In this vast and desolate land, the map encompassed the entirety of the Nian Qing Mountain Range. The marked area included the vast and silent Jihuo Plain and the thousand-mile-long Forgotten Mountains ahead. Not only did it cover the dark territories, but also a large portion of the lands controlled by the Zhao clan of the Qin Empire.
After a moment, Zalan put away the pendant and said, “Master Webb made a prophecy at the cost of decades of his life, revealing that clues to the Blackwing Monarch’s treasure were located in this region. Therefore, our task is to find this clue, whatever it may be.”
The female knight’s eyes suddenly lit up, and after a moment of hesitation, she cautiously asked, “What exactly is the Blackwing Monarch’s treasure?”
A greedy and longing look flashed in Zalan’s eyes, followed by a bitter smile. “I don’t know either. This is a secret beyond our rank to comprehend.”
The Blackwing Monarch Anduya, one of the second-generation progenitors of the Blood Clan, was among the most powerful beings in the entire history of the dark races. Hence, upon obtaining a relatively reliable lead, the Evernight Council had gone to great lengths, spending a significant sum to hire a prophecy master to investigate. Due to the bloodline inheritance, the wealth left by Anduya was even more alluring to the Blood Clan than to any other dark race.
As time passed in silence, Zalan suddenly jolted awake. “Why haven’t those two returned yet?”
At that moment, several kilometers away, two Blood Knights were running furiously, chasing after Qianye, who was driving the old motorcycle.
In such a critical situation, the reliability of the aged Thunder Tiger became evident. It was clear that this machine had been modified by a skilled hand, retaining its original stability while also boasting an astonishing burst of power.
The two Blood Knights, running at full speed, were still faster than the Thunder Tiger, though not by much. Initially, they were several kilometers apart, but after a half-hour chase, they closed the gap to within a hundred meters. Although the Blood Clan was known for their endurance and resilience, the intense run had already drained more than half of their energy, and they had not found an opportunity to use their ranged weapons.
Suddenly, the Thunder Tiger ahead emitted a screeching sound as it braked, bouncing a few times before coming to a stop.
Qianye leaped off the bike, turned around, and placed his right hand on the hilt of the Glowing Light Tooth, which partially emerged from its sheath. All his movements were swift and seamless, completing his preparation for attack in the blink of an eye.
The two Blood Knights, unable to stop their momentum, charged into range within fifty meters.
One of the Blood Knights reached for his sidearm, panting and sneering, “Why not run? Are you planning to die here?”
The other Blood Knight, however, frowned and warned, “Be careful, this kid might not be simple!” He estimated the distance between them and began to draw his sword.
With no time to spare, Qianye suddenly moved, launching himself at the Blood Knights with a speed far exceeding their expectations.
The first Blood Knight, despite being prepared, was still taken aback. His sword was just halfway out of its scabbard, and his origin arrays had only activated partially when he thrust his blade at Qianye’s chest.
However, Qianye had already closed the distance to melee range and deflected the sword with a powerful arm strike. The blade sparked against his vambrace, which was modified from a third-rank arachnid armor, but failed to cut through. Simultaneously, Qianye’s right hand now held the Glowing Light Tooth, and he struck back.
The Blood Knight, catching a glimpse of the dagger’s design, was startled. It was definitely a weapon capable of breaking through defenses! He raised his left hand, seizing Qianye’s wrist in a flash, intending to overpower him.
Qianye, gauging the strength of the Blood Knight, suddenly exerted his full force. With a thud, the Blood Knight was pinned to the ground, the Glowing Light Tooth deeply embedded in his heart.
Qianye let go of the dagger, rolled to the side, and darted several meters away. An origin bullet whizzed past him, missing its mark. The other Blood Knight, seeing the shot miss, immediately drew his sword and charged.
Qianye sprang to his feet, crossed his arms, and wrenched the sword. Under his terrifying strength, the Blood Knight’s sword creaked and twisted out of shape. Qianye then rammed into the Blood Knight like a steel fortress.
This collision, devoid of any fancy moves, left the Blood Knight dazed and unsteady, nearly falling over. Qianye drew a Twinflower and aimed it at the Blood Knight, pulling the trigger.
Having swiftly disposed of two Blood Knights of equal rank, Qianye felt a mix of excitement and wariness.
These Blood Knights were exceptionally well-equipped, using third-rank weapons and armor, a level above the dark warriors of the Evernight Continent. Had they not exhausted themselves during the pursuit, Qianye would have had a harder time defeating them.
He approached the fallen Blood Knights, briefly examining their bodies. Near the left shoulder of one of the breastplates, he found an inverted gallows emblem. A slight tremor ran through his heart—this was the crest of the Baine Clan, one of the thirteen Blood Clans.
Qianye did not waste time looting the bodies. He quickly retrieved the Glowing Light Tooth and prepared to flee.
