The contents of the spatial equipment were no longer as important, for the equipment itself was the most precious treasure. Although those who possessed such gear were not ordinary, this demon descendant was clearly very confident in himself.
He exchanged a glance with the spider demon, drew his warblade, and simultaneously produced a prime force pistol in his left hand. They slowly approached, saying, “Hand over everything you have, and I’ll let you go.”
Ji Tianqing, who had been quietly observing, finally couldn’t resist. She sneered, “Those are exactly the words I wanted to say, but with a slight modification: even if you hand over everything, you won’t be going anywhere!”
The demon descendant was enraged, his eyes brimming with murderous intent. The spider demon beside him became even more agitated, instantly transforming into its original form, a blend of human torso and spider lower body. It rushed towards Ji Tianqing at high speed, raising its double-handed battle-axe, and bringing it down on her head!
This spider demon already possessed the strength of a count, and its charge with the axe was truly earth-shattering. Ji Tianqing naturally wouldn’t meet it head-on; she sidestepped to avoid it. But in the place where she stood, Qian Ye suddenly appeared, holding the Dong Yue horizontally, blocking the spider demon’s axe.
The spider demon roared in fury, its muscles writhing, and it increased its strength, slashing ferociously at Qian Ye!
A loud boom echoed. The spider demon’s axe landed squarely on the Dong Yue, but the blade only slightly dipped, blocking the full force of the blow!
The demon descendant and the woman gasped, their bodies turning cold.
They knew how powerful this spider demon was. Even fighting together, they would struggle to withstand such a blow. Qian Ye, who didn’t look particularly strong, single-handedly held off the spider demon’s strike with apparent ease. Was he a divine general?
The spider demon refused to believe what he saw, roaring and continuously exerting force, trying to press down the Dong Yue. But he hadn’t been able to move the sword even with the momentum of his charge. Now, in a test of strength, how could he overpower Qian Ye? Each time he exerted force, it felt like slamming into a massive mountain, all his power rebounding back, dazing him.
Qian Ye’s five points of prime force activation continuously churned, generating waves of mountain-breaking force, easily countering the spider demon’s efforts. In a short while, the spider demon was drenched in sweat, his breaths becoming heavier, while the pressure Qian Ye felt from the Dong Yue gradually lessened.
No longer wanting to entangle with the spider demon, Qian Ye sneered, the Dong Yue shaking off the axe, and then stepped forward, delivering a powerful punch to the joint between the human torso and spider body.
This punch also carried mountain-breaking force, instantly shattering the spider demon’s protective prime force and nearly displacing all its internal organs. The spider demon’s face changed color several times, unable to speak. Moments later, it slowly collapsed, motionless.
This outcome was beyond everyone’s expectations. The demon descendant and the woman never thought the formidable spider demon count would be defeated so easily, and Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were equally surprised that Qian Ye could take down a spider demon count so effortlessly.
The demon descendant’s face turned pale, and he attempted to retreat, but a sudden chill at his back made Li Kuanglan coldly say, “Where do you think you can run to?”
The demon descendant was shocked, and he fired his gun, but only hit a phantom. Li Kuanglan had already circled behind him. Another flash at the corner of his eye, and without thinking, he stabbed. To his surprise, the stab hit, but the blade wouldn’t budge. He was shocked again, looking up to see the blade held by Ji Tianqing. Despite her slender build, her strength was astonishing. The demon descendant tried several times to pull the blade, managing to slightly tug it back, but it was immediately pulled back by her once he released his grip.
A dark aura rose from the demon descendant’s head, about to form a natural totem, but suddenly, a chill ran down his neck, and he lost control of his body. The dark aura dissipated. Li Kuanglan, grasping his neck, poured a continuous stream of icy prime force, eventually breaking his protective magic, freezing his neck bone solid.
Under the combined assault of Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan, the demon descendant count couldn’t hold out for long and soon fell dead.
Ji Tianqing sighed softly, feeling a bit regretful. She had intended to capture a live one, but the demon descendant was too strong, making it much harder than killing him.
Seeing the demon descendant and spider demon quickly dispatched, the woman shot an arrow and fled. Her speed was incredible, and the distance was great, leaving Qian Ye and the others unable to catch up. In a blink, she disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Just then, an unexpected turn occurred. Nan Gong Tianyu suddenly leaped, darting into the river, diving deep, and vanishing instantly.
None of them expected Nan Gong Tianyu to regain his mobility, let alone possess such excellent swimming skills. Qian Ye, staring at the turbulent river, had no choice but to give up. With his swimming ability, he would never catch Nan Gong Tianyu.
