Chapter 2: Each Takes What They Need

Zhao Jundu’s fingers gently caressed the trigger of the Azure Sky, his voice cold. “You are strong, but you cannot stop me.”

Dusk smiled faintly and said, “Aren’t you afraid that I might set up an ambush to encircle and kill you if you venture so deep alone?”

Zhao Jundu sneered, “Under this Iron Curtain, no ambush can stop me, Zhao Jundu. If you’re not afraid of more of your kin dying, come and try.”

“Under the Iron Curtain…” A trace of helplessness flashed in Dusk’s soul-piercing eyes, her voice becoming softer and deeper. “You know it’s only under the Iron Curtain. Without it, you may not be a match for me.”

“Is that so?” Zhao Jundu remained noncommittal.

Dusk frowned slightly, “Go back. You’ve already gone too far. Too many of my clansmen have fallen to you. If you continue, even at a cost, someone will stop you. Don’t think the will of the Celestial Ghost is invincible. Among the Bloodline Progeny, there are always those who can block the avatar of the Celestial Ghost.”

“Step aside,” Zhao Jundu’s reply was simple and direct.

“Impossible,” Dusk was equally resolute.

The two stood facing each other, and suddenly the wind around them stopped. A leaf, which had been floating halfway, now froze in mid-air as if time itself had paused.

Zhao Jundu, known as the top young talent of the Great Qin Empire, burst forth with years of accumulated strength, dominating every battle since he re-entered the Iron Curtain, leaving countless souls to rest under the Azure Sky.

Dusk, on the other hand, was not just an outstanding member among the young generation of the vampire clan; she was renowned as a genius throughout the Dark Realm. Already exceptionally powerful, she had the authority to command a region under the Iron Curtain. For days, she had engaged in repeated skirmishes with Zhao Jundu, neither gaining the upper hand.

However, their previous encounters were mostly probing, without going all out.

Zhao Jundu had ventured alone into the Dark Realm for thousands of kilometers, primarily to hunt down the strongest of the dark races. Dusk, having just ascended to the rank of Baron, was cautious in her movements under the Iron Curtain. Her actions were intended to restrain him—she would not intervene against the arachne or werewolves, but would always appear when confronting vampires.

But now, Dusk clearly drew the line. If Zhao Jundu crossed it, she would fight to the death.

The top talents of the younger generation from both factions clashed for the first time under the Iron Curtain.

At this point, Zhao Jundu clearly wouldn’t turn back under threat. His fingers continued to tap the Azure Sky, growing more urgent.

At that moment, Dusk suddenly said, “If we fight to the death here, won’t we just benefit others?”

Zhao Jundu snorted, not answering.

Dusk, knowing his character, didn’t get angry. She pouted her full red lips slightly and said, “From what I see, your Zhao family’s main enemies seem to be within the Empire. Why chase us relentlessly instead of dealing with them? When did your human race learn to consider the bigger picture?”

“First, clear the external enemies, then deal with the internal ones. They can’t run away,” Zhao Jundu finally elaborated.

Dusk seemed to have anticipated his answer, “That can be arranged. I can’t control the other races, but I can withdraw our people and redeploy them elsewhere. How about it?”

Zhao Jundu raised an eyebrow and casually pointed to a prominent mountain peak behind him, “Everything east of this peak is the Zhao family’s combat zone. Your people are not allowed to step in. If you agree, I won’t advance further.”

Dusk frowned, “No, the area you demarcate is too large. If I retreat that far, I won’t be able to explain it back. Let’s draw the line 500 kilometers east of this peak, otherwise, there’s nothing to discuss.”

Zhao Jundu’s expression remained unchanged, “500 kilometers east is fine, but on one condition: tell me who has been secretly collaborating with you to hunt down my Zhao family warriors.”

Dusk laughed softly, “So, this is the true intention of the Fourth Young Master Zhao’s lone venture, isn’t it?”

“Correct,” Zhao Jundu admitted candidly.

“Those names are very valuable. Your condition is not enough.”

Zhao Jundu said calmly, “I have already killed many of your opponents on my way here.”

“True enough! Then let’s agree to that.” Dusk smiled, her fingertips flicking, sending several blood energies into the air, forming several names.

Zhao Jundu glanced over, memorizing all the names, and without another word, turned to leave.

“Wait a moment.” Dusk called him back, her gaze shifting, “Is the Fourth Young Master Zhao just going to leave like that? Don’t you think there’s room for further cooperation between us?”

Zhao Jundu’s tone was icy, “I never trade with the dark races.”

“This isn’t a trade, but a mutual exchange. After I withdraw my people, I can send them to specific combat zones. In return, I will occasionally provide you with specific intelligence. Those involved in the intelligence, whether demon-kin, arachne, werewolves, or even vampires, I’m sure the Fourth Young Master Zhao will not let them leave alive, right?”

“No interest,” Zhao Jundu said coolly.

Dusk’s smile was both mocking and enticing, “What about Qian Ye? Are you not concerned about him? I’ve heard quite a bit about him, you know!”

