Chapter 116: The Prolonged Battle

The vampiric count beside him had already relayed the command and returned to the elder. Glancing at the image, he felt a bit surprised, “Isn’t that Bai Aotu from the Changping Bai family? Knowing you’re here, she still dares to act?”

The vampiric elder forced a chilling smile, “To these youngsters, I’m perhaps just a name written in historical records. After all, the number of humans who have dealt with me and are still alive can be counted on one hand.”

The vampiric count sneered disdainfully, “Humans are such short-lived creatures, yet they dare to challenge us, the heirs of the Sacred Blood!”

The vampiric elder seemed to recall something, lost in thought for a moment, then said, “Humans, what a peculiar race. With such short lifespans, not even enough for our young to reach adulthood, their strongest ones possess power not inferior to ours. Why would the eternal darkness allow such an existence? I still don’t understand.”

The elder sighed, “Not only for me, but even those high and mighty princes, or even the supreme Queen, may not have fully grasped their secrets.”

Clearly, the count had never heard such words before. He was startled, exclaiming, “How could that be?”

The elder smiled, not minding the disrespectful tone, and gazed at Bai Aotu in the image, saying slowly, “Though she is young, she is formidable. Even in this rocky desert, she might not necessarily escape if I take action. The most outstanding descendant of the Changping Bai family must possess some good protective items.”

The count spoke meaningfully, “If she cannot resist and attacks Lashelle, she won’t be able to escape your grasp, right?”

The elder smiled, “Using Lashelle to get Bai Aotu? It’s a bargain no matter how you look at it.”

The count’s expression suddenly froze, his face turning pale. The elder understood the implication in his words, but the response made him shiver.

The elder sighed, “But I won’t use Lashelle as a trade, nor will I use you.”

The count was taken aback, then deeply surprised, finally bowing profoundly to the elder.

The elder reached out, adjusting the image, continuously switching between different segments of the battlefield.

Below, in the fortress, Lashelle had received the order, retracted his domain, raised a giant shield, and slowly retreated. Behind him, thousands of dark warriors were driven to charge the Bai clan’s defenses, with many falling every second.

Though the Bai clan fighters, relying on the fortifications, suffered relatively fewer casualties, they were still losing blood. The already fragile defensive line was teetering on the brink. If not for the overwhelming numbers of the dark army that had besieged the fortress, the morale would have crumbled long ago due to the losses.

During the retreat, Lashelle’s focus was mainly on Qian Ye, giving only a small amount of attention to Bai Kongzhao. The other Bai clan fighters were not in his sight.

Qian Ye did not pursue. This blood count was higher in rank and defense than him, with Burning Gold Blood, which gave him much greater burst and endurance. If they continued fighting, even with the support of the Bai clan’s firepower, it would remain a protracted stalemate. Qian Ye’s Eastern Peak had already delivered multiple full-force strikes, leaving only marks on the opponent’s giant shield, with no sign of breaking it.

After Lashelle retreated to the rear of the dark army, a Bai clan officer rushed over. After a brief exchange with Qian Ye, he turned and dived into the dark army, leaving a trail of blood. With his addition, this section of the defensive line stabilized.

In the dim room, Bai Aotu stood up, clenching her fists, her gaze seemingly piercing through the walls, fixed on the direction Lashelle had left. In the end, she did not act, allowing Lashelle to retreat safely to the dark lines.

She sensed that there was a pair of eyes watching her. If she acted, that presence would also intervene. Throughout the battle, Bai Aotu had remained motionless, the highest combatant in this fortress, conserving her strength to await the appearance of the vampiric commander on the warship.

The battle of the strong would determine the outcome of the war.

Bai Aotu clenched and unclenched her fists, eventually sitting back in the wooden chair, her eyes gradually lowering. She had to wait, and could only wait.

The fight along the fortress wall continued, blood pooling into countless streams, covering the gravel ground. More and more soldiers fell, their bodies beginning to pile up.

Qian Ye couldn’t remember how many lives he had claimed. The once easily wielded Eastern Peak grew increasingly heavy, making it difficult to swing. More often, he planted the Eastern Peak in the ground and used the blood blade to fight the dark warriors. Only when facing powerful opponents would he use the Eastern Peak.

A werewolf leaped at Qian Ye, knocking him down with a massive impact. After rolling on the ground a few times, Qian Ye pushed the werewolf off and got up.

When the werewolf was still an arm’s length away, Qian Ye’s blood blade pierced its heart. During the rolling, the werewolf’s massive body shielded him from several shots from the dark army.

Blood splattered Qian Ye’s face, filling his vision with a red haze. Wiping his face, the surroundings became clear again.

