Chapter 60: The First Battle

However, Qian Ye knew that once these words were spoken, endless troubles would follow. As for the Song Clan’s ancient scrolls, it seemed they couldn’t be clearly explained either. These two ancient scrolls were so miraculous; their origins must be astonishing, and surely, they were not ordinary objects. It was only due to the fact that no one could practice them for many years that they had been left on a high shelf in the Song Clan’s treasure vault, covered in dust.

Qian Ye cleaned himself up and headed towards his residence. It was already late into the night, and most of the construction sites were quiet, with the mercenaries already back to rest. Normally at this time, Qian Ye would either grab Zi Ning to go drinking or eat something simple by himself, then sit quietly in his room until dawn.

Just as he returned to his residence, Qian Ye saw a city guard soldier waiting at the door. Upon seeing Qian Ye, the soldier immediately approached and said anxiously, “Sir, the City Lord has requested your presence to discuss urgent matters!”

Since the Dark Flame’s establishment, Ji Rui had never taken the initiative to invite Qian Ye. Qian Ye didn’t make any preparations and followed the soldier to the City Lord’s residence.

Ji Rui was pacing back and forth in his study, a look of worry on his face. Seeing Qian Ye, he smiled bitterly, “Big trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

Ji Rui handed Qian Ye a document.

It was a confidential report, indicating that the Wolf King had reappeared at the Ancient Totem War Fortress and was massing troops, with the military force directly pointing towards Nan Qing City.

Qian Ye narrowed his eyes, understanding that the Wolf King had finally suppressed the injury from the Original Gun and was preparing for revenge. However, Nan Qing City held a special position, and Ji Rui’s long-standing stability relied on navigating between various major forces.

“City Lord Ji, are the Spider Emperor and the White Devil of the Moonlight going to sit back and watch the Wolf King swallow Nan Qing City?” Qian Ye asked.

Ji Rui smiled bitterly, “That’s exactly what I can’t figure out. The Wolf King is making such a big move in preparation, and those two factions can’t be unaware. But they have shown no reaction, and I don’t know what kind of conditions the Wolf King has secretly offered them. I’ve already sent messengers, but I don’t hold much hope. General Qian Ye, the Wolf King’s army is coming, and he seems determined to succeed. While we still have some time, use whatever means you have!”

“I need to discuss this with Zi Ning, but City Lord Ji, how far are you willing to fight against the Wolf King?” Qian Ye asked directly and sharply. Ji Rui, this old fox, was extremely slippery, and typical of someone who would switch sides if the Wolf King proved too powerful.

Ji Rui seemed to have not expected Qian Ye’s direct question, and replied helplessly, “Nan Qing City is the foundation and result of my years of hard work. I will not give up without a fierce battle. However, I am past the age of being hot-headed, and I won’t die with the city. If it really becomes impossible, I will still choose to escape.”

“Good, I understand.” Qian Ye nodded. Ji Rui’s words were quite realistic. Although he might not be able to defeat the Wolf King, he could still escape.

Qian Ye then asked, “What about the movements from Ting Chao City?” After the last surprise attack on Ting Chao City with Ji Tianqing, Qian Ye had a deep understanding of Luo Bingfeng’s terrifying abilities. His gaze attack was mysterious and unpredictable, though it was far less powerful than the mysterious existence in the sea. Still, this was a skill beyond the grasp of ordinary divine generals, hence Qian Ye asked an additional question.

Ji Rui replied, “Since Lord Zhang entered seclusion, Luo Bingfeng hasn’t left Ting Chao City. He has no interest in the power struggles, and as long as it doesn’t affect Ting Chao City, he won’t intervene. Therefore, we don’t have to worry about him interfering this time, but of course, we can’t expect his support either.”

After hearing this, Qian Ye felt slightly relieved and took his leave.

Leaving the City Lord’s residence, Qian Ye discussed the matter with Song Zi Ning and Ji Tianqing.

“Fight!” Ji Tianqing said resolutely.

“This battle won’t be easy.” Song Zi Ning’s face was very solemn.

Qian Ye nodded. The Dark Flame was still a group of disorganized mercenaries, formed by merging several small mercenary groups. They were far from comparable to the elite mercenary groups like the Fury Wind.

The Wolf King’s army was battle-hardened, with a host of capable generals, and most importantly, the Wolf King was now a deputy duke.

Qian Ye looked at Ji Tianqing and asked, “How many of your methods to deal with divine generals are still usable?”

Unexpectedly, Ji Tianqing spread her hands and said, “You mean that token? Didn’t we already use it?”

“That token…” Qian Ye had thrown away the useless token as scrap metal. Moreover, it was uncertain how effective the token from Zhang Buzhou would be against the Wolf King.

“Why? Wasn’t it effective? Without it, we might not have made it back!” Ji Tianqing argued, cutting off Qian Ye.

Song Zi Ning raised his hand to stop them and said, “If we rely on the defense of Nan Qing City, I am confident we can hold our ground. The real challenge is the Wolf King.”

Ji Tianqing said, “I can block a few attacks, but I can’t do much more.”

“If Ji Rui steps in, it would be much better,” Qian Ye said.

Song Zi Ning shook his head, “If that old fox doesn’t drag us down, it would be good enough. We still need to be wary of him.”

