The thin, life-draining bloodline was almost invisible, yet it could penetrate anything, whether it be walls or armor. It was nearly unstoppable. As Qian Ye charged into the camp, a single use of Life Drain cleared out a corner of the camp, instantly reducing the number of soldiers by hundreds.
This army, well-versed in battle and extremely elite, suffered such a significant loss that the elder’s rage exploded. With a roar, he abandoned Li Kuanglan and rushed after Qian Ye.
Li Kuanglan, startled, merged with his sword and slashed at the elder. However, with a simple sweep of the elder’s obsidian longsword, Li Kuanglan was knocked aside, unable to dodge. The elder’s obsidian sword was no ordinary weapon; it held its own against the cold, moonlit desert, leaving not even a scratch on the blade.
Li Kuanglan tried to pursue, but the elder raised his hand and pointed from afar, conjuring a distinct black-and-white mist that blocked his path. From the mist, a dozen black and white streams shot out, writhing like snakes, entangling Li Kuanglan.
Li Kuanglan instantly released a wave of sword light, cutting through the black and white streams. However, his expression darkened as he realized that his icy sword qi was greatly weakened when it met the elder’s black and white qi, only severing seven or eight of the streams. He had to strike again to cut all of them.
From this, it was clear that the elder’s black and white qi was of a very high grade, and seemed to specifically counter various types of origin power, not inferior to Li Kuanglan’s icy sword qi.
As the black and white qi was severed, they returned to the mist, only to reform and continue their relentless attack on Li Kuanglan. For a moment, even Li Kuanglan was unable to assist Qian Ye.
However, just as the elder entered the camp, Qian Ye had already broken through from the other side. Qian Ye charged forward, hacking through anything in his way, whether with a sword or simply crashing through. Even the camp’s fortifications were shattered by his charge, leaving a large hole before he departed.
The elder swung his sword from a distance, and the black and white qi formed around Qian Ye, creating a hazy world of mist, like a giant net enveloping him.
In this misty world, countless strands of black and white qi turned into ropes, tightly binding Qian Ye. His speed plummeted, and in an instant, his arms and legs were wrapped in these qi. Many of the black and white qi transformed into sharp points, stabbing at Qian Ye fiercely. But Qian Ye’s body was so strong that all the qi bounced off, not even piercing his skin.
This was the elder’s domain, designed to trap and disorient, not for direct damage. Unconcerned, the elder smiled coldly once his domain was set, then accelerated and chased after Qian Ye with his sword.
Suddenly, dark golden blood flames erupted from Qian Ye’s body, and an indescribable force burst from his not overly muscular frame. With a roar, all the black and white qi entangled around him snapped!
Qian Ye took a step forward, covering tens of meters in a single stride, and quickly broke free from the black and white qi’s range, disappearing into the distance.
The elder’s eyes widened in shock, staring at Qian Ye’s retreating figure until it vanished into the wilderness. He stamped his foot in anger, stopping in place.
His black and white qi was extraordinarily mysterious, cyclically generating and restraining each other, effectively countering both dawn and dark origin power. Li Kuanglan’s icy sword qi was incredibly sharp, but when faced with the black and white qi, its power was significantly reduced.
But Qian Ye broke the black and white qi purely with physical strength, without using any origin power. This made the black and white qi ineffective, and their weakness in resilience was magnified, allowing Qian Ye to easily break free from the domain. Throughout this, Qian Ye did not even use his own domain.
Moreover, Qian Ye’s speed was unprecedentedly fast. The elder admitted that he might barely match Qian Ye if he used all his strength. However, while Qian Ye ran purely on physical power, the elder had to use secret techniques, continuously depleting his origin power, making his endurance far inferior to Qian Ye. Eventually, he would lose the chase.
Furthermore, there was Li Kuanglan behind him. If the elder only pursued Qian Ye, no one else in the camp could stop Li Kuanglan, and he might even take down the entire camp.
Thus, the elder stopped in anger. Li Kuanglan, being clever, saw Qian Ye’s escape and the elder’s halt, and did not stay. He turned and left, faster than Qian Ye, instantly vanishing in a blue glow, leaving the elder seething, almost ready to curse.
With Qian Ye and Li Kuanglan gone, the elder had no choice but to return to the camp. The losses tallied, his face grew even darker.
The casualties in the camp were severe, with over three hundred soldiers killed. These soldiers were the elite of the Tidal City, capable of overwhelming twice their number of the Wolf King Legion, second only to Luo Bingfeng’s small personal guard.
