The solitary peak, entirely emerald green, stood tall and steep like a sword pointing to the heavens, exceptionally striking. In the scene displayed by Anduya, this peak was one of the most noticeable landmarks.
Qian Ye became even more cautious, using the cover of the mountainous terrain to inch closer to the peak. The activity of the dark races in this area was noticeably more frequent, but fortunately, the strength of the patrol teams had not significantly increased.
Even though the Primordial Wings could sense the entrance when close, searching a vast area of over a thousand square kilometers was still akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
However, sometimes the simplest and clumsiest methods were the most effective. Qian Ye memorized the terrain, dividing the entire area into thousands of smaller regions centered on his position, and began searching them one by one.
On the second day, a group of humans suddenly appeared in Qian Ye’s line of sight!
He almost couldn’t believe his eyes, and took out the Four Symbols scope, centering the lens on the group, and then switching through various perspectives.
The first perspective revealed the Blood Race; half of the dozens of people had surging blood aura, while the other half showed no reaction. Switching to the werewolf, demon, and spider demon modes, the remaining half of the team still showed no response. It was only when he switched to the Dawn force scale that a faint light appeared on them.
Putting down the scope, Qian Ye felt a heavy weight in his heart. If they weren’t intentionally using some counter-reconnaissance methods, it could be confirmed that half of the group were Blood Race and the other half were humans.
Under normal circumstances, humans cultivating Dawn force venturing into the dark territory would be like lambs walking among wolves, soon to be torn to pieces. And in this special area swarming with dark races, there would be no need for such a disguise, regardless of the purpose.
So, it meant they were indeed pure humans practicing Dawn force, not those who had fallen into the Eternal Night camp. But now, walking alongside the Blood Race without any conflict, there must be a reason.
The behavior of this group was also quite peculiar. Unlike ordinary patrols, they didn’t move aimlessly. Every so often, they would stop. The human members fiddled with some machinery or assumed strange postures, almost as if they were practicing, before moving on to the next area.
After observing them several times, Qian Ye realized they seemed to be using special instruments and primordial arrays to detect force and spatial fluctuations. This gave him a bad feeling.
Qian Ye stopped following them and turned to continue his search, but after just half a day, he encountered another similar group.
When this group entered a valley and showed signs of stopping, Qian Ye decided to take a risk. He activated his bloodline concealment, suppressing all his presence, and circled around to find a hideout in an ancient tree hollow.
This was a very dangerous move. Though there were no War General-level figures in the group, there were several eighth-level nobles and a large number of high-ranking warriors. If Qian Ye lost the advantage of distance, escaping might be difficult.
Fortunately, Qian Ye’s luck was good. The group indeed headed in his direction, stopping two hundred meters away. At this distance, Qian Ye could hear their voices.
Leading the Blood Race was a noble, the emblem on his collar indicating he was from the Bain clan. Most of the other Blood Race members were also Bain warriors. The human leader appeared to be a middle-aged man, with a stern face and sharp, piercing eyes.
The Bain noble and the middle-aged man stood together, watching the others set up instruments or simply sit and meditate, using the force arrays to sense their surroundings.
A hint of impatience flashed across the Bain noble’s face. “We’ve been searching for over ten days and found nothing. You damn humans, if you dare deceive me, I’ll chop you all up and serve you on a platter!”
The middle-aged man showed no fear of the Bain noble’s threat, sneering, “The progress in these ten days has been very clear. All the data indicates we are gradually getting closer to the entrance. Hmph, before cooperating with us, you fools searched for months. What did you find?”
“You are insulting the ancient and great Bain clan!”
“A mere noble cannot represent the Bain,” the middle-aged man said bluntly.
The noble was furious, drawing his long sword and placing the blade at the man’s neck, roaring, “Wretched human, you deserve to be chopped up and served on a platter!”
The middle-aged man remained calm, even slightly mocking, pushing the sword away with his hand. “This cooperation was decided by the higher-ups. If you dare kill me and delay their plans, not only will you be killed, but your entire lineage will be exterminated. Stupid fool, put your sword away.”
The pale face of the Blood noble twisted, his chest heaving violently. Suddenly, he retracted the sword, growling, “You better prove your worth, or I will dig out your heart myself!”
The middle-aged man gave him a scornful glance. “A guy who hasn’t even condensed a blood core, if you try anything, I’ll be the one digging out your heart. Also, don’t forget, we are cooperating with Duke Galen. Do you want to declare war on Duke Galen?”
Though they continued to argue, neither dared to act. The Blood Race warriors and humans below went about their business, seemingly used to such disputes.
Dark clouds gathered in Qian Ye’s heart. He didn’t know why these humans were cooperating with the dark races, but clearly, they possessed some technology and information. Perhaps, it wouldn’t be long before the entrance to Anduya’s treasure was found. He needed to move faster.
As the group moved away without results, Qian Ye resumed his journey, encountering more and stronger groups along the way.
At dawn the next day, Qian Ye suddenly felt a stir. The dark golden blood aura still lazily coiled around his heart, but its small wings fluttered several times. He sensed a faint call from the northwest.
It was the entrance!
Qian Ye calmed his racing heart, needing to be even more cautious now. He maintained his bloodline concealment, adjusted his state, and then dashed towards the direction of the call.
At that moment, atop the solitary peak, over a dozen people stood, gazing into the distance. From this highest point within a hundred miles, the vast area could be seen in its entirety.
These people, though diverse, all exuded extraordinary presence. More than half were dark races, but there were also several humans. Leading the dark races was a Blood Count, while the human leader was a young man who appeared under thirty.
The Blood Count looked at the young man and said, “Mr. Li Rui, how is the progress?”
His attitude towards the young man was courteous, showing none of the usual disdain and arrogance towards humans. The Count knew the young man’s actual age far exceeded his appearance, and his strength was far greater than his thin body suggested. At least, the Blood Count had no hope of defeating Li Rui.
Li Rui’s gaze swept over the vast mountains, smiling slightly. “There is already some progress. I am at least 40% certain that part of Anduya’s treasure is in this area.”
A hawk’s cry suddenly echoed through the sky, and a fierce falcon flew from afar, landing on Li Rui’s arm. Li Rui removed a copper tube from the falcon’s talons, read the note inside, and then released the bird.
With a wave, his subordinates brought out a map. Li Rui identified the location and marked a spot on the map. There were already dozens of similar marks, forming a spiral pattern.
Staring at the map for a while, Li Rui said to the Blood Count, “Another piece of good news. We have detected another anomalous force fluctuation. The entrance is likely in this area. In at most half a month, we will find the entrance to the Blackwing King’s treasure. By then, I hope Duke Galen will fulfill his promise.”
The Blood Count said proudly, “We are the ancient and great Larkin clan. Duke Galen’s promise will always be honored, no need to worry!”
Li Rui smiled. “That’s good. According to our previous agreement, all parts related to the Primordial Wings go to you, and we get half of the other materials. Additionally, I have prepared enough black crystal and mithril. I hope our subsequent transactions will go smoothly.”
“Three hundred specially made force guns for human use are already en route. You will receive them in a month.”
Li Rui extended his hand, saying, “Excellent! Pleasant cooperation!”
The Blood Count hesitated for a moment but still shook Li Rui’s hand.
At that moment, Li Rui suddenly exclaimed, looking off into the distance.
“What is it?” The Blood Count followed Li Rui’s gaze but saw nothing.
Li Rui frowned, slowly saying, “There seems to be someone moving in that direction, but the distance is too far, and I’m not very sure.”
Not only the Blood Count, but the other Bloods on the peak also showed slight changes in expression. The place Li Rui pointed to was dozens of kilometers away, and in such a distance, their vision was filled with dense forests. Just from perception alone, this always smiling and amiable Li Rui overshadowed all the present Bloods.
The Blood Count was secretly shocked but remained calm on the surface, saying, “Perhaps someone strayed off course.”
Li Rui’s brows furrowed even more, suddenly saying, “No, something is wrong! I have a bad feeling. Li Zhan, take a few people and check it out, immediately!”
Search teams entering the central area had strict boundaries, but in the vast forest, it was hard to accurately determine directions. Straying a little was not a big deal, but if only one person was wandering, it was unusual.
A man with a resolute face and a hint of killing intent in his eyes replied, “Yes.” He signaled to a few warriors behind him and then jumped directly off the cliff.
Falling nearly a hundred meters, he suddenly threw out a thin rope, the steel claw at the end embedding itself into the cliff, drastically reducing his fall. He then retracted the rope and shot it into the cliff below, reaching the foot of the thousand-meter peak in moments.
The other Li family warriors, using the same method, quickly descended and rushed towards the direction Li Rui indicated.
Seeing the Li family warriors’ elite skills, the Bloods were slightly shaken.
The Blood Count turned to a Viscount and said, “Take a team and check it out as well.”
The Blood Viscount complied, leading a group of Bloods away.
At this moment, Qian Ye, standing on the treetop, watched as warriors continuously descended from the distant peak, heading straight towards his direction, a grim expression crossing his face.
He knew he had been discovered.
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