Unconsciously, the Bai clan fighters nearby had dwindled to just three. When he first joined this section, there was an entire reinforced company.

A burning metal frame fell, and Qian Ye stepped back, nearly tripping over something. Looking down, he saw a dead werewolf, its uncommon reddish-brown fur familiar, as if he had just killed it.

Beside Qian Ye, the corpses of dark races and Bai clan fighters were piled up, nearly covering the entire battlefield!

Suddenly, Qian Ye coughed, a sweet, metallic taste rising in his throat. This was a sign of extreme physical exhaustion, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

His original force was not yet depleted, but his physical strength was. This was because he had mostly fought ordinary dark warriors, eventually supporting the entire defensive line by himself.

The battle seemed like a mechanical repetition of fatal blows, then moving on to the next target. Qian Ye knew he couldn’t retreat. One step back, and the tidal wave of the dark army would break through, sweeping aside the entire defensive line. To close the gap would require more lives and greater sacrifices.

Just like in other sections of the fortress, where such scenes were repeating endlessly.

Qian Ye smiled bitterly, exhaling softly, and knocked down another charging soldier. He then looked around, assessing the situation. This place was too close to the Bai clan’s inner stronghold, making life plunder impossible.

In fact, the vampiric warship in the sky was like a looming shadow. Qian Ye didn’t even dare to activate his blood blade. Occasionally, he absorbed a bit of blood during close combat, but it was like a drop in the bucket, far from enough to enter the Blood Boil state.

What he could now rely on, besides the natural recovery of his superhuman vampiric constitution, were a few military stimulants.

On the western front, Bai Longjia had just swooped down from a high point, slaying two dark viscounts. Rising into the air, he flew back to the command tower, his white wings flapping slowly, and fresh blood still dripping from his golden gloves. By this point, the Bai clan had almost no mobile forces, and even he had to engage in battle.

Pausing briefly on the tower’s roof, Bai Longjia looked at the vampiric warship in the sky, then down at the battlefield, focusing on Qian Ye’s position.

After a moment, he waved to his guards, pointing at Qian Ye’s location, “You three, lead a squad to support him.”

The guards responded, rushing down the stairs, leaving the sparsely populated roof even more deserted.

Someone hesitantly said, “Second Young Master, you should keep some people by your side.”

Bai Longjia, still looking at Qian Ye, asked, “Wasn’t the report from below that he is Qian Ye from the Zhao clan?”

“He claims his name is Qian Ye, but the insignia he carries seems to be… from the Jing Tang Li family.”

Bai Longjia was stunned, glancing at his guard captain, who also looked confused. The Zhao clan’s war zone and the rocky desert weren’t contiguous, making Qian Ye’s presence here odd. If he came from the Jing Tang Li family’s mist forest war zone, it made more sense.

Below, after a brief respite, the dark warriors launched another attack. Bai Longjia focused back on the battle, overseeing the entire situation.

As Qian Ye injected a powerful military stimulant into his thigh, the sound of charging screams echoed. He muttered a curse, rallied his spirit, and cut down several more warriors, forcing the dark warriors back.

“General Qian Ye, we’re here!”

Qian Ye turned, seeing that the so-called reinforcements consisted of only three capable fighters, all injured, with the rest being ordinary soldiers. These three wore the attire of the Broken Angel officers, with the Bai clan’s emblem added, likely Bai Longjia’s personal guards.

Seeing them, Qian Ye realized the Bai clan’s situation was dire. Even sending his personal guards indicated that Bai Longjia had no one left. But with the Bai clan’s resources, why hadn’t reinforcements arrived? Even the most secret backup plans should have been revealed by now. If other Bai clan fortresses were simultaneously under attack, how large was the dark race’s landing force?

These thoughts flashed through his mind, but Qian Ye didn’t ask. Pointing forward, he shouted, “Follow me, let’s go and teach them a lesson!”

In the heat of battle, this rallying cry boosted morale. The nearby Bai clan fighters responded, following Qian Ye into the enemy ranks, unleashing a fierce assault.

The dark races also felt fear and fatigue. Around Qian Ye, a shower of blood rained, and countless severed limbs and flesh flew. In the eyes of the dark warriors, Qian Ye was more terrifying than the fiercest war beast. They finally feared and retreated, even as a vampiric officer screamed, exposing his position.

Qian Ye pulled out his twinflower, unconcerned about the original force, and shot the vampiric officer’s head off, forcing the dark race’s next wave of attacks back.

Turning, he retreated to the inner wall of the fortress, finding a place to stand, leaning against a partially intact wall, finally catching his breath.

At that moment, a loud noise sounded, and a twisted, half-collapsed metal frame tilted further. Bai Kongzhao emerged from behind, just ten meters away from Qian Ye.