This unit had only fifteen hundred men, mainly because the number of elites was insufficient. The elder was determined to win, so he brought twelve hundred men. They defeated the Southern Qing City’s alliance, but lost three hundred to Qian Ye.
More heart-wrenching was the loss of a seasoned general who was within the range of the Life Drain. He managed to block three bloodlines, but two penetrated him.
Seeing his ashen face, the elder knew that even if the general recovered, his cultivation would drop significantly, retaining only third or fourth-level origin power.
The general, dazed and covered in blood, asked, “Elder Rui, am I… done for?”
The elder sighed, “General Zhang, rest well. This minor injury won’t kill you.”
General Zhang laughed bitterly, “Even if it doesn’t kill me now, I don’t want to live as a cripple. Elder Rui, give me a swift end. I’ve fought my whole life, and death in battle is my destiny.”
The elder nodded silently, shooting a wisp of black qi into General Zhang’s forehead.
General Zhang’s eyes lost their luster, and with a sigh, he said, “Dying… is so humiliating!”
The elder’s face was grim, and he remained silent. A burly, black-faced man approached, his fierce aura preceding him. Dressed in heavy black armor, he radiated the light of black iron, each step shaking the entire camp.
He strode to the elder, looking at the corpses, his face showing undeniable anger and sorrow. The soldiers around him, seeing him, saluted, “General Zhu!”
“What happened? I went out for a patrol, and now so many brothers are injured!”
The elder’s face was dark, “Someone attacked the camp and killed soldiers, but I drove them away.”
The black-faced man circled the scene, “Elder Rui, how long did this person have to act?”
“One move.”
The black-faced man sneered, “One move injured three hundred of my brothers? Elder Rui, what kind of enemy did you provoke? My brothers are here to fight, not to be cannon fodder. Their opponents should not be these top-tier experts!”
The elder’s face grew even more sullen, “General Zhu, are you questioning me?”
The black-faced man stood firm, “Elder Rui, I still don’t know who we’re fighting. Look at these corpses. Could the Southern Qing City’s rabble have done this in one move? I dare say, even Ji Rui couldn’t do this!”
The elder’s face darkened, “They were only thirteenth level. Did I need to inform you of this?”
“Thirteenth level? One move to kill three hundred of my brothers?” General Zhu clearly didn’t believe it.
The elder growled, “Zhu Meng, don’t forget who is in charge of this battle!”
Zhu Meng was unafraid, “Elder Rui, as the commander, you should care for your troops. But I don’t see it. This unit is the city lord’s hard work, and he entrusted it to me. Our brothers can die, but they deserve to die honorably!”
“You think I’m incompetent?” The elder’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.
“I didn’t say that. But an enemy who could injure three hundred of my brothers in one move, Elder Rui, did you drive them away or couldn’t catch up?”
The elder raged, “Zhu Meng! Don’t think I won’t kill you!”
“Killing me is easy, but will it be easy to explain to the city lord? Lord Luo is fair, not gullible.”
“Are you saying I deceived the city lord? Ridiculous!”
“Whether you deceived him or not, only you know if you told the truth.”
“Nonsense!”
“Once we return, I’ll ask the city lord. Then, Elder Rui, you’ll see if you are guilt-free. Hmph! I still don’t know who we’re fighting.”
“Since General Zhu thinks so, ask the city lord when we return.” The elder stormed off.
Zhu Meng didn’t salute, instead squatting to examine the corpses. An officer nearby, seeing the elder had left, asked softly, “General Zhu, is something wrong with this battle?”
Zhu Meng sighed, “How did you feel about the previous battle?”
“We successfully ambushed, caught them off guard, and faced a tired enemy, but it was tough. Their battlefield command was masterful, and if not for their poor troops, it would have been harder to win.”
Zhu Meng asked, “What do you think of the two we captured and the one who escaped?”
The officer recalled, “They were young… very young!”
Zhu Meng said grimly, “Yes, so young and so powerful. Do you think they rely solely on themselves? There must be a powerful family or a great figure behind them.”
“But they don’t seem to be from the surrounding forces. I’ve never heard of them.” The officer added, “Even if they were from the Spider Emperor or the Moonlight White Devil, Zhang Tianwang could handle them.”
Zhu Meng’s voice was somber, “What if they come from the other side of the Neutral Zone, or aren’t from the Neutral Zone at all?”
The officer fell silent.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage