“Compensation? What kind of compensation can match a Dragon Ship?” Carol cast a glance at Claudia and continued, “Is Mask’s ambition so great that he wants to unify the Neutral Grounds?”
A chill ran down Claudia’s spine; she knew Carol was deliberately reminding her. If the news of the Dragon Ship leaked out, not only would the strong forces in the surrounding regions be after it, but even the high and mighty figures of the Neutral Grounds might attempt to seize it. No matter how powerful Mask was, he couldn’t withstand such pressure.
But at this moment, how could Claudia possibly give up the Dragon Ship right in front of her? She gritted her teeth and said, “That’s not something I need to worry about. Lord Carol, please help me secure this Dragon Ship!”
Carol looked at Qian Ye, shrugged, and said, “I still owe Mask a favor, so I can’t get involved. I’ll stay neutral this time. Can you handle these two little ones?”
“What difficulty is there?” Qian Ye replied calmly.
Claudia was shocked, “Lord Carol! You’re going to help him?”
Carol spread her hands, “You got it wrong, I’m not helping anyone.”
Before Claudia could understand why Carol suddenly sided with Qian Ye, Qingyue had already shouted, “Attack!”
Before her words faded, she raised her hand and fired a shot at Qian Ye. Claudia realized that now she had to act as if Carol wouldn’t intervene and first focus on taking Qian Ye down. So she drew her long sword and slashed at Qian Ye.
With a sweep of his left hand, Qian Ye smashed the force bullet with a single punch. At the same time, he raised Dongyue and swung it at Claudia!
This strike was immensely heavy. As the blade descended, the space around seemed to be pulled towards it. Claudia’s body floated upwards, drifting towards Dongyue’s blade.
Greatly alarmed, she stopped attacking Qian Ye and turned her sword to deflect Dongyue. She prepared to use her exquisite sword skills to counter Qian Ye’s heavy sword. But as the blades met, a torrent of force surged from Dongyue. These forces contained countless sharp and scorching particles, instantly riddling her dark force with holes and rendering it useless.
Terrified, Claudia pushed her dark force to the limit, barely holding off Qian Ye’s Dawn’s Awakening. However, this left her like carrying a heavy burden, unable to use her fine sword skills.
A loud clang resounded as the swords clashed, and an invisible shockwave spread out. The flesh of the ground dragon was unaffected, but the attached sand and gravel were blown away.
Claudia’s face flushed red as she staggered back several steps. This clash had turned into a direct confrontation. Although she had a slight edge in force, her physical strength was far inferior to Qian Ye’s, and Dongyue was extremely heavy. With each swing, its power was immense, almost making her lose her grip on her sword.
Qian Ye gave her no chance to catch her breath. He flashed to her side and delivered another heavy strike!
As he swung, the surrounding space became sluggish and heavy, pressing down on Claudia, making it hard for her to dodge. Claudia recognized this as the power of a domain, but facing Dongyue, she had no strength left to fight Qian Ye in a domain. Dark red blood lines appeared on her skin, barely allowing her to defend herself.
Another light clang, and Claudia was forced back more than ten meters by Qian Ye’s strike. Qian Ye followed closely, swinging Dongyue in a torrential and furious manner, hacking and slashing at Claudia!
This was a relentless and unrelenting style of fighting, and Claudia found herself unable to counter. The power of the ocean vortex combined with the heavy sword Dongyue made her sophisticated sword skills useless. She could only clumsily block each strike. At this moment, she desperately hoped for Qingyue’s assistance, but there was no movement from that side.
Claudia looked around but saw no sign of Qingyue, clearly in stealth mode, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Qian Ye. But didn’t she realize that if Claudia couldn’t hold out, she would also be in danger? To wait for the perfect opportunity now, did Qingyue want to let Qian Ye kill her? Claudia was filled with hatred but powerless.
At this moment, Qingyue was also extremely frustrated. She prowled tens of meters away, and as she approached Qian Ye, the power of the ocean vortex grew stronger. Her willpower and mechanical aids allowed her to resist the pressure of the ground dragon with ease. But the direct pressure of the ocean vortex was her nemesis, forcing her to endure it directly.
However, this made her speed much slower, increasing the difficulty of a surprise attack. Stealth was her other forte, but whenever she tried to get close to Qian Ye, she felt an extreme sense of danger, as if a fierce counterattack awaited. To maintain her stealth, she had to suppress her force to a lower level, leaving her unable to counter Qian Ye’s thunderous strikes.
Qingyue saw Claudia’s predicament and understood the situation. But her attempts to get closer were futile. Qingyue even considered taking a risk, but as soon as she moved, Qian Ye’s gaze seemed to turn in her direction. This made her wonder: Could he see me?
Finding no opportunity to attack, Qingyue was as frustrated as Qian Ye. He originally planned to lure her closer, using the ocean vortex to restrict her movements, then launching a massive attack with Stabilize Eight Directions. He hadn’t expected Qingyue to be so perceptive and cautious, always keeping her distance.
Her caution was both a blessing and a curse. In Qian Ye’s true vision, though he couldn’t see her, the flow of force within the domain outlined her figure. So Qian Ye ignored Qingyue and focused on attacking Claudia, pushing her to the brink of collapse.
Just as Qingyue hesitated, a loud crash rang out. Claudia’s sword was deflected by Qian Ye, and he charged, slamming her back. She flew through the air, crashing into the ribs of the ground dragon and sliding down.
Her face was flushed, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Though her gaze remained fierce, she couldn’t even lift her arm.
Qingyue decided to flee, but it was too late. The pressure on her increased, overloading her mechanical systems with a creaking sound. Qian Ye appeared before her, expressionless, and swung Dongyue down!
“I surrender!!” Qingyue screamed.
Dongyue hummed softly, stopping just above her head. A few more inches, and it would have split her skull in two.
Qingyue stared at the blade, fear finally showing in her eyes. Her hood split in two, her hair flowing free, a line of blood slowly trickling down from her scalp. Pale and motionless, she dared not move, fearing that any large movement would split her in half.
After a moment, realizing the worst hadn’t happened, Qingyue breathed a sigh of relief, her face regaining a bit of color.
Qian Ye didn’t withdraw Dongyue. “Give me a reason not to kill you.”
“I’m very useful!” Having escaped death, Qingyue regained her composure and confidence.
Qian Ye just looked at her silently.
When she didn’t get the expected response, Qingyue forced a smile, “I am a war maiden of the Gao Hu clan, equivalent to a saintess in other organizations. If you spare me, the entire Gao Hu clan will be grateful to you.”
Qian Ye smiled faintly, “Don’t test my patience. Give me something useful. You have one last chance.”
Qingyue had to reveal her final card, “I can help you repair the Dragon Ship!”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Every Gao Hu person is a mechanical master. While the core systems of this Dragon Ship are beyond my capability, the rest—defense, detection, weapons, and even crew living and entertainment facilities—are all important. And these don’t require deep knowledge. We Gao Hu people have been mercenaries for hundreds of years, and we have the channels to obtain these devices for you.”
“In the end, you still want me to let you go,” Qian Ye’s gaze was icy cold.
Qingyue struggled, “I can stay on the ship, always by your side. Is that enough?”
“Not enough.”
Biting her lip, Qingyue asked, “What more do you want?”
Qingyue wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, but she was pleasant enough. Usually, her cold demeanor and the Gao Hu’s notorious reputation made her unattractive. But at this moment, she wished her appearance could sway Qian Ye a bit.
Qian Ye shattered her hope, “Remove all your weapons and extra power reserves, retaining only basic mobility. If you agree, you can stay.”
Qingyue’s face paled. She was smart enough not to ask what would happen if she refused. It was clear; if she refused, Qian Ye would kill her.
“I… I agree.” The words were incredibly difficult to say. Under Qian Ye’s icy gaze, Qingyue hesitated for a long time before finally stripping.
No matter how many or complex the clothes, they were few. Soon, Qingyue stood naked before Qian Ye. She was decisive, knowing there was no escape, and even removed her undergarments.
The true form of a Gao Hu war maiden was perhaps revealed to the world for the first time.
Qingyue’s body was well-shaped, but signs of modification were everywhere. Her left arm was mostly mechanical, with only a small amount of flesh remaining. Her left hand was entirely mechanical, with a special force gun embedded. Her right hand, though fleshy, had silver threads running along each finger, indicating modifications beneath the skin.
Her left breast was intact, but her right breast was a metal plate, with high-purity black crystals embedded beneath a translucent cover, powering her mechanical enhancements.
Her lower body was even more modified, with independent power systems at almost every joint. A bright silver armor was embedded in her abdomen, protecting vital organs.
Additionally, Qingyue had a dozen or so blue metallic dots scattered across her body, about the size of a fingernail. Qian Ye touched one, finding it warm and smooth, like metal and jade. He wondered about their purpose.
“What are these for?” Qian Ye asked.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage