Chapter 88: Calamity from the Void

Bai Aotu stood silently in place, not pursuing further. When Nana’s voice came from afar, her body suddenly trembled, and she spat out a mouthful of blood, her face paling.

Bai Aotu did not linger either; she turned and left. Watching her silhouette, many empire strongmen were bewildered, uncertain who had truly won the confrontation.

With Nana’s distant retreat, the great battle finally drew to a close. As the Eternal Night Camp fell and the dark forces withdrew, the Slumber of the Giants was fully under the empire’s control.

The empire’s reinforcements gradually entered the Eternal Night Camp, beginning to clean up the battlefield. Qian Ye and his team, who had fought fiercely all night, retreated to the rear for rest.

Qian Ye followed Zhao Juandu to gather the Zhao Clan’s fighters, returning to the camp and parting ways there. The battle had just ended, and Zhao Juandu was utterly exhausted. He only instructed Qian Ye to recover well before returning to his tent to meditate and adjust.

Qian Ye did not practice; he lay on his bed, staring at the top of the tent, recalling the entire battle bit by bit. This was his first time participating in a campaign of such scale, and many things displayed during the war were unprecedented.

In the assault on the Eternal Night Camp, the empire-recognized strongest Zhang and Zhao Clans led the charge, closely followed by the Bai and Song Clans. Regardless of how the Song Clan performed in the bloody battle, the strength of their private army lived up to their status. The Upper Noble Families, in terms of both manpower and responsibilities, came after the four clans but far exceeded the other middle and lower noble families.

From this battle arrangement, one could see the empire’s governance philosophy: status and power are equal to responsibility. The higher the status and the stronger the power, the greater the duty and responsibility in war.

In the previous battles at the Iron Curtain and the exploration of the Slumber of the Giants, individual or small-team battles were more common, often with opportunities for backstabbing. However, in the full-scale assault on the Eternal Night Camp, the empire strictly adhered to its established rules. Or rather, at least the supreme commander, Marshal Zhang Boqian, meticulously followed these rules.

The fact that the four clans led the charge was not a means for the imperial family to weaken them. In reality, over half of the empire’s main and elite armies were in the hands of the imperial family, and could be considered part of their strength. In this war, the imperial family’s troops and strongmen rotated, suffering losses far greater than those of the other noble families.

Thus, the founding rules of the empire were also a form of fairness.

Realizing this, Qian Ye couldn’t help but admire the founding emperor who set these rules. Behind these rules, it reflected the unmatched dominance of the founding emperor, who was unafraid of losing the supreme position, even if the imperial family would suffer the greatest losses in wars affecting the fate of the nation.

In fact, the imperial family indeed produced many wise rulers, and there were no weak or incompetent emperors. Especially the Martial Emperor, who ushered in a golden age, almost matching the founding emperor in both literary and martial achievements. After the Dawn War, although the imperial family faced turmoil, the throne never fell into the wrong hands.

At this moment, someone outside the tent called, “Young Master Qian Ye, the documents you requested have arrived.”

Qian Ye then remembered that he had asked a subordinate officer to find some materials on the empire’s military system. His previous military experiences were mostly small-scale battles. Since he would be earning military merit in future, it was necessary to familiarize himself with the comprehensive military system.

After calling the young lieutenant in, he placed a thick stack of documents on the table, bowed respectfully, and left. Qian Ye vaguely recognized the lieutenant’s face, remembering him as one who had responded positively when Zhao Guanwei tried to recruit, but his attitude had completely changed after the war.

In the battle for the Eternal Night Camp, the casualties of the two forward battalions numbered only a little over a hundred, less than a third of previous battles. Throughout the battle, Qian Ye was always at the forefront and participated in the final assault on the castle, earning the respect of the forward battalion soldiers with his tangible achievements and strength. In the military, strength is valued, and these soldiers who had fought on the brink of death were the most straightforward, showing no concealment of their likes and dislikes.

After dismissing the lieutenant, Qian Ye sat in the tent and began to read through the military regulations one by one. By the time he finished, he would have a good understanding of the military system.

After flipping through three or four books, the tent flap suddenly opened, and Li Kuanglan walked in without any greeting.

Seeing him, Qian Ye was slightly taken aback and asked, “Why did you come to the Zhao Clan’s camp? Did they let you in?”

Qian Ye knew that Li Kuanglan was from the Jing Tang Li Clan, and the Li Clan and the Zhao Clan were currently engaged in a fierce rivalry, with only a thin veil of civility separating them. It was truly incredible that Li Kuanglan could enter the Zhao Clan’s camp without alerting the Duke Youguo.

Li Kuanglan said indifferently, “I sneaked in.”

“Is that… not very proper?” Qian Ye was in a difficult position.

“What’s improper about it? The strong ones are in deep meditation, and the weak ones can’t detect me. Hey, what are you reading?” Li Kuanglan picked up a few military regulations and flipped through them, puzzled, “Why are you reading these boring things? They don’t increase your combat power. By the way, why aren’t you practicing?”

This question was not easy to answer. In this major battle, Qian Ye’s blood qi had advanced, surpassing his dawn origin power level once again, making it unsuitable to push further on the dark side.

On the dawn side, the Supreme Warrior’s Method draws on void origin power. If Zhang Boqian and another unknown Heavenly King returned from the void, it would surely cause a void disturbance. Qian Ye had already learned a lesson from the last time, and naturally, he wouldn’t make the same mistake again until he found a way to avoid it.

