The fan in Song Zining’s hand suddenly shattered into pieces, and several luminous dots flew out, tracing the outlines of palm-sized leaves in the air before bursting with blinding light.
Origin force eruption!
The witch did not expect that Song Zining, who had been completely suppressed by her domain, could still mobilize origin force. She never imagined he would plan to self-detonate when external help arrived. The momentum of this explosion was so sharp that she found herself on the verge of losing control.
Qian Ye’s expression drastically changed, “Zining!” Blood aura instantly surged in the void, threading through the web-like dark demon qi that floated up and down.
The witch hesitated for only a moment before immediately releasing the demon qi, allowing Qian Ye’s domain to spread towards Song Zining. The two domains combined, barely managing to suppress the impending explosion of the dawn origin force.
The luminous dot in the air dimmed as it fell onto Song Zining’s blood-stained hand, disappearing beneath his skin. Song Zining’s elegant smile remained unchanged, as if he wore a mask, but his eyes showed an unyielding determination.
Qian Ye made a quick decision, saying to the witch, “State your terms.”
In the void, the sea of blood, the black demon net, and the occasional flashes of light formed a tenuous and fragile balance.
The witch was silent for a long time before saying, “We will split the Well of Stars.” Her words were heard clearly by everyone on the ground. The implication of this division also meant a ceasefire between the two sides.
At this moment, everyone could hear the change in the witch’s tone. In the Evernight world, the rules were always set by the strong. The witch never believed that the weak had the right to negotiate with her. Only now, on equal footing, did she make an agreement she would abide by.
The witch’s terms were not surprising to Qian Ye’s side.
However, whether it was Anwen, Edward, or Rollo, they all found it hard to believe. The use rights of the Well of Stars represented the interests of the Evernight, and temporarily releasing a hostage for a ceasefire did not mean they could not kill those people later. By common sense, everyone would choose the former. Yet, for the witch, there was no such thing as common sense.
Even though the witch had failed to catch Qian Ye for so long, a temporary ceasefire would still be seen as a concession, making it impossible for her to agree to any terms with Qian Ye. Moreover, similar incidents in the past had led to the disloyalty of the entire Vermilion Gate family and the demonic elder council without any hesitation from the witch.
The young and powerful figures of the Evernight, who knew the witch well, had prepared themselves for a desperate fight. None of them expected the witch to propose these terms.
Qian Ye, of course, did not know the myriad of thoughts that ran through the minds of the Evernight’s powerful figures below. Hearing the witch’s terms, he immediately turned to Ruoxi, “Is this acceptable?”
Zhao Ruoxi did not speak, but a flower of the Nether River beside her suddenly withered.
Rollo, who had been anxiously watching the scene above, jumped up. Edward hurriedly checked himself, while Aidan covered his eyes, and numerous complex patterns appeared around Anwen.
But they found nothing had happened.
Only Qian Ye heard a voice, “Brother.”
“Ruoxi, what is it?”
“Nothing, just calling you.”
In the Neutral Lands, at the edge of the land mass in the East Sea.
Amidst the snow and wind, a vampire marquis suddenly stopped and listened intently.
“Jialinan, go ask the natives for someone.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Who do you want?”
“Zhu Ji.”
“Understood. What if the natives refuse to hand her over?”
“Then tell them that for every day they delay, I will kill one hundred of their clansmen.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Go.”
…
“Your Highness, what about after we get Zhu Ji?”
“Bring her here.”
“Your Highness, this…”
“There is nothing to it. Besides, have you forgotten again?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The area around the Well of Stars maintained a cautious and eerie calm.
The camps of the Empire and the Evernight faced each other across the well. The Empire’s camp, situated on a hillside near the forest, overlooked the Well of Stars, and though small, it had a decent layout.
Inside the camp, Song Zining carried a piece of cut wood and pointed. Several floating leaves immersed themselves into the wood. He then nailed the plank to a pillar, filling the last gap in the outer wall.
Despite his considerable origin force, he was sweating after the labor. Wiping his sweat, he gazed at the Evernight camp across the Well of Stars with a hint of envy.
The Evernight camp was much larger, not only four times the size but also featuring a tall watchtower in the center. The tower was useless, as the witch’s domain extended far more effectively than any watchtower.
Even if they placed sentries on the tower, what use would it be? Neither Qian Ye’s dormant bloodline nor Song Zining’s three thousand floating leaves could be detected by ordinary powerhouses. As for Zhao Ruoxi, with the Manjushage in hand, she could even overpower the witch in the Great Maelstrom. So, this watchtower was merely a display of presence and superiority by the Evernight’s powerful figures.
This childish display of superiority naturally had no effect on Qian Ye, and Song Zining, with his thick skin, didn’t care either. However, it did infuriate someone.
Song Zining wiped his sweat and, just as he was about to take a sip of water, Zhao Ruoxi’s voice rang in his ear, “Slacking off again! Is the camp finished? Are you done with the work? How are you going to sleep tonight?”
