Qian Ye immediately leapt from the treetops and activated his bloodline to lurk like a ghost, fleeing the perilous area.
Shortly after Qian Ye left, the bark of a giant tree burst open, spraying out dozens of strange beasts, most of which were shadow hounds, along with a dozen dwarves. Upon landing, they began to search for enemies, but Qian Ye was already far away, leaving no trace.
Then, one by one, the crowns of the great trees started to spew forth creatures. In the blink of an eye, thousands of fierce beasts and diminutive beings appeared within a several-kilometer radius. Not finding any targets to attack, they dispersed, vanishing into the thick fog, searching in all directions.
In the distance, Qian Ye leaned against the trunk of a large tree, estimating that he had run far enough to escape the dangerous zone. He decided to rest, as maintaining his strength was crucial in such a perilous environment. The bizarre trees and the omnipresent purple substance remained calm, proving that his bloodline’s stealth was effective, undetected by the sinister forest.
Yet, the forest was becoming increasingly perilous. The presence of these indigenous creatures made it suicidal for ordinary soldiers, even the empire’s main armies, to enter. In a place where visibility was only a few dozen meters, regular troops were no match for the numerous beasts. Even Qian Ye did not dare say he could emerge unscathed if he went deeper.
Thinking of the free warriors who had come with him, Qian Ye’s heart sank. But there was a silver lining; the forest was equally perilous for the dark races. Looking back at past battles, the dark races usually had the upper hand in the early and middle stages. In comparison, the influence of the Misty Forest on the overall situation might be more favorable to the Empire.
After a short rest and a full meal, Qian Ye napped on the treetop before continuing. After some effort, he corrected his course and finally found the outer edge of the southwestern part of the Misty Forest. He planned to cut across to the other side, entering the Moon Gazing Plains.
That was the Song family’s battlefield.
Although Song Zining would not act with the Song clan, the Moon Gazing Plains were unfamiliar to Qian Ye. He intended to familiarize himself with the border area and assess the strength of the Song clan’s defenses.
This war would last a long time, and in the early stages, Qian Ye needed to understand the overall situation, at least in the theater of operations where he planned to stay long-term.
Days passed, and Qian Ye had crossed hundreds of kilometers in the Misty Forest, eliminating two reconnaissance teams of the dark races and slaying hundreds of strange beasts and native dwarves. In comparison, the pressure from the forest’s indigenous creatures was far greater than that of the dark races.
But this was only a facade. When the dark races’ powerful warriors truly joined the battle, that would be the most grueling time.
Qian Ye also encountered three groups of imperial warriors. Perhaps sensing the forest’s menace, they traveled in groups of three or five. They lacked Qian Ye’s range of vision, unable to detect his presence, and Qian Ye did not reveal himself to them.
That afternoon, Qian Ye finally emerged from the Misty Forest, facing undulating hills covered with lush green trees. In the distance, a river meandered, its light blue waters resembling a sapphire necklace encircling the mountains.
From afar, it was a picturesque scene, and the Song clan had indeed chosen a beautiful spot. Beyond the hills lay a vast plain, the green grass extending to the horizon.
However, to Qian Ye, the Moon Gazing Plains, though breathtaking, offered little strategic value. According to known information, it lacked essential resources and was not a critical defensive point. Perhaps in the future, when the Void Floating Land became a stable territory of the Empire, this scenic area would show its worth.
But everyone knew that for at least the next few decades, the Void Floating Land would be engulfed in war. Even if the Empire won the current conflict, the Eternal Night faction would not surrender easily.
Qian Ye wondered about the hidden deals behind the distribution of the seven battle zones.
Reaching the top of a hill, Qian Ye looked around. With his extraordinary vision now extending 1,200 meters, he could see the surrounding terrain clearly.
The Song clan was constructing a fortress on a hill, a strategic choice controlling the surrounding tens of kilometers. Additionally, several peaks were under construction, likely watchtowers, forming a defensive line.
Judging from the scale and placement of these strategic nodes, the defense was directed against the Misty Forest. In the distance, two floating warships patrolled the entire battle zone.
It seemed the Song clan was well-prepared. Though they might lack outstanding talent, their wealth allowed them to hire more people, giving them a numerical advantage.