After a brief discussion, the three decided that Song Zi Ning would restrict the enemy’s movement, Ji Tianqing would hold off the attack, and Qian Ye would deliver the final blow. This was just a rough plan, and given the many variables in fighting a powerful opponent like the Wolf King, they would have to adapt on the spot. Fortunately, in terms of martial skills, all three were among the top of the empire’s younger generation, and they wouldn’t be at a disadvantage compared to the Wolf King.

In the following days, Nan Qing City continued its massive construction, but the focus shifted to defensive fortifications. The mercenaries knew this was a matter of life and death, and they worked tirelessly without needing to be motivated.

The news of the Wolf King’s approaching army gradually spread through the city, causing panic. Despite Ji Rui’s immediate lockdown, mercenaries and residents continued to flee. Within a few days, the Dark Flame lost several hundred mercenaries, reducing its numbers by twenty percent.

As the Wolf King’s forces drew closer, more and more intelligence was relayed back to Nan Qing City. This time, the Wolf King had mobilized over ten thousand troops, sending out all his elite warriors, ready to level Nan Qing City and avenge past grievances.

Before the main army arrived, the Wolf King’s envoy first reached Nan Qing City, demanding Ji Rui’s surrender and the handover of Qian Ye and others. The envoy, in front of Ji Tianqing and Song Zi Ning, made these outrageous demands.

Despite the envoy’s arrogance, Ji Rui simply refused to surrender and escorted him out of the city with courtesy.

Song Zi Ning watched coldly, knowing that Ji Rui still wanted to leave a way out and didn’t want to completely sever ties. Otherwise, he should have killed the werewolf and thrown his body out of the city.

Song Zi Ning didn’t say much and left the City Lord’s residence after Ji Rui sent the envoy away.

Shortly after the envoy left, Song Zi Ning led all the Dark Flame’s elites in pursuit, following the envoy’s route. When the envoy returned to the vanguard, the Dark Flame arrived as well.

The Wolf King’s vanguard was setting up camp, never expecting the mercenaries from Nan Qing City to dare a sneak attack. Chaos erupted instantly.

The vanguard’s commander was a werewolf baron, enjoying a feast in his tent, already half-drunk. It wasn’t until the Dark Flame mercenaries had stormed the camp that he emerged from the central tent.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw Qian Ye.

With the death of the werewolf baron, the vanguard lost its command, and the chaos was unmanageable. However, the Wolf King’s army was a seasoned force, and each officer organized the soldiers around them to resist. The Dark Flame mercenaries fought fiercely, and their casualties quickly rose.

In small-scale team battles, the Wolf King’s warriors displayed formidable combat power, often with a dozen werewolves resisting dozens of mercenaries and continuously inflicting casualties. In one-on-one fights, the werewolves always won.

Fortunately, Qian Ye led a group of warriors, breaking up the gathered werewolves and gradually turning the tide of the battle.

Seeing a slight advantage, Song Zi Ning suddenly ordered a retreat from the battlefield.

After the vanguard’s commander was killed, a first-class viscount took over. After counting the casualties, the werewolf viscount found the losses were fewer than expected, and his vicious nature flared. He mobilized all the elite forces to pursue the Dark Flame.

But Song Zi Ning had set up an ambush halfway, using the protection of the Three Thousand Floating Leaves Domain. The Wolf King’s vanguard elite nearly all charged into the trap before realizing their peril. It was too late; the first-class viscount was killed by Qian Ye’s sword, and the rest of the elites were surrounded and annihilated, with only a few dozen escaping.

A hundred kilometers away, the Wolf King sat in a carriage, moving slowly with the main force. The vehicle swayed, but his body remained perfectly straight, unaffected by the jolting.

Inside the carriage, the High Priest sat opposite the Wolf King, holding a totem the size of an arm, muttering incantations. The totem continuously emitted faint red light, absorbed by the Wolf King, whose body glowed with a subtle red.

The Wolf King was meditating with his eyes closed when a commotion arose outside the carriage. A heavily wounded werewolf warrior appeared, shouting, “Great Chief! The vanguard has been defeated, and both Pofeng and Lewei have fallen!”

“What!” The Wolf King’s eyes snapped open, revealing blood-red irises.

Seeing the Wolf King’s blood-red eyes, the surrounding werewolves involuntarily shivered, instinctively stepping back.

The Wolf King grabbed the messenger, growling, “What happened? Speak!”

The warrior struggled to breathe, stammering, “Pofeng was camping when the Dark Flame suddenly attacked. The vanguard was defeated, and both Pofeng and Lewei were killed.”

“Two failures!” The Wolf King’s eyes turned even more blood-red, roaring, “How many of the vanguard are left?”

“Only a few dozen, including me.”

The Wolf King’s claw pierced the warrior’s chest, coldly saying, “Coward, you are of no use to me.”

He crushed the warrior’s heart and threw the corpse to the ground. Out of the entire two-thousand-strong vanguard, only a few dozen had survived, and all the main commanders were dead. How could the Wolf King not be enraged?

The Wolf King suddenly turned to the High Priest, demanding, “How much longer?”

The new High Priest, sweating profusely, hastily replied, “About five days, no, three days should be enough.”

“I can’t wait that long.” The Wolf King coldly grabbed the totem, and a surge of ancestral dark red energy flowed into his body.

The High Priest turned pale, trembling, his breath growing weaker.