Chapter 16: The Might of Unfought Battles

William stood face to face with Elder Zhao on the edge of the battlefield, laughing loudly, “I’m holding this old man back! But he’s really formidable, very formidable. Once we start, I can’t guarantee that I can stop him. If he gets a chance to fire a couple of shots at you, it’s very likely.”

These words made everyone feel strangely uneasy. Elder Zhao’s strength was unquestionable, but now they were under the Iron Curtain, and the two were in a stalemate. If William couldn’t hold him from the start, it would be too much. William was practically telling Elder Zhao, “Old man, don’t worry, I won’t fight seriously. Do what you want.” His words were almost a direct declaration that he would let Elder Zhao go.

However, Elder Zhao had been through countless battles and had seen all kinds of schemes. Hearing William’s words, his expression turned serious, fully focused. From William’s imposing aura when he entered, he knew that William was the strongest among the Evernight forces present. How could he easily believe him? Sensing Elder Zhao’s change, William felt a bit surprised, and his expression slightly faltered.

William seemed somewhat annoyed, suddenly baring his gleaming white teeth and said to Dusk, “Do you think you can command me? A pureblood of the Monroe family should remember to show the proper respect to me until your rank surpasses mine. Also, put away your ridiculous scheming and think about how to survive this first!”

With that, William’s exaggerated smile vanished, and his blue-gray eyes turned cold. Dusk looked extremely displeased; she didn’t expect William to turn against her and threaten her so directly. Although William was stronger than her, vampires had always looked down on werewolves.

Qian Ye, ignoring everything around him, walked steadily towards Jun Du Zhao.

Dusk watched as Qian Ye approached, her expression changing several times. She knew that as the advancing waves of the sea covered her, Qian Ye’s strange heavy sword would also instantly fall.

She had a strong premonition that she might not be able to withstand this strike, even though the opponent was just a human general at level ten. This premonition seemed absurd, but did it mean that Qian Ye’s strike could match Jun Du Zhao’s?

The battlefield situation became extremely delicate again. Regardless of whether the high-end combatants on both sides could counter each other, each one had the ability to summon the will of the Heavenly Ghosts. In fact, if a chaotic battle broke out, so many over-limit powerhouses present might directly attract an avatar of the Heavenly Ghost!

At this moment, Dusk was most wary of William.

William had clearly come in anger, but Dusk had done too many things behind the scenes, making it uncertain whether William was targeting her. Now, it seemed more like the unknowing Elder Zhao was restraining William. If William attacked, he was more likely to target the vampires than the humans.

Qian Ye finally looked directly at Dusk, with a faint sneer, not stopping his steps for a moment.

The rolling waves had already reached Dusk’s chest!

Gritting her teeth, Dusk, with great reluctance, decisively unleashed her blood energy, pushing the limits of the Iron Curtain, and instantly flashed away. Her shadow disappeared from its original position and reappeared a hundred meters away. Then, she shouted, “Let’s go!”

As Dusk moved, Nighteye and Fila also retreated.

Qian Ye had already reached Jun Du Zhao’s side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, watching Nighteye, Dusk, and Fila retreat in three directions. Vampires were always faster, and the three of them had special skills in this area, quickly disappearing into the distant horizon.

Jun Du Zhao retracted his light blade and said indifferently, “That Dusk is one of the few in the dark races who likes to play with schemes. It’s a pity we didn’t kill her this time. Be careful if you meet her again. As for that Fila, a pureblood of the Monroe family, his eye technique is extremely terrifying, but I see that your domain, although still in its early stages, is not afraid of such a talent.”

Qian Ye nodded. At that moment, a fingernail-sized ruby hidden in the nearby grass suddenly exploded silently, spewing out a thin stream of blood energy. The instant the blood energy appeared, Dusk’s voice echoed in Qian Ye’s ear.

“Little Qian Ye, that guy is called Fila, and he is determined to become Nighteye’s man. He came here following Nighteye, and he might even try to take her back to get married! Oh, he’s also a pureblood. Finally, remember, you owe me a favor!”

Qian Ye’s expression immediately darkened, and his eyes filled with killing intent. But when he looked around, he found no one else reacting.

This ruby was obviously thrown by Dusk before she left, using some unknown means to ensure only Qian Ye could hear the message. It seemed that her domain, though not powerful, had other unpredictable abilities. However, Fila ran very fast, and as soon as Dusk moved, he retreated with all his might, not even caring for his subordinates.

Whether intentional or not, Dusk waited until everyone had left before giving this reminder.

Qian Ye suddenly turned to look at William. On the battlefield, William was the only dark race left. He wasn’t in a hurry to leave, nor did he pay attention to the menacing Elder Zhao, smiling brightly at Qian Ye.

Qian Ye was speechless, weighing the heavy sword in his hand.