However, they had already extracted many secrets from Nan Gong Tianyu, realizing that those who had disappeared over the years might not be dead but possibly captured by the natives, gradually changing identities.
The natives and people like Nan Gong Tianyu seemed to be extremely cautious, rarely venturing out of the high-gravity areas into the initial regions where the Empire and Evernight had established bases. Therefore, there were very few records about them.
The three of them didn’t find much of value on the demon descendant and spider demon. They mostly had resources known within the vortex, largely useful only to the dark races, and the rest were of little value, certainly not as valuable as what they had brought back from the high-gravity zone. Several white lotuses remained uncollected, and adding them would fill even Qian Ye’s Andua space. So, they naturally paid little attention to the meager possessions of the demon descendant and spider demon.
Ji Tianqing woke the spider demon, and after a brief interrogation, she roughly understood his background. This spider demon had entered the vortex during the last opening but had made no significant breakthroughs. However, the spider demon’s body, being the strongest among the dark races, adapted well to the vortex environment. Even without a breakthrough, staying here gradually strengthened him. Thus, the spider demon stayed, exploring the terrain and searching for treasures, also hoping to take out a few Empire soldiers or even members of his own race when the opportunity arose.
For both the Empire and Evernight, crossing the invisible line meant entering the high-gravity zone, a deeply mysterious area, almost synonymous with a forbidden zone. No one who ventured beyond that line had ever returned alive.
Thus, this spider demon would only venture to the edge of the line, always under the cover of companions.
Realizing nothing more could be learned, Ji Tianqing showed no mercy, drawing her blade and decapitating the spider demon.
Both the demon descendant and the spider demon had maps, including records of this area, which filled in many gaps in their map.
With a rough idea of their current location, Ji Tianqing said, “First, we go to the Heavenly Grandson Grassland, then to the Well of the Stars, and finally to the Pool of All Lives.”
The route was somewhat winding, but after Ji Tianqing explained, Qian Ye understood. “No one else knows the location of the Heavenly Grandson Grassland. We should collect the resources first. The Well of the Stars cannot be disturbed. If we go there first, the others from the Empire probably haven’t arrived yet, or if they have, there are too few to pose a threat. The Pool of All Lives, on the other hand, is useful to the dark races as well. When we get there, we might have a big fight.”
Do what needs to be done first, then proceed light to the Pool of All Lives for a battle, seizing and killing as necessary. That was Ji Tianqing’s plan. Li Kuanglan had no objections, and Qian Ye couldn’t come up with a better plan, so he agreed. Li Kuanglan collected the remaining white lotuses, and the three changed direction, heading toward the Qingcang Mountains.
The Qingcang Mountains stretched for a thousand miles, majestic and treacherous, with cliffs and steep slopes everywhere. Moving swiftly, the three crossed the foothills and began to climb upward.
Neither cliffs nor crevices posed any difficulty for them. Qian Ye led the way, climbing the mountain walls like a spider. Occasionally, encountering particularly prominent rocks, he would draw the Dong Yue, activate the mountain-breaking force, and break the obstructive rocks. For especially smooth spots, he would use the Dong Yue to create foot-holds.
In truth, Qian Ye didn’t need foot-holds. Activating the mountain-breaking force, he could dig holes in the rock with his bare hands. But the rocks here were exceptionally hard. Even Ji Tianqing, using the mountain-breaking force, couldn’t break them. Thus, Qian Ye needed to clear the way for the two women.
Reaching into a rock crevice, Qian Ye was about to ascend when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his fingertips, quickly turning to numbness.
Pulling his hand back, he saw a beetle the size of a finger biting into his finger, desperately sucking blood. The beetle’s jaws were incredibly sharp, managing to pierce Qian Ye’s finger. More deadly was its poison. Qian Ye’s finger began to swell, turning a bluish-white, and gradually losing sensation.
It looked like the reaction to a venomous snake bite, but Qian Ye, with his ancient bloodline, showing signs of poisoning indicated how potent the toxin was.
Activating his blood energy, a wisp of dark golden blood energy surged into his finger, igniting a faint, dark blood flame. The swelling finger gradually returned to normal. The beetle’s venom was remarkably powerful, resisting the dark golden flame for a moment before fading away.
Desperate, the beetle screeched, pouring more venom into Qian Ye. But once the dark golden blood energy was used, the beetle was no match. In an instant, Qian Ye’s finger recovered, the dark golden blood energy and blood flame surging into the beetle, burning it to ashes.
Qian Ye felt a tinge of regret. A beetle with such potent venom was rare, surely priceless. But it was too dangerous. Had it bitten Li Kuanglan, she would have died from the poison.
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