The summit of the ruins was shrouded in countless blood threads, and the faces of numerous Evernight powerhouses turned ashen as they slowly collapsed.
The werewolf count roared like thunder, struggling continuously, but this only attracted more blood threads that pierced him, restraining and dragging him back to the ground. This time, the werewolf count could no longer rise, his roars gradually fading until he fell motionless.
The marquis of the demon clan stiffened for a moment before letting out a scream, his entire body igniting with demonic flames, forcefully breaking all the blood threads on him, and then soaring into the sky, disappearing in an instant.
Qian Ye did not pursue; instead, he drew his sword, Dongyue, and swung it several times, causing a massive wave of seawater to flood over the struggling dark race powerhouses, drowning them.
Chasing a severely wounded and desperate marquis was too risky; it was better to consolidate the victory. These titled powerhouses were the backbone of the dark race, and annihilating them dealt a heavy blow to the enemy while also reducing the risk when cleaning up the battlefield.
With their leaders eliminated, the previously orderly retreating dark warriors fell into chaos, turning into a disorganized retreat in a flash.
The Darkflame mercenaries encircled from all sides, intentionally leaving small gaps. When the dark warriors tried to escape through these gaps, the mercenaries attacked from the flanks and rear, inflicting heavy casualties. These were common tactics used by mercenaries, which, while not very effective on the open battlefield, proved extremely useful in the chaotic endgame.
Away from the neutral zone, the brutality of the Darkflame mercenaries was on full display. Their individual combat prowess far exceeded that of the empire and Evernight’s ordinary soldiers. The previous gap was only in equipment, tactical command, and discipline. Now, with Song Zining and Qian Ye filling those gaps, the Darkflame finally showed its fangs.
The battle ended swiftly. Although some dark race soldiers managed to escape, most fell during the breakout. The mercenaries’ savagery and cunning were displayed to the fullest, causing a shocking number of casualties in the final stages. Any commander who foresaw such a result would never have chosen to break out, but rather to hold their ground and await reinforcements.
The battle concluded with surprisingly low casualties for the Darkflame, partly because the top enemy powerhouses were eliminated by Qian Ye early on.
Song Zining also arrived in the city, ignoring the officers’ advice, and personally inspected the city, quickly making a round. This tour allowed him to capture several hidden dark snipers. With the Worldly Splendor on him, no sniper could truly aim at Song Zining.
After understanding the layout of the small city and combining it with the surrounding terrain, Song Zining swiftly set up several defensive lines outside to prevent a counterattack from the dark races. Then, he began dividing the city into zones and constructing a new defensive system.
The small city was called White City. Its buildings were constructed from grayish-white stone quarried from nearby mountains, hence the name.
White City was originally built to protect the dark races’ landing point on the floating continent. Thus, its design was fortress-like. As the dark races gained the upper hand on the floating continent, the city’s role in logistics became increasingly important, leading to the addition of many civilian structures.
Due to this, the city had a well-developed defensive system, needing only minor modifications to be functional, saving Song Zining a lot of trouble.
Qian Ye had it much easier. He found a quiet spot in the city to sit, instructed his adjutant not to disturb him, and began to recover. The recent Life Drain had been costly, but the gains were enormous, and needed to be digested promptly.
The dark races reacted quickly. Soon after Song Zining set up the outer defenses, their counterattack forces arrived. However, their hasty arrival and lack of air superiority resulted in significant casualties against the prepared defenses, forcing them to retreat to their original positions.
After gaining the upper hand, Song Zining forbade pursuit and continued to improve and fortify the defenses. Cargo airships constantly took off and landed, unloading large quantities of defensive supplies. Adding to the dark races’ reserves left behind, Song Zining transformed every street corner and building into a death trap.
As the day turned to dusk, Qian Ye opened his eyes, his cultivation session complete. He had converted some of his essence blood, creating space for the next Life Drain.
The sky had darkened, and the small building had no lights, as all energy was used for the defenses. Even the officers’ quarters were limited to candlelight. The dim, flickering candle barely illuminated a corner of the room, casting everything in a gloomy, eerie light.
Qian Ye didn’t mind Song Zining’s efficient, if somewhat cruel, resource allocation. The dim light didn’t affect his vision.
Qian Ye stepped outside, greeted by the smell of greasy meat. A young mercenary brought a tray with two large bowls of stewed meat. The slightly pungent aroma indicated it was made from beast meat. This was a special meal for high-ranking Darkflame officers, providing substantial energy. Ordinary mercenaries wouldn’t dare to eat it, as consuming beast meat without sufficient origin power was akin to poisoning oneself.
These two bowls were four or five times the usual portion, but Qian Ye still felt half-full after finishing them. He ordered three more bowls, feeling much better afterward.
With the landing successful, other units should be close to action. The empire would soon face a counterattack from nearly half of the floating continent’s dark races, making this likely the last comfortable meal for some time.
Qian Ye placed the empty bowls on the tray, instructing the young mercenary to return them to the kitchen, and prepared to check the city’s defenses from the rooftop.
As the young mercenary left the room, he suddenly stumbled, dropping the empty bowls to the floor.
The entire building shook, followed by a deafening boom. For a moment, nothing could be heard except the explosion.
Qian Ye rushed out, looking around to see a plume of dust rising nearby. Half of a building tumbled through the air, occasionally spilling figures from the windows.
The explosion had sent the half-destroyed building soaring tens of meters into the air before crashing down. The surrounding buildings also leaned and collapsed.
The explosion’s force was equivalent to a cruiser’s main cannon, far beyond the capabilities of regular land-based heavy artillery.
Qian Ye immediately looked up, seeing a massive Evernight warship slowly passing over the city. Over a dozen Darkflame gunboats and transports scattered in all directions. These old warships from the neutral zone were adequate against ground forces but powerless in aerial combat. Even together, they would be systematically destroyed by the Evernight cruiser.
However, this Evernight cruiser seemed unaware of the situation, eager to claim credit, and dared to remain at low altitude over White City.
Before Qian Ye could act, a large fireball erupted on the cruiser’s hull, tearing off a large section. The massive ship veered off course, flying dozens of meters to the side, slowing down considerably.
Only an imperial battlecruiser could inflict such damage. Indeed, a graceful figure of a battlecruiser appeared, rapidly ascending. It curved in mid-air, its secondary cannons targeting the cruiser, which soon burst into flames, teetering on the brink of collapse.
Behind the cruiser, several more Evernight warships appeared, but none were a match for the imperial battlecruiser. The battlecruiser ignored the smaller ships, focusing on the cruiser, intent on destroying it.
The Evernight fleet was caught off guard, their formation clearly disarrayed as the captains hesitated, unsure whether to save the flagship.
The imperial battlecruiser’s assault was too swift and powerful. The cruiser was already doomed, and any rescue attempt might lead to their own destruction.
More imperial destroyers appeared, heading towards the Evernight warships. The Evernight ships turned and fled, not daring to engage. Once entangled by the destroyers, they would be helpless once the battlecruiser freed up.
The cruiser, now the flagship, could only hope for the best.
Shortly after the Evernight fleet’s retreat, the cruiser could no longer sustain itself, bursting into flames and crashing into the mountains, creating a massive fireball that rose into the sky.
Despite the aerial victory, smoke columns and fires started rising in White City as the Evernight’s outer forces arrived, bombarding the city with heavy artillery.
Such attacks were ineffective. Song Zining issued a command, and the dispersed gunboats regrouped, attacking the Evernight ground forces from above.
While some dark race strongholds retaliated with long-range weapons, without superior firepower, they dared not take to the air, making their efforts futile.
This exposed the dark race’s heavy artillery positions to the gunboats, who pounded them relentlessly. The dark race’s morale crumbled, and the frontlines suffered heavy casualties from both aerial and ground defenses.
The Evernight commander reluctantly sounded the retreat, pulling the front line back.
Song Zining didn’t push his advantage. After the dark race’s artillery withdrew, he recalled the gunboats and reorganized the transport ships, withdrawing to the outer void.
Soon, another Evernight mobile fleet appeared, led by two cruisers and accompanied by destroyers, all high-speed and new models, with intense firepower. The old, slow airships of the neutral zone would have been devastated.
Song Zining calmly directed the battlecruiser to the front, flanked by three destroyers, forming a standoff.
Clearly, this fleet was different from the one earlier, though equally uninformed. Recognizing the airborne fleet over White City, they halted their advance.
The aerial balance of power was clear.
If the attack commenced, despite having only one battlecruiser, the Darkflame’s speed and firepower advantages would allow it to pick off the Evernight fleet, employing a kite-and-kill strategy. Even if the Evernight fleet attacked, they might only take out the destroyers at the cost of even more destroyers.
After a brief standoff, the Evernight mobile fleet chose to retreat and leave the battlefield.
In the distant mainland of the Great Qin, a flash of lightning revealed a towering figure in the square in front of the Tianji Pavilion.
Zhang Boqian looked up, casually surveying the nine-story tower, and then walked in.
Halfway across the city, in the Lingyun Hall of the Weiyang Palace, the court session was in progress. Suddenly, a eunuch darted out from behind the emperor’s throne, interrupting a minister’s report to whisper urgently to the emperor.
The Emperor immediately rose, his sleeves sweeping in anger.
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