Chapter 75: The Battle Begins

Qian Ye was in the midst of his meditation, practicing the Great Profound Art of Warfare. Around him, an invisible vortex of primordial force slowly rotated, exerting immense pressure that tore through the void. Threads of void primordial force continuously fell into the vortex, absorbed by Qian Ye.

In the midst of his practice, the void suddenly trembled violently, becoming extremely unstable. Space rifts appeared and multiplied, and the void primordial force surging from these rifts became ferociously chaotic. The once stable vortex now wavered. Qian Ye, affected by the tremors, paled, groaned, and a stream of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Startled, Qian Ye hastily ceased the Great Profound Art of Warfare according to the instructions. Only after completely absorbing the primordial force did he finally regain his composure. The power of the Great Profound Art of Warfare was too strong; any mistake in its execution could result in serious injury, or worse, damage to his foundation.

Qian Ye rose, his heart filled with unease, not understanding why the void had suddenly changed. Suddenly, he felt a stir within, opened his true vision, and gazed towards the direction of Zhang Boqian’s central command tent.

In his true vision, he saw a brilliant light in the direction of the central command tent, like the midday sun. That was the radiance of Zhang Boqian’s primordial force, which dominated everywhere it reached.

However, at this moment, Qian Ye saw two suns in the central area, with the newly appeared one even more intense than Zhang Boqian’s!

Qian Ye was startled and quickly withdrew his true vision, not daring to look any further.

Not only was there a risk of being detected by using his true vision, but the intensity of the two lights was so powerful that even a few seconds of observation could blind him.

In the past, in the camp where mighty warriors abounded, Qian Ye had always been cautious, avoiding prying into others. This time, disturbed during his practice and almost injured, he had a surge of emotion, leading him to look towards the central area and make this astonishing discovery.

The new, intensely bright primordial force must undoubtedly belong to one of the empire’s archdukes. Legends spoke of their power covering a thousand miles, and today, Qian Ye personally experienced the force capable of disturbing the void. He dared not continue the Great Profound Art of Warfare and instead sat in silence, calming his turbulent blood and qi.

In the central command tent, an elderly, tall, and slender man with long eyebrows opening his eyes, glanced in Qian Ye’s direction, and said, “Boqian, your army seems to be full of hidden talents.”

Zhang Boqian, unbothered, replied, “That young fellow indeed has some talent, surprising even me. Marshal Lin Xitang met him before and gave him high praise.”

The elder, with a hint of surprise, said, “I thought that young fellow’s primordial force was somewhat peculiar, with a touch of shadow. But since Xitang has already seen him, he must be quite good. These young ones might grow to take over for us old folks someday.”

Zhang Boqian smiled and said, “Your Highness, you’re giving them too much credit.”

The elder smiled, then said, “Since I’m here, should we get started? My arrival can’t be kept secret for long.”

“Indeed,” Zhang Boqian agreed, rising and calling in a general waiting outside. He instructed, “Carry out the plan. All units, move out!”

The old general responded with a resolute nod and left swiftly. Soon, the desolate and ancient war horn sounded throughout the imperial camp.

The camp, once calm, now boiled with activity. Units gathered and prepared, and within less than an hour, the first unit marched out, followed by waves of imperial forces, marching along the edge of the Great Beast’s Slumber Canyon, encircling it like a steel tide, advancing towards the Evernight camp.

Soon, a dense fleet of floating warships ascended, darkening the sky, almost covering the entire expanse.

Hundreds of thousands of troops, each movement a spectacle, began their march.

Zhang Boqian and the elder rose high, overseeing the movements of the land below.

Zhang Boqian stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deepening, and his breaths echoing like mountains collapsing and seas roaring. The surrounding primordial force fluctuated with his breathing, gradually spreading.

The elder, serene, looked at the mighty fleet and the winding armies, stroking his beard and sighing, “It’s been years since I last saw such a sight. Time flies, and our generation is aging. The empire belongs to the young. But even thirty years from now, such a display would still stir my heart.”

Zhang Boqian smiled, “Your Highness, you’ve seen countless formations over the decades. I remember my first battle under your command. Oh, old friends are coming.”