Seeing Qian Ye’s small gesture, William instantly retreated, leaving only one sentence, “Oops!… I took the wrong path!”

The three people left behind looked at each other, but neither Elder Zhao nor Jun Du Zhao had any intention of pursuing.

This wolf noble was unfathomably strong, and his non-combat pressure far exceeded Fila’s. It was clear that killing him under the Iron Curtain was unrealistic. Moreover, William had been acting oddly since he appeared, and upon closer inspection, he and the vampires seemed more like enemies than allies.

Jun Du Zhao looked at Qian Ye and asked, “Do you know him?”

Qian Ye replied, “I’ve met him. William of the Peak of Many Mountains, a baron in strength.”

Jun Du Zhao, clearly knowing the name, said with a slightly solemn expression, “It’s him. I heard William, though still a minor, has such strength. The Imperial Military Department once evaluated that he might grow to be the Nana of the wolves.”

Qian Ye was momentarily stunned by this information. A minor? You couldn’t tell from his appearance, but his personality was a bit like one. However, the appearance of the dark races generally had nothing to do with age, mostly related to their strength.

Most of them, from birth, have their life’s peak power determined by the strength and purity of their bloodline. The four major dark races have long periods of youth, adulthood, and middle age, with the fastest growth in youth and slower growth in adulthood and middle age, then gradually declining. The Demonic and Vampire races have secret methods to slow down aging, which is why they have maintained their top status on the Evernight side for millennia. For example, the vampires use deep sleep.

Jun Du Zhao interrupted Qian Ye’s thoughts, saying, “Let’s go.”

Qian Ye thought for a moment and said, “You go ahead, I’ll be right back.”

Sensing Qian Ye’s killing intent, Jun Du Zhao understood his intentions and frowned, “Are you going after Dusk or those two purebloods?”

“The pureblood of the Spurck clan.”

Elder Zhao then said, “This is unwise. Though that pureblood doesn’t have much power, he has a rank advantage. Under the Iron Curtain, neither you nor Jun Du can use your full strength, and it will be very difficult to kill him. Even Jun Du had to provoke him to a direct confrontation and weaken him with his domain. As for Qian Ye, without the Eight Directional Seal, it will be hard to injure him, let alone keep him.”

Elder Zhao spoke sensibly, and Qian Ye nodded, “Thank you, General, for your advice. But I have a personal grudge with him. Since I met him, even if I can’t kill him, I want to teach him a lesson.”

Elder Zhao, his brows furrowed, wanted to dissuade further. In his view, the gap between Qian Ye and Fila was too large, and even though the bloodline of Duke Samara was not as strong as the major princes, it was still a founder, and his pureblood was not weak. If he couldn’t kill him, then this lesson would be meaningless.

Sent to oversee the Blood War, Elder Zhao knew Qian Ye’s true identity and didn’t want him to take such a risk, “Qian Ye, you have extraordinary talent and will surely become a pillar of the nation. Why take such a risk? This pureblood, in my opinion, is far less capable than Jun Du and you. He is not a real threat.”

Qian Ye nodded again, and before he could speak, Jun Du Zhao said, “Qian Ye, go if you must. The Iron Curtain is changing, and we are gathering the squadrons to withdraw. Come back quickly.”

Feeling that Jun Du Zhao understood him, Qian Ye agreed and turned to leave.

Watching Qian Ye’s figure speed up, Elder Zhao was slightly surprised. Qian Ye used the simplest method of extreme running, without the impressive aura he displayed earlier, but it was clear that he was not slower than the vampiric powerhouse of the same level, balancing the vampire’s speed advantage.

Elder Zhao relaxed, saying, “My eldest brother said Qian Ye has excellent potential and boundless future, and it’s indeed so!” He referred to the Duke of Obsidian, Xuan Ji Zhao, the eldest of the Wuxuan generation.

Jun Du Zhao said quietly, “His martial arts are simple and pure, following his heart. If he wants to challenge that pureblood, let him. I think, if he catches up, that pureblood will likely die at his hands.”

Jun Du Zhao was explaining to Elder Zhao why he interjected and denied his suggestion. Elder Zhao, unconcerned, left the battlefield with him.

Qian Ye chased after Fila for an entire night and half a day, finding a temporary vampire camp in the afternoon of the next day. There were three viscounts, all guards from Fila’s retinue.

Facing these third-rank viscounts, Qian Ye didn’t need to sneak around. A force field appeared under his feet, and with a leap, he crossed a hundred meters, landing in the center of the camp. The power of the sea froze the three viscounts, and with a light tap of Dongyue, he knocked them all down.

Qian Ye drew his blood-drinking blade, lifting a viscount’s face, and asked, “Where is Fila?”

The viscount, quite tough, sneered, “Going to find Lord Fila and die?”

“Where is Fila?” Qian Ye repeated.

“Make your move. I will never submit to a lowly human!” The viscount closed his eyes, resolute.