Chapter 4: The Whispers of the Heart

After a loss and recovery, what would it feel like to lose again?

Zhao Jundu suddenly lifted his head, all hesitation gone, his gaze turning clear and sharp. He said, word by word, “I will never accept a threat! If you dare to harm Qian Ye, even if you hide in the Dusk Continent for the rest of your life, I will hunt you down to the very end, including your entire clan.”

Muse only smiled, saying, “Fourth Young Master Zhao, you are truly confident.”

Zhao Jundu coldly replied, “In a year, you won’t be a match for me. Within five years, you won’t even be able to escape from me.”

Muse’s smile faltered, but quickly recovered, “Alright, whatever Fourth Young Master Zhao says, so be it. Although my talent may not match yours, there are many in the Sacred Blood lineage who are on par with or even surpass you. Not to mention other clans, the blood race I mentioned in the Beta 13 region shares the same bloodline as me, and she is a… primordial.”

“Primordial.” Zhao Jundu’s gaze instantly became piercing, looking Muse up and down.

“Don’t look at me, my ancestor’s blood is much thinner than hers; at most, I can only be considered half-primordial,” Muse said with a smile. “She is one rank lower than me, but if we were to fight, I wouldn’t be confident in killing her. As you can see, even if I stay out of it, this war zone isn’t that safe.”

Zhao Jundu coldly glanced at Muse, said nothing, and left with the Azure Sky.

Watching his retreating figure in the wilderness, Muse’s smile only grew more radiant, without any hint of disappointment from the failed negotiation. Muse had never planned to convince Zhao Jundu; she only needed him to know the information, which was enough.

The human heart is the most changeable soil; plant a tiny seed, and it has the potential to grow into a towering tree.

In the distance, Qian Ye climbed a peak, his eyes sharp as an eagle, sweeping over the valley and forest below. He was now far from the Zhao Clan’s war zone and deep into the Bai Clan’s territory. Along the way, Qian Ye encountered two Bai Clan squads, both of which he defeated.

However, days passed, and Qian Ye did not encounter the true powerhouses of the Bai Clan as he had anticipated, nor did he find any trace of Bai Kongzhao. The Bai Clan had only sent an eleventh-rank war captain to intercept, but after a few exchanges, Qian Ye severely injured him. If not for the familiar insignia on the opponent’s armor, Qian Ye would have pursued and killed him without hesitation.

The place where Qian Ye stood was the last stop on his planned route. If he had already penetrated deep into the Bai Clan’s territory and they still did not send their elites, Qian Ye had no choice. As for Bai Kongzhao, Qian Ye had given up on pursuing her. In this vast and endless battlefield, trying to track down Bai Kongzhao, with her eerily strong combat intuition, was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Standing on the peak, Qian Ye had no intention of concealing himself. He wanted his opponents to see him, to come to him, saving him the trouble of tracking them down.

However, Qian Ye did not wait for the Bai Clan, but instead saw a familiar figure. She moved like a ghost, extremely swift, appearing at the edge of the forest and standing before Qian Ye in an instant.

“Muse?” Qian Ye recognized her at once, the beautiful and powerful vampire woman.

“You still remember me, I’m happy.”

Qian Ye sighed, “But seeing you here doesn’t make me happy.”

“Why?” Muse appeared curious, her eyes shimmering with a mix of coldness and affection.

Qian Ye slowly drew the Eastern Peak from his back, saying calmly, “Because I might not be able to beat you. And I have other matters to attend to; fighting you would be a waste of time.”

“It hasn’t been long since we last met, and your tone has grown so confident!” Muse laughed playfully. But unlike the first time, she did not approach Qian Ye, indicating that she wasn’t as in control of the situation as she appeared.

Qian Ye was still three ranks lower than her, and such a gap in rank was difficult to compensate for with skill or talent, regardless of the faction. Yet, for some reason, the boy standing before her with his sword, emanating a calm and steady aura, gave her a strong sense of danger.

Muse combed her slightly disheveled hair, causing her chest to bounce slightly, subtly showcasing her superior attributes. Qian Ye’s gaze followed her hand, but his vision was fixed on her chest, not because of its allure, but because of the blood core within.

Muse pouted her full red lips, her smile alluring, her expression showing no displeasure.

Qian Ye’s obsidian-like eyes remained clear, with a faint blue light flickering deep within. At that moment, Muse’s blood core was visible to him, and he could judge her intentions if she made any sudden moves.

“In fact, you don’t need to be so tense. I said that if you become stronger, there would be a reward, and now you indeed haven’t disappointed me. Even under the Iron Curtain, I am not certain I could kill you. Such a man deserves a reward. So, today, I bring you a small… reward.”

With that, Muse extended her hand, her pale and slender fingers splaying, revealing a ball of light. The light took the form of a young girl—Bai Kongzhao.

“I heard you’re looking for this little one, aren’t you?”

“Where is she?” Qian Ye didn’t hide his intent to kill, but he also felt a slight chill. This mysterious woman, Muse, seemed to have access to incredibly accurate and swift information. There was only one explanation: someone among the human factions was collaborating with her, and they held a high position, otherwise, such precise and fast information would be impossible.

“She appeared in Alpha 3,” Muse said, using the human war zone designation, confirming Qian Ye’s suspicion.

Alpha 3 was not too far from here, but it was far from the Zhao Clan’s war zone, in a completely different direction.

“How can I trust you?”

Muse said indifferently, “You have no choice. On your own, you would never find her, right?”

Qian Ye admitted, “True. But this reward seems rather mysterious. No reward without merit, you can’t just help me because I’ve become stronger, can you?”

“Of course not! In this blood battle, we each have our positions, but for now, our interests align. This little one, Bai Kongzhao, has killed many of my elite warriors. Her combat instinct is too strong, and she will be a great problem in the future. I believe you understand this well.”

Qian Ye knew all too well about Bai Kongzhao’s ruthlessness and cunning. He had chosen the path of breaking through with sheer force, partly due to a fateful encounter and partly due to Bai Kongzhao. If Qian Ye were to use his full strength, every move would carry the force of a sea vortex, enveloping all around him. No matter how keen Bai Kongzhao’s combat instinct, there would be no opening for her, forcing her to either fight head-on or retreat.

Zhao Jundu’s gun technique, “Sure Strike,” was the bane of people like Bai Kongzhao. But Sure Strike was a rare and formidable ability, with only a handful in the Empire who could master it.

Muse, with her supreme strength and speed, could not completely counter Bai Kongzhao, but she could hold her own against her. However, the three of them, under the Iron Curtain, were the best of their factions. Any other young member would not stand a chance against Bai Kongzhao. Fighting Bai Kongzhao, one must not make a single mistake, or she would seize the opportunity.

Realizing this, Qian Ye prioritized killing Bai Kongzhao when he returned to the Iron Curtain.

He and Bai Kongzhao were in a fight to the death, and she was adept at using the situation to her advantage. Whether leading the Nan Gong squad as a vanguard or massacring enemy squads in the chaos of the major clans, it all indicated that if she was not eliminated, Bai Kongzhao would pose a deadly threat to those close to Qian Ye. For example, her combat style completely overpowered Zhao Yuying’s, and if Bai Kongzhao advanced to war captain, she would be a lethal threat to Qian Ye’s friends and subordinates.

Even knowing that Muse might be setting a trap, Qian Ye was prepared to jump in. As long as the Iron Curtain remained, he felt no trap could truly contain him, especially against the dark races, where Qian Ye, with An’dy’s Black Wing King heritage, had a natural advantage in bloodline power.

Qian Ye thought for a moment and then said, “Fine, I’ll trust you this once.”

Muse immediately burst into a brilliant smile, giving Qian Ye an air kiss, “If it were the first time we met, that kiss would have been more direct.”

This was a significant compliment for Qian Ye. Muse was admitting that she could no longer approach him so casually.

Muse turned to leave, and Qian Ye headed towards Alpha 3. To travel faster, Qian Ye did not charge forward as before but, shortly after descending the peak, activated his bloodline stealth, vanishing into the dense forest.

Muse, drifting like a ghost through the nearby forest, suddenly stopped. Just a moment ago, Qian Ye had disappeared from her perception, making it impossible to track him.

She stood silently, lost in thought, and then turned to leave, no longer attempting to follow Qian Ye.

Hong Luo was originally an insignificant town in the border region of the Evernight continent. It was populated mostly by scavengers, mercenaries, and adventurers dreaming of sudden wealth. Such a town was naturally in a state of disrepair, far worse than any slum in the Empire’s homeland.

The only commendable thing about the town was its high and sturdy stone wall, which could fend off beasts and low-level dark race cannon fodder. Higher-ranking dark warriors would not bother with such a desolate place.

But in the eyes of White Dragon Armor, the only notable stone wall was a burden. Thus, his first order upon arriving was to dismantle it.

Due to its strategic location, Hong Luo was chosen as the third forward base for the Bai Clan. Each forward base corresponded to a war zone, and this one would be personally overseen by him.

For the Bai Clan, establishing a forward base was a simple task. The day after White Dragon Armor selected Hong Luo, dozens of transport airships arrived, bringing in construction teams and large machinery.

In less than ten days, the military base of Hong Luo began to take shape. The airship landing field was leveled, warehouses, barracks, and hangars were framed, and supplies flowed in continuously. A mobile power tower was even being built to provide energy for the entire base.

White Dragon Armor stood in the command room, staring at the sand table, motionless. Several advisors constantly adjusted the icons on the sand table based on the latest intelligence. The sand table covered the entire blood battle battlefield.