These two Blood Knights were merely part of a team. The leading viscount, likely due to his pride, had not pursued them. However, if his subordinates did not return, he would surely come to check. Qianye did not believe he could handle a viscount at this moment.
As soon as Qianye gripped the Glowing Light Tooth, a surge of fresh and abundant blood energy flowed into his body through the hilt. An overwhelming joy washed over his consciousness, like a shot of the most potent stimulant.
His entire body trembled, and all his blood energy seemed to rejoice, reaching a state of boiling. Even the usually disdainful dark gold blood energy, unusual for its reactivity, was now lively, greedily absorbing a large mass of the new blood energy. Although the Blood Knight was only at the seventh rank, the quality of his blood energy far surpassed that of the other Blood Clan members Qianye had slain.
The pure-blood descendants of the thirteen clans were truly extraordinary!
It was only when the blood energy flowing from the Glowing Light Tooth diminished that Qianye fully withdrew the dagger. The jagged blade glimmered with a faint light, clean and unblemished, with no trace of blood.
Only now did Qianye truly understand why the Blood Clan became so excited and frenzied when feeding. After tasting the blood of a Blood Knight from one of the thirteen clans, the blood energy of the dark races and beasts of the Evernight Continent seemed bland in comparison.
Qianye stowed the Glowing Light Tooth and, restraining himself from looking at the other Blood Knight, jumped onto the Thunder Tiger and sped towards the edge of the Jihuo Plain.
The Thunder Tiger was indeed a rare and invaluable means of transportation in this boundless wilderness, with excellent stability, endurance, and speed, saving Qianye a significant amount of energy. Unfortunately, the time to part ways was nearing. Estimating the speed of the Blood Viscount, Qianye decided to abandon the Thunder Tiger after an hour, carrying only essential items for a lighter escape.
Not long after Qianye left, Zalan appeared on the battlefield. Seeing the bodies of the two Blood Knights, his face darkened. He stood silently for a few minutes before the female knight and the other knights arrived.
After inspecting the bodies, the female knight, her expression grim, reported, “Lord, that person is not human, but one of our own kind! He used a high-grade blood-sucking weapon, and almost all of Kuri’s essence blood was drained.”
Zalan spoke slowly, “A young man, not even a viscount, wielding a blood-sucking weapon at least of the fifth rank. It seems our kin has quite a background.”
The female knight, puzzled, asked, “But why did he run at the sight of us? Even if he recognized us…” She suddenly thought of a possibility, and her face darkened, “Could he be from the Dracula Clan?”
A ruthless gleam flashed across Zalan’s face. “Those cowardly new factions, the disgraced offspring of the Holy Blood. Since they have appeared before me, they will not be allowed to return.”
The enmity between the Baine Clan and the Dracula Clan was not merely a matter of the new and old factions, as Zalan suggested. The first comprehensive clan war between the two families dated back seven hundred years.
The root of their ancestral feud could be traced back to the era of the Blackwing Monarch, stemming from the animosity between Howard, the Dark Evangel of the Baine Clan, and Metatron, the Lord of Shadows of the Dracula Clan.
The female knight, startled, hastily said, “Lord, but we still have the Council’s mission!”
Zalan waved his hand, his voice cold. “The Council sent more than just our team. You continue searching. Meet me at the Clear Water Oasis tomorrow at the same time. Hmph, disposing of a junior should not take a day.”
With that, Zalan’s figure flickered, appearing ten meters away, and then another ten, following the tracks left by the motorcycle, pursuing fiercely.
Qianye lay flat on the Thunder Tiger, the wind lashing his skin painfully at maximum speed. The massive steel body of the motorcycle roared, seemingly possessing an inexhaustible power, rapidly leaving the unchanging wilderness behind.
The reliability of this old motorcycle exceeded all expectations. Even an imperial military off-road vehicle, after such a prolonged run, would have broken down. Yet, the Thunder Tiger, having refueled twice, showed no signs of malfunction, making it a worthy investment.
After covering several more kilometers, the surrounding landscape began to change. No longer a uniform expanse of red desert and scattered giant trees, the undulating hills now sported sparse, low-lying vegetation. In the distance, the verdant and majestic mountains were beginning to emerge.
Reaching this point, Qianye reluctantly left the Thunder Tiger and started running through the wilderness. The mountainous terrain ahead was unsuitable for the motorcycle, and his experience in wilderness combat suggested that the likelihood of being caught would decrease significantly once he entered the dense forest.
Now at the seventh rank, with his legs nearly completely enhanced, Qianye’s speed far exceeded that of ordinary Blood Knights of the same rank. He could only hope that the Blood Viscount had more pressing matters and would not spend too much time hunting him.
After all, a dark marshal from one of the thirteen clans was a significant figure. If there was no urgent business, why would he roam the remote Jihuo Plain?
A day and night had passed, and Qianye had hardly stopped to rest.
Even after such a grueling sprint, the sense of being hunted and tracked only intensified.
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