From the opposite side of the Great Beast’s Slumber, a black cloud and a blood mist rose, carrying an awe-inspiring presence, crossing the canyon and rolling towards the imperial camp.

The elder, with a mysterious smile, said, “Boqian, it seems they don’t respect you much!”

Zhang Boqian, unusually without a murderous aura, smiled even more, his eyes flashing with a sudden light.

The elder continued, “Since they’ve come, we should meet them, shouldn’t we?”

“Exactly what I intended!”

The blood mist and black cloud were the domains of Medanzo and the spider demon duke Roxan. Both flew at full speed, arriving at the center of the canyon. But in front of them, two figures appeared, blocking their path, having arrived later but first.

One was Zhang Boqian, as expected, but when they saw the elder, both dark lords’ faces changed, exclaiming, “Archduke Pointer King! Why are you here?”

The Pointer King smiled kindly, “Why shouldn’t I be here?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be in the outer void?” Medanzo snapped.

“I don’t need to report my location to you, O Lord of Darkness,” the Pointer King replied calmly.

Medanzo and Roxan’s expressions shifted. The other archdukes should be in the outer void, guarding against the Night Queen and the Eternal Flame. Now, the Pointer King’s presence here suggested something amiss with Lilith.

This thought flashed through their minds, but their reactions differed.

Medanzo was both shocked and angry, for if the Night Queen were truly in trouble, the bloodline’s status would plummet. Losing the Holy Mountain seat in the Evernight Council, their fate would be dire, as seen with the werewolves.

Roxan’s expression was more complex, his gaze on Zhang Boqian and the Pointer King uncertain. If Lilith were in trouble, it would be good news for the spider demons.

For millennia, the bloodline had oppressed the spider demons. Even if Lilith’s issue wasn’t enough to lose the Holy Mountain seat, her prolonged absence would be a boon. It meant vast lands, abundant resources, and numerous privileges.

But these were future concerns. For now, the battle must proceed. Medanzo and Roxan exchanged glances and flew higher. Zhang Boqian and the Pointer King followed, the four top-tier combatants ascending beyond the horizon.

Fights at this level could devastate the continent, as seen in the Great Ghost War, which reshaped tens of thousands of kilometers of the Evernight landscape.

Thus, the top-tier combatants often fought in the outer void, to avoid collateral damage on the continent.

In this battle, with the Pointer King’s unexpected appearance, Medanzo and Roxan were at a disadvantage. However, they could escape, perhaps with injuries. They knew the imperial forces on the ground had a clear advantage, and the Evernight Council’s army was in grave danger.

On the ground, Qian Ye, in his jeep, watched the scenery recede. Behind him, several troop trucks followed. After the incident with Zhao Guanwei, Duke You didn’t assign another commander to the vanguard, leaving Qian Ye with two vanguard units of over a thousand soldiers.

With Zhao Junhong and Zhao Jundu’s entourage, the vanguard’s officers and soldiers returned to their elite status, causing no further issues. Even the other units and contentious logistics sections didn’t cause problems for Qian Ye.

Reflecting on the clumsy provocation and Duke You’s high praise for Zhao Guanwei, Qian Ye sensed the target might not be just him, but also Zhao Jundu.

Shaking off these thoughts, Qian Ye focused on the march plan, committing every detail to memory. The plan, issued just before departure, detailed the sequence, route, and objectives.

The imminent war was paramount.

The imperial forces, all but a few thousand, headed towards the Evernight camp, sweeping around the Great Beast’s Slumber Canyon, to form up and attack the next day. Qian Ye’s unit, part of the second wave, was tasked with defense against potential counterattacks before the assault.

Suddenly, a flash lit the sky, followed by explosions. Qian Ye lowered the window, seeing a massive fireball exploding in the distance, debris falling into the canyon.

A burning airship, its origin unclear, fell, opening a Pandora’s box of disasters. More fireballs appeared, and more airships burned, exploded, and fell, turning the sky into a battlefield.

Using his keen sight, Qian Ye saw most of the falling airships belonged to the Evernight side. For every imperial ship down, two Evernight ships were destroyed.

This was Qian Ye’s first experience of a large-scale fleet battle, and he was deeply awed.