Chapter 117: A Brutal Interlude

The maiden now appeared disheveled, her body marred with wounds both large and small. Her white dress had been stained a dark, purplish-black, indistinguishable between her own blood and that of her foes.

Bai Kongzhao only just noticed Qian Ye, and she paused, momentarily stunned.

This time, in those deep, dark eyes of hers, Qian Ye saw not the usual killing intent and excitement, but instead, a profound weariness—much like his own weariness towards slaughter.

This was the first time Qian Ye had seen Bai Kongzhao in such a state.

Yet, there was still a subtle oddity to her expression, which made Qian Ye, ever vigilant, feel a slight chill. He pulled Dong Yue from the ground, its blade reflecting his image.

Apart from the stains of blood, the smudges of gunpowder on his face, and a few minor cuts, there seemed to be nothing amiss.

Qian Ye frowned slightly. He had seen this maiden exhibit many different expressions, yet, to him, each one was merely a mask. In his eyes, she seemed to be a machine designed solely for killing, where expressions and emotions were mere tools to achieve her ends. Beneath that beautiful, fragile exterior lay a barren and empty soul.

But now, Bai Kongzhao showed a change; that subtle, peculiar expression gave her a hint of human emotion.

Qian Ye’s eyes glowed with a deep, azure light as he unreservedly scanned Bai Kongzhao. Under his true sight, a primal force vortex within her slowly rotated, emitting a faint white glow, intermingled with wisps of black energy. The black energy was at odds with the Dawn Force, yet they coexisted without conflict.

Seeing this, Qian Ye was taken aback. Song Zining had once investigated Bai Kongzhao, and the White Clan’s evaluation of her was that, although she possessed unparalleled combat talent, her innate constitution limited her potential, making it almost impossible for her to surpass the threshold of a Warrior. Thus, Bai Kongzhao could be an excellent assassin, a sharp dagger for killing, but she would struggle to become a powerful, independent warrior.

Yet, in such a short time, Bai Kongzhao had ascended to the rank of Warrior, and her rate of advancement even surpassed Qian Ye’s.

Qian Ye looked down at Dong Yue, twirling the blade idly. It vaguely reflected half of the maiden’s silhouette. For the first time, he felt the urge to kill without perceiving a threat. Qian Ye never feared the dangers he faced; what truly moved him were his friends.

Bai Kongzhao scrutinized Qian Ye. A long, heavy sword, disproportionate to her small stature, dragged along the ground, seemingly too much for her to bear. The weapon was clearly a Spider Demon creation, well-crafted and of high quality, at least a sixth-level weapon. However, the blade was pitted and chipped, and even the tip was broken. Just by looking at this sword, one could imagine the countless Dark Race warriors who had fallen to her hand.

She remained unchanged, still the same maiden bound to the path of slaughter, though this time her targets were the Dark Races.

Suddenly, Qian Ye sensed a familiar fluctuation from Bai Kongzhao, a mysterious resonance of primal force. He traced it back, discovering the source to be the undigested essence of the void within his body. Instantly, Qian Ye understood why Bai Kongzhao had broken through her bottleneck and advanced so rapidly in her cultivation.

Yet, the maiden seemed to have lost her usual acuity to danger, standing motionless, examining Qian Ye from head to toe. Finally, her gaze fell on the vampiric dagger in his hand.

Qian Ye immediately noticed, his heart stirring. High-grade vampire blades were rare and formidable weapons. Though human fighters could not fully harness their power, on such a brutal battlefield, switching melee weapons was common, and a vampiric dagger could be just as lethal as a standard military knife. The key difference was that while the blood-absorption function was useless to others, it worked effectively in Qian Ye’s hands.

Though under the watchful eyes of both sides’ warriors, Qian Ye had not actively absorbed blood, the sheer number of enemies he had slain, combined with holding the vampiric blade, inevitably led to some essence entering his body. Looking at Bai Kongzhao’s peculiar expression, had she discovered something?

Qian Ye’s brows furrowed slightly. However, the black energy around Bai Kongzhao was also highly suspicious, originating from an unsavory source. Even if its nature couldn’t be confirmed, it was definitely a form of dark primal force.

The two stood in silent mutual observation for a moment before Bai Kongzhao slowly retreated, her long sword plowing a deep furrow in the ground, step by step moving towards another defensive line to the east.

Qian Ye leaned against the wall, closing his eyes, waiting for the next wave of attacks.

Time ticked by, and the battlefield fell into an eerie silence. The fortress awaited, but the Dark Army did not launch another assault.

After a long, quiet pause, the elder on the high-altitude Vampire warship spoke, “Retreat and set up camp. We’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

“Retreat?” The Vampire Baron looked astonished. They were just a push away from conquering the White Clan’s fortress. Why retreat now?

The elder calmly replied, “By this time tomorrow, if the White Clan isn’t foolish, they will willingly surrender the fortress. There’s no need to waste more lives.”

“But…” The Baron was at a loss. Having the prey within reach and then letting it go felt wrong.

The elder did not elaborate, closing his eyes and sinking into his chair. The Baron, knowing better than to argue, bowed and left to convey the orders.

The organized Dark Army did not initiate another wave of assaults on the fortress. Instead, like a receding tide, they withdrew in an orderly manner.