Zhao Jundu finally turned back, his ice-cold, stunning face filled with sharp killing intent, “You know quite a lot.”

Dusk met his gaze without flinching, her laughter low and seductive, like a siren from legend, “I know even more. There are always clever humans in your race who want to use us. How about this? If you agree to my conditions, I won’t interfere with Qian Ye in the future.”

“We’ll discuss it later,” Zhao Jundu coldly threw out before turning to leave.

Just then, the Iron Curtain in the sky suddenly fluctuated violently, and in an instant, the clouds parted, revealing the deep, starry sky.

The two of them stared at the long-missed stars, realizing after a moment that the Iron Curtain in this area had dissipated!

The Iron Curtain was the domain of the Celestial Ghost. Its dissipation meant that the Celestial Ghost’s domain no longer covered this area, and its will would not come. It also meant that the constraint on combat power by the Iron Curtain had vanished!

These realizations flashed through Zhao Jundu and Dusk’s minds, and they exchanged a glance, the atmosphere becoming extremely tense.

Dusk slowly spoke, “My rank seems to be one level higher than yours.”

“To me, ranks mean nothing.”

Dusk suddenly laughed, dangerously, “But for people like us, rank does matter, a great deal!”

“Perhaps,” Zhao Jundu’s expression didn’t waver, as the Azure Sky slowly rose. Dusk, in turn, held two elegant short blades in her hands.

The light in the wilderness suddenly dimmed, and a thick, gray fog spread everywhere, seeming to devour everything. At that moment, a green radiance tore through the gray, shooting straight into the sky!

In an instant, the gray fog and green light dispersed, and Zhao Jundu and Dusk reappeared, but their positions had switched, now standing back-to-back.

Zhao Jundu coughed violently, spitting out blood, but his grip on the Azure Sky remained steady.

Dusk’s voice was as sweet as ever, “How about my earlier proposal?”

“Deal,” Zhao Jundu said coldly and left with his gun.

He walked past Dusk calmly, almost brushing shoulders with her. Dusk’s fingertips twitched, as if she wanted to act, but in the end, she let him go, watching him leave.

After Zhao Jundu was gone, Dusk’s beautiful face turned pale, and a thin, crimson line appeared on her smooth neck. The line was extremely fine, with a perfectly smooth cut, almost seamlessly joined. But the cut was also very deep, nearly slicing a third of her neck!

Dusk stood still, surrounded by swirling blood mist. The crimson line on her neck gradually faded until it disappeared. Under the powerful regenerative ability of the vampires, the wound had completely healed. Only then could Dusk move. Otherwise, any slight disturbance would cause blood to spurt from the severed artery.

She stood there for a long time, her gaze flickering, then chuckled softly, “This outcome is also good! I wasn’t going to kill Qian Ye anyway, at least not now, hehe.”

Zhao Jundu, who had already walked far, stopped and looked up at the sky. Lead-gray clouds were converging from all directions, and the Iron Curtain was regenerating. The gloom in the sky reflected on his face.

But the change had already occurred. From now on, the Iron Curtain was no longer an absolute presence; it could suddenly disappear. When the Iron Curtain’s constraints on power were removed, a powerful figure like Dusk could unleash her full strength. If Qian Ye encountered her, his chances of survival would be slim.

Zhao Jundu quickened his pace and soon vanished among the mountains.

In the area he designated, once the ancient vampire clan led by Dusk withdrew, the remaining power of the dark races would be less than half. This would free Zhao Jundu to focus on dealing with the enemies within the Empire.

Ironically, the ones who truly provoked Zhao Jundu’s murderous intent were not the dark races, but the humans. The Zhao family, with their territory in the West, had always been far from the other imperial families, facing only the dark races and rebels, and had never been involved in the Empire’s internal strife.

Therefore, whenever Zhao Jundu heard that the dark races had ceased hostilities due to internal conflicts, he always thought they were foolish. Ignoring the Empire, such a major enemy, and instead engaging in self-destructive infighting, allowing the Empire to grow stronger.

But today, he tasted that same bitterness. Seeing Zhao family soldiers fall under the guns of their own Imperial comrades, his rage surpassed even that directed at the dark races.

Unlike Zhao Jundu, Qian Ye, who had been fighting since he was conscious, had experienced more and felt similar anger many times. Now, when faced with similar situations, Qian Ye no longer felt angry.

He only retaliated.

The motorcycle Qian Ye had obtained from the Zhao family ran out of fuel and was abandoned halfway. Now, Qian Ye was like a fierce beast, sprinting silently across the wilderness, heading deep into the Dark Realm.

On the battlefield, the Zhao family’s intelligence was fully open to Qian Ye. He had seen the distribution of combat zones and roughly knew the activity areas and demise locations of each Zhao family squad.

Qian Ye traveled south along the border between the Zhao family’s combat zone and the Dark Realm, the most chaotic and unpredictable area. Choosing this route, Qian Ye also hoped for some luck.

His luck was good; he soon encountered several fleeing White family warriors, pursued by two ferocious arachne.