Seeing Li Kuanglan’s curious expression, Qian Ye thought for a moment and decided there was no need to hide his progress on the dawn side, so he said, “The method I practice can draw on void origin power, so I dare not practice now. If Marshal Boqian returns, it will disturb the void and affect my cultivation.”

Li Kuanglan was instantly shocked, “You can draw on void origin power now? It seems Zhao Juandu wasn’t lying. That’s… damn impressive!”

Qian Ye couldn’t help but comment, “Uh… Miss Kuanglan, always using coarse language isn’t good for your image.”

Li Kuanglan was surprised, “How do you know?”

Qian Ye, of course, didn’t want to reveal Song Zining, so he said vaguely, “Someone of your status, people will know.”

Li Kuanglan thought about it and realized that quite a few core members of the noble families, like Bai Aotu and Zhao Juandu, knew, but they never mentioned it directly.

Her identity exposed, Li Kuanglan felt a bit uncomfortable and reined in her wild nature. She sized up Qian Ye several times and suddenly said, “When we both advance to the Divine General rank, I won’t really be unable to beat you, right?”

To this, Qian Ye immediately replied, “How could that be? I’m not even sure if I can advance to the Divine General rank.”

Li Kuanglan immediately brightened, clapping Qian Ye on the shoulder, “That’s more like it! Originally, I came here after hearing Zhao Juandu, intending to have a good sparring match with you. But since you know how to please me, I’ll let it go this time.”

Qian Ye broke into a cold sweat. It wasn’t the sparring that scared him, but Li Kuanglan’s reckless behavior. This was the Zhao Clan’s camp, and if Li Kuanglan was discovered to have intruded and sought to fight, it would definitely cause trouble. With her personality, she would turn a small matter into a big one, dragging in many others.

To avoid trouble, Qian Ye was extremely cooperative, “Sure, sure, a person like Sir Kuanglan wouldn’t be petty. Let’s talk about sparring next time; it’s not convenient here. You should go back quickly.”

Li Kuanglan waved her hand casually, “No need for the formalities, just call me Kuanglan. I’m leaving.” She walked out without hesitation, but as soon as she exited the tent, she saw Zhao Juandu standing outside, looking at her coldly.

Even the usually unrestrained Li Kuanglan was startled, “Y-You, why are you here?” Her voice betrayed a hint of unease.

Zhao Juandu said coldly, “The Zhao Clan’s territory may be small, but it’s not a place where anyone can come and go freely.”

Li Kuanglan snorted, unwillingly saying, “Fine, consider yourself lucky this time. I’m leaving.”

“Wait,” Zhao Juandu called out.

Li Kuanglan stopped, her brows furrowing, “What, does the Fourth Young Master Zhao plan to give me a lecture?”

Qian Ye, hearing this, walked out of the tent and, seeing the tense situation, wanted to cover his face. Both of them were arrogant and never yielding, with the background of the Zhao and Li Clans’ enmity. If they continued, they would definitely end up fighting.

He wanted to turn back and pretend he hadn’t seen anything, but sighed and reluctantly intervened, “Sir Kuanglan just came to chat with me, nothing serious.”

Zhao Juandu looked at Qian Ye, sighed, and pulled him behind him, sternly saying, “Do you know what you’re talking about!” He turned to Li Kuanglan and said, “Miss Kuanglan, we both know your identity, but Qian Ye doesn’t. If any rumors spread, our small Zhao Clan can’t afford the wrath of that great figure.”

Li Kuanglan’s smile became somewhat forced, and she said, “It’s not a big deal, no need to take it so seriously.”

Zhao Juandu’s expression was solemn, his beautiful face as sharp as an ice blade, “If Qian Ye is implicated, I swear many will pay the price.”

Li Kuanglan finally raised her hands, “Alright, I understand, I’m leaving.” She turned to leave, then said, “Zhao Juandu, your weakness is too obvious. At this rate, I might not see you advance to Divine General.”

Zhao Juandu said lightly, “We both strive for perfection in our combat techniques, but do you think a weakness is a flaw?”

Weakness and flaw are different? Li Kuanglan raised her eyebrows in surprise, then her brow furrowed, and she thought for a moment before turning and leaving without a word.

Watching her go, Zhao Juandu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, “I owe you two favors. If you need anything in the future, just say the word.”

Li Kuanglan didn’t turn around, raising a finger, “You owe me one, and Song Zining owes me one. By the way, what about Song Zining?”

“Trust me, no problem,” Zhao Juandu replied without hesitation.

“Good, I trust you,” Li Kuanglan said, disappearing in a flash.

Zhao Juandu stood for a moment, then turned to glare at Qian Ye, “Next time, be more careful and don’t get involved with everyone. I can’t watch you all the time.”

Qian Ye felt unfairly accused, as Li Kuanglan had sought him out, and he hadn’t provoked anyone. He couldn’t help but say, “Although the Zhao and Li Clans are not on good terms, I don’t think Li Kuanglan is that bad. Does it have to be this way?”

Zhao Juandu glared at him, “What do you know? In short, Li Kuanglan is a big trouble, stay away from her. That’s it, I’m going to find Song Zining.”

“For what?” Qian Ye wanted to argue that they had completely ignored his efforts, but Zhao Juandu didn’t give him a chance.

“To collect a favor,” Zhao Juandu said, and a purple light flashed, and he disappeared from the spot.