The White Dragon Armor on the tower breathed a sigh of relief, signaling the troops to stand down. Messengers raced across the fortress, strictly forbidding any unauthorized movements. Even though the Dark Army was retreating, the White Clan’s forces were decimated and unable to pursue.

As the White Dragon Armor relaxed, he suddenly felt a surge of discomfort and coughed up a mouthful of blood. His guards rushed to support him, alarmed.

The White Dragon Armor composed himself and waved them off, “I’m fine. Go… go fetch Qian Ye, and my elder sister as well.” Then, he proceeded to issue orders for reorganization, repairs, and other necessary follow-up actions.

Shortly after, Qian Ye found himself seated in one of the few intact rooms in the fortress. He sat upright, watching the White Dragon Armor, waiting silently. On the other side of the room, Bai Ooutu lounged on a divan, her eyes closed in meditation.

The White Dragon Armor began to speak but was overtaken by a violent cough. After a moment, he regained composure. Gazing at Qian Ye, he chuckled bitterly, “I’ve been preoccupied with trivial matters these years, making no progress in my cultivation. To get injured in a single battle is truly shameful.”

Qian Ye met the White Dragon Armor’s complex gaze with clear, calm eyes, like obsidian.

The White Dragon Armor had left a lasting impression on Qian Ye back in the Dark Blood City on the Continent of Eternal Night. To allow the rookie from Broken Winged Angel to escape, he faced two Dark Race elites alone, a Face-Weaver Spider Demon and William. Yet, the spirited young scion of a noble family in Qian Ye’s memory had changed significantly, becoming the weary, injured general before him.

Qian Ye smiled faintly, “That’s not entirely true. General Bai, your command of the troops is both seasoned and adept. Your presence today was worth having another General.”

The White Dragon Armor shook his head, “Military academies teach that, but in reality, while good tactics can turn local tides, the overall momentum requires strong figures to stabilize. Otherwise, even the most elite troops can only delay the inevitable defeat.”

Had Bai Ooutu not been present, countering the powerful being aboard the Vampire warship, the White Clan’s fortress would have crumbled long before. If the Dark Race elite had attacked recklessly and Bai Ooutu couldn’t stop him, the battle would have been over.

At this, Bai Ooutu finally opened her eyes, saying coolly, “Long Jia, you should delegate some of your trivial matters. You must spend time cultivating, or else your strength is pitiful. At this rate, you’ll never become the commander of the Broken Winged Angels.”

The White Dragon Armor sighed, “Sister, if I could delegate, I wouldn’t have taken them on in the first place.”

“It’s your choice,” Bai Ooutu closed her eyes, ending the conversation.

Turning to Qian Ye, the White Dragon Armor smiled, “Qian Ye, we owe you a debt of gratitude. You stabilized an entire front line, sparing us even greater losses.” Rising, he bowed respectfully to Qian Ye.

Qian Ye, caught off guard, shifted slightly to avoid the gesture, replying, “It was coincidental. I was here for a free hunt, familiarizing myself with the battlefield when I happened upon the Vampire fleet.”

The White Dragon Armor completed his bow and sat back down. Though Qian Ye downplayed it, he knew the Vampire fleet was unharmed. With its size, Qian Ye’s intervention was practically suicidal. Yet, Qian Ye not only held his ground against elite fighters like Count Lasser, but he also secured the entire defense line. This contribution couldn’t be measured by the number of kills alone.

The White Dragon Armor thought for a moment, then said, “Given the dire situation, your assistance to our clan cannot go unrecognized. If there’s anything you need, within my authority, I will see it done.”

At this, Bai Ooutu’s eyes flickered open, her gaze striking Qian Ye like a bolt of lightning, causing a slight stinging sensation on his skin. Since their last encounter, she seemed even more formidable.

Seeing Qian Ye sit unmoved, with no trace of emotion, Bai Ooutu was impressed. She then said, “Whatever grievances existed between you and the White Clan are now nullified. As for future matters, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Qian Ye knew she referred to the Bloody Battle. Although he wasn’t sure if the White Clan was behind Bai Kongzhao’s initial alliance with the Nangong Family to hunt him, during the later stages of the battle, under the Zhao Clan’s name, he had killed numerous White Clan members. The rule that grievances end with the Bloody Battle sounded nice, but it never stopped families from plotting in the shadows.

With Zhao Jundu’s status, no one dared to retaliate openly, but Qian Ye, a relatively unaffiliated strong figure, was a likely target for venting. Bai Ooutu’s statement promised fewer troubles in the future, though her words carried a subtle threat: past issues might be forgiven, but new ones could still arise.

Qian Ye paid little heed to the warning, simply smiling, “Agreed. Future matters, we’ll address in the future.”

Bai Ooutu, understanding Qian Ye’s subtext, snorted and left the room.

The White Dragon Armor rubbed his forehead, explaining, “Even Sister cannot unilaterally resolve the enmity between the White and Zhao Clans.”

Qian Ye replied, “The Zhao Clan’s stance has nothing to do with me.”

The White Dragon Armor noted the Li Clan emblem on Qian Ye’s left shoulder, though he didn’t inquire. Instead, he discussed the next steps, “This battle has exceeded my expectations. Once the reorganization is complete, I’ll order the troops to prepare for evacuation in half a day.”