usually easy for Qian Ye to handle, but if ten or more enraged mountain crocodiles attacked together, he would have to avoid their onslaught.

If a real beast tide occurred, the entire Heilu War Zone would be in peril. The defensive fortifications left by Wei Bannian could resist the dark armies, but the surrounding villages and some base cities might turn to ruins.

Qian Ye suddenly turned, gazing into the depths of the wasteland.

On the distant horizon, a black line had appeared, moving towards him. At first glance, it seemed like a large cloud, but in Qian Ye’s eyes, it was a deep, dense streak without substance, making the sky unusually dark in its wake.

What was that? Qian Ye was uncertain.

The black line rapidly expanded, soon covering half the sky, spreading further. Whatever it was, its sheer scale was overwhelming.

Qian Ye jumped onto his motorcycle, heading towards the approaching darkness. Along the way, he encountered numerous hunters, mercenaries, and adventurers, all injured and fleeing towards Heilu City in panic.

The wasteland was filled with frenzied beasts, even the timid swift rabbits baring their teeth, lunging fiercely at Qian Ye. Fortunately, these beasts were weak, attacking anything alive out of instinct, and not yet organized, providing Qian Ye some relief.

An hour later, Qian Ye stopped his motorcycle, standing on the now-empty expanse, looking up at the sky.

Darkness surged overhead, the tidal line clear. Ahead was a bright sky, but beyond it lay a dim, indistinct world.