Song Zining smiled bitterly, addressing the flower of the Nether River that appeared out of nowhere, “Ruoxi…”
“Who are you calling Ruoxi?”
“Alright, alright, Miss Zhao, I’ve been working non-stop!”
“An empire’s future military god, exhausted by such a little work?”
“This is the Great Maelstrom, not the Empire. Everything requires several times the origin force. I can’t keep up. Besides, a military god isn’t a war god! Other than the monster Qian Ye, who else can do it?”
“Hmph, my brother is naturally better than you!”
“Of course, of course, Qian Ye is the best, the most impressive, and the handsomest.”
This series of shameless flattery had a great effect on Zhao Ruoxi, whose voice softened, “You do have some sense.”
However, she underestimated Song Zining’s thickness, who immediately climbed up, “Of course, I am the future military god of the Empire. How could I lack this sense?”
Zhao Ruoxi snorted, clearly unwilling to talk to him anymore.
As Song Zining took a sip of water, Qian Ye quietly appeared, patting his shoulder, “Future military god, come, tell me, how did you get caught by the witch?”
Song Zining’s face turned slightly red, dodging the question, “Ah, the camp isn’t finished yet. I’ll get back to work!”
He had only taken a step when Qian Ye pulled him back. Qian Ye smiled, “This camp isn’t important; it’s just to keep wild beasts away. Let’s talk about the main matter!”
Song Zining glared, “How can we rest without the camp? Where are we going to sleep tonight?”
Qian Ye was taken aback, “Sleep? Of course, we’ll meditate. Sleep? What sleep?”
The Great Maelstrom was a sanctuary for cultivation. Although the Well of Stars was far less than the high gravity zones, it was still twice as effective compared to outside. With such excellent conditions, who would foolishly sleep instead of training?
Song Zining had parroted Zhao Ruoxi’s words, but Qian Ye, lacking humor, did not understand. Even with Song Zining’s eloquence and quick wit, he had to give up, shaking his head, “What main matter?”
“How did the witch catch you?”
“Well…” Song Zining laughed, trying to dodge the question, but it was impossible.
He didn’t elaborate, explaining simply. Song Zining had just stepped out of the high gravity zone when he entered the witch’s domain. His perception of the domain was extremely detailed, even surpassing Qian Ye’s. Sensing something was wrong, he immediately activated the three thousand floating leaves to clear the surrounding domain and tried to run in a direction.
But the witch came too quickly, appearing before him in an instant.
“I fought with her for a long time before I was captured due to exhaustion,” Song Zining said proudly.
Qian Ye, of course, did not believe these words. When it came to knowing the witch, Qian Ye was the expert, even surpassing Anwen.
He interrupted Song Zining, “If you could hold out for three minutes, that would be strange.”
Song Zining’s face turned red, and he fell silent. Most of his skills lay in the domain of the three thousand floating leaves, which was precisely the witch’s strongest point.
With his secret exposed, Song Zining only blushed slightly, straightening his clothes. Before he could speak, Qian Ye grabbed his right wrist, looked at it, and asked, “How is your injury? Just now…”
Song Zining pulled his hand back, looking around first to see if Zhao Ruoxi was nearby. Not seeing her or the Nether Flower swaying in the wind, he lowered his voice, “Qian Ye, shouldn’t you properly manage your little ancestor?”
Qian Ye, deflected by his forced topic, chose this subject, and the heaviness in his heart dissipated. He replied with a half-smile, “You manage her.”
“She is from your Zhao family! I am an outsider.”
“How do you want me to manage her?”
Song Zining was stumped, thinking, “In the Great Maelstrom, with the Manjushage in hand, she seems safe. Even if she acts recklessly, it seems… harmless.”
Qian Ye nodded, “The Manjushage’s power here is much greater than outside, but she bears less of a burden. It’s strange.”
After considering, Song Zining said, “Even so, she can’t stay here for long. This is the Great Maelstrom, and the environment greatly affects living beings. She has no origin force. Even if the Manjushage protects her, precautions must be taken.”
Qian Ye sighed, “How do we persuade her?”
Zhao Ruoxi, if being capricious, couldn’t be persuaded by anyone.
Song Zining said, “Once the matters here are resolved, let her return. As long as everyone is consistent, she won’t be so capricious in front of others. Actually, it’s a good thing she went to gather the empire’s powerhouses.”
Not long after, the void churned with origin force, and several figures appeared. Apart from Li Kuanglan, Ji Tianqing, Wei Po Tian, and Zhao Yuying who had left earlier, there were a few empire powerhouses that Qian Ye recognized.
When everyone gathered, Zhao Ruoxi flew into the camp, “No one else is nearby.”
The Manjushage’s power was unbelievable. Zhao Ruoxi, using the Nether Flower, could quickly search the surroundings of the Well of Stars and gather all the empire’s powerhouses.
However, seeing the giant wolf following her, Qian Ye’s expression changed.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage