“Before you become a divine general, you still cannot carry the entire Bai family! Even after achieving the rank of divine general, the Bai family cannot do without us old folks! So, even if you don’t care about the family affairs, at least think more before you act!” Baisonghe roared angrily.
Baoatu sat quietly, listening quietly, showing no reaction. However, to those with discerning eyes, it was clear that she had not heeded Baisonghe’s words.
Baisonghe was helpless and, suppressing his anger, murmured, “You didn’t tell those things to Kongzhao, did you?”
“Of course not.”
Baisonghe nodded, his expression easing a bit, and said, “That is the foundation of our Bai family. Apart from a few people, no one should reveal it. Let’s let things take their natural course with Kongzhao. Since you commend her as having an extraordinary talent for combat, she should not find it difficult to escape Zhao Ruoxi’s pursuit. That kind of spoiled young lady will get tired after a few days of chasing.”
Baoatu said indifferently, “The matter of Kongzhao never needed my interference.”
Baisonghe nodded, “That’s best. This period is critical, with several important matters reaching a critical point. It would be best not to cause any more trouble. As for those noble families who dare to threaten our Bai family, they will soon see the consequences!”
Baoatu asked, “I heard that the Zhao family is recently allying with some noble families, planning to put pressure on us?”
Baisonghe glared at her, “Rarely do you show concern for the family. The Zhao family’s actions are much faster than you think. It is said that today, they have brought this matter to the imperial court, uniting a group of noble families, and fiercely accused us in the council. Hmph!”
“Is it serious?”
“This matter is neither big nor small, but once it reaches the imperial council, there is no such thing as a trivial matter. Still, it can at least be delayed for a few months before a decision is made.”
Baoatu nodded, clearly losing interest in continuing the conversation. Baisonghe sighed and repeatedly advised her not to cause any more trouble, then prepared to leave.
Just then, a retainer hurried in, presenting an urgent report to both Baoatu and Baisonghe. Baisonghe opened it and was stunned, “Zhao Jiandu wants to challenge you to a life-or-death duel in three years?! Is this also because of Qianye?”
Baoatu’s face became grave, deep in thought and silent.
Baisonghe remained silent for a long time, sighed, and left the tent. He could not and did not know how to handle this. The intense reactions of Zhao Ruoxi and Zhao Jiandu meant that full-scale war between the Bai and Zhao families was not far off. Especially with Zhao Jiandu’s challenge, which pushed Baoatu and himself into a corner. Three years later, regardless of the outcome of that battle, it would likely mark the beginning of a full-scale war between the two families.
There was one thing Baisonghe did not say: at this moment, the Bai family was not ready.
At this time, Qian Ye was sitting in his cultivation room, awakened by the gentle ringing of bells, and slowly ceased the operation of the Supreme Soldier Slaying Technique. As he stepped out of the room, two soldiers were already waiting at the door, saying, “General Qian Ye, we will arrive at our destination in ten minutes.”
Qian Ye nodded and went back to retrieve his luggage and weapons. The ship shuddered, and the roar of the engines suddenly increased. Then, the main cabin door on the side slowly opened.
The transport ship hovered a few meters above the ground, not landing. Below was a gentle slope, with a fortress built on the nearby hilltop. This was one of the three front-line fortresses constructed by the Zhao family.
Nearly a hundred soldiers leaped from the transport ship, heading towards the fortress. Qian Ye followed, jumping out and landing steadily on the ground. The transport ship immediately ascended, sounding a long whistle, and headed into the distance.
Song Zining followed Qian Ye, carrying two nearly man-sized backpacks, and no one knew where he got so many things. Qian Ye was curious, remembering that when they boarded the ship, Song Zining had almost nothing with him.
“What are all these?” Qian Ye couldn’t help asking.
“Things needed for defending the fortress—weapons, ammunition, and oh, food.”
Qian Ye was slightly surprised, “Do we need to prepare food too?”
Song Zining rolled his eyes and said, “If I could, I’d bring a pack of water as well. Do you think the upcoming battle will be easy? If it were, why would the Zhao family build three lines of defense? They aren’t stupid.”
Qian Ye nodded, agreeing deeply. It wasn’t that he underestimated the hardships of war; rather, in Anduya’s mysterious space, there was always a reserve of water and food, and even if the space was tight, he would rather store fewer spoils than touch this reserve.
As the two were about to head to the fortress, sudden explosions sounded in the distance. The transport ship, not yet far away, burst into flames, and its hull plunged downward. Several high-speed floating ships emerged from the clouds. Though their hulls were only a fraction of the transport ship’s size, their attacks were ferocious, with cannonballs and crossbow bolts raining down like a swarm of sharks attacking a whale.
Qian Ye was shocked, “Wei Po Tian is still on the ship!”
Wei Po Tian’s recovery was far slower than Qian Ye’s, and he still needed at least a week of bed rest. Therefore, he was to return to the rear via this transport ship. But no one expected the dark race pursuers to arrive so quickly, before the imperial transport ship could escape.
Qian Ye was about to rush to the battlefield when Song Zining pulled him back, “That wild boar is lucky. He won’t die easily. Besides, the Zhang family is not completely unprepared. Don’t be rash, let’s see what happens first!”
Explosions continued to rock the transport ship, and layers of its hull peeled off. Half of the damage was due to the dark race’s attacks, while the other half was self-inflicted. After shedding a layer of the hull, the transport ship’s speed drastically increased, and beneath the hull, there were numerous cannons and giant crossbows. In a flash, the transport ship turned into a vicious beast, overwhelming the enemy with a torrent of firepower, swiftly destroying two high-speed ships.
The remaining dark race ships, startled, pulled back, no longer daring to approach the now menacing transport ship. The transport ship, not lingering, rapidly sped away at a higher speed than before.
Qian Ye finally felt relieved. Beside him, Song Zining said, “See, those high-ranking figures are not to be trifled with. They’ve been waiting for this day. The Zhang family’s retreat was a lure, attracting the strong from the dark race to their doom.”
“But, our casualties are also significant.” Qian Ye felt that, as a lure, the retreat resulted in similar casualties on both sides. Of course, Qian Ye didn’t know that the Zhang family had secretly destroyed a Grand Duke’s flagship.
Song Zining said, “We lost many ordinary soldiers, and the casualties among the powerful were mostly military generals with little future. The Evernight side, however, lost many elite soldiers with great potential. This is a trade-off. We gain an advantage, but it will only become apparent in a few years.”
Qian Ye was speechless, only sighing. Such a trade-off was cruel, and over just two days, many soldiers had died in front of Qian Ye. These were all vibrant lives, reduced to pawns in the hands of the powerful. The cruelty of this trade-off was evident in the bloodied path of the Zhang family’s retreat.
Song Zining sighed, “I used to not understand either, but after spending some time with General Zhang, I began to grasp it. This kind of trade-off has been happening for a thousand years. The empire reached its current state through generations of such trade-offs, accumulating every small advantage. It is indeed cruel, but it must be done.”
As they walked and chatted, approaching the fortress, Qian Ye suddenly sensed something and turned around. In the distant sky, a dark cloud was rolling in. Qian Ye, with his keen eyesight, saw that it was not a cloud but a swarm of dark race ships!
Nearly a thousand Evernight ships swarmed in, almost blotting out the sky. Even someone as resolute as Qian Ye couldn’t help but feel shaken. Song Zining also lost his composure, exclaiming, “How could there be so many!”
One sentence he did not say, but a knowledgeable soldier among them called out, “Could the imperial outer-space fleet have been defeated?”
Panic and fear spread among the imperial soldiers. If the imperial outer-space fleet was defeated, it meant none of them could return to the imperial homeland and would only die on this void continent.
As the chaos spread, Qian Ye raised his eyebrows, about to jump up and speak, but someone beat him to it, leaping onto a large rock and shouting, “What’s the panic? If the outer-space fleet is defeated, doesn’t that mean we don’t have to think anymore, just beat these black-blooded bastards senseless?”
This was a burly, bearded man with several nasty scars on his face, obviously a veteran of many battles. Standing on the rock, he pulled open his military uniform, revealing a chest covered in thick hair. More scars crisscrossed his chest.
“Those black-blooded bastards, if they dare come, let’s get them! Anyone who wants to join me, welcome! I won’t make empty promises, but I guarantee that if I don’t leave the battlefield alive, I’ll be the first to die!”
Though his speech was brief, half of it was roaring and war cries, each word was sincere, instantly turning the low morale. More and more soldiers joined him, roaring like beasts.
In Qian Ye’s eyes, this burly man was just a newly promoted battle general, with a single, dim origin vortex, thin and impure origin power, and no hope of advancing further. Just managing to form an origin vortex was fortunate.
But such a person was a true warrior on the battlefield, with a fighting strength far beyond his cultivation. He could be placed in the most challenging and dangerous positions, truly a pillar of the army.
Qian Ye sighed, “Zining, would such a person also be a pawn in the game of sacrifice?”
Song Zining smiled bitterly, “If I were a general, I would unhesitatingly push him forward in a crucial moment. He is the best pawn for such a sacrifice.”
Qian Ye fell silent, glancing at the rapidly approaching Evernight fleet, and quickened his steps toward the fortress.
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