Qian Ye consulted his map, locating his position. Following the edge of the Misty Forest and then heading northeast, he would reach the Bai clan’s battle zone in several hundred kilometers. It was close to the dark races’ forward base, another dangerous area.
After closing the map, Qian Ye thought for a moment and decided to spend a few days visiting the Bai clan’s battle zone. It wasn’t far, and if he happened to encounter Bai Kongzhao, he wouldn’t mind settling old scores.
The Bai clan’s battle zone was a highland desert, with several canyons stretching east to west, the deepest over a thousand meters, like wounds on the earth. The complex terrain, divided by the gorges, made ground travel difficult. Some gorges were up to tens of kilometers wide, requiring airships to cross.
Though unsuitable for habitation, initial surveys indicated valuable mineral veins deep in the canyons. However, the difficult terrain made extraction challenging.
For the Bai clan, with their high-end armor business, these veins were invaluable. They were also useful to the Zhao clan, who, though uninterested in armor, could use the minerals to increase the production and quality of their force engines.
The area between the Song and Bai clans’ battle zones was relatively peaceful. Qian Ye saw no dark race reconnaissance teams, and the journey of several hundred kilometers took only two days. Emerging from the Misty Forest, the ground rose, forming a rocky slope.
The slope extended for over ten kilometers, gradually rising to a height of a thousand meters.
Qian Ye proceeded cautiously, climbing the slope until he reached the top, where the view suddenly opened.
Before him lay an endless expanse of desert, with several thousand-meter-high peaks piercing the sky, exuding a desolate and lonely atmosphere.
The sudden vastness made Qian Ye catch his breath. Then, a shadow swept across the land, followed by a low rumble from above.
Looking up, Qian Ye saw a massive airship emerging from the clouds, crossing the sky at a thousand meters.
The colossal ship, hundreds of meters long, had a slender front and branched out at the rear, resembling a leaf. Its black body was adorned with gold and dark red stripes, like the veins of a leaf.
Such design and coloration suggested a vampire warship. Its size and beauty indicated it belonged to a true dignitary, perhaps a Marquis of Glory or even a Duke. It was said that, caught off guard by the Empire, the Eternal Night Council sent Duke-level warriors in the first wave of attacks.
Qian Ye quickly crouched, hiding in the shadow of a boulder. To a being of that level, a thousand meters was nothing, and he was powerless against the aerial behemoth. Being discovered would be futile.
As the ship flew past, a swarm of warships emerged from the clouds, covering half the sky!
The fleet, composed of hundreds of airships, had a perimeter of varying sizes of vampire ships, guarding nearly a hundred bulky transport vessels. Qian Ye had seen such transports before; though ungainly, they could deploy a battalion of dark warriors upon landing.
These spider demon-built transports, known as forest pack animals, were reliable and cheap, with terrifying carrying capacity. In terms of performance, they far surpassed those of the Great Qin Empire.
Nearly a hundred transports meant tens of thousands of troops. Such a formidable force would spell doom for the Bai clan’s battle zone.
“Damn it, what are the Imperial fleets in the void doing?” Qian Ye cursed.
Watching the terrifying fleet fly overhead, Qian Ye’s face darkened. He hesitated, unsure whether to join the Bai clan’s battle. The fleet, having bypassed interception, was too powerful for him to make a difference.
As he pondered, the Eternal Night fleet descended nearby.
Dozens of Bai clan warships rose to meet them. Despite being vastly outnumbered and outmatched, they charged like moths to a flame.
Several Bai clan ships burned and fell from the sky, but the rest pushed through the hail of fire, aiming for the central transports.
Any experienced warrior knew that if the transports landed, tens of thousands of enemies would emerge. The Bai clan’s ships, not expecting to return, launched suicide attacks on the transports.
Instantly, the sky was lit with dozens of explosions.
A particularly agile Bai clan destroyer, firing without missing, pierced several transports before being hit by concentrated fire from the surrounding ships. It burned, its aft section almost incinerated, and the bridge spewed flames. Yet, it still adjusted course, crashing into a transport, causing both to explode in a fiery inferno.
Gazing at the blinding light, Qian Ye envisioned the captain standing in the flames, calmly steering the ship. He stood, gathered his gear, and ran towards the battlefield at a steady pace.
At that moment, Qian Ye’s focus was solely on the battlefield, and everything else faded into insignificance.
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