The fortress had long been reduced to a pile of ruins. The fire, ignited by military fuel laced with force-boosting additives, burned at an extremely high temperature, melting many steel structures into pools of molten metal.
The bodies of the fallen soldiers from both sides were charred black, indistinguishable from one another, forever intertwined.
Nighteye silently walked around the fortress and then stopped in the center, her voice cold as ice, “Who will explain to me how this casualty came about?”
The dark powerhouses looked at each other, puzzled as to why Nighteye was suddenly angry.
Only the few demon lords responsible for the front-line command had their faces slightly changed. Among them, the eldest duke, despite being of a higher rank than Nighteye, couldn’t help but tremble in fear before her.
Nighteye’s gaze fell on him, “There are far fewer demon corpses here, while the bloodline ones are in abundance. Especially that so-called count…”
A nearby vampire marquis hastily stepped forward to remind, “Count Si’lor.”
“Yes, Count Si’lor. You knew he was a descendant of the Azure King, yet you sent him to his death. Are you trying to sever the Azure King’s bloodline, or are you challenging my authority?”
The old duke’s face changed slightly, “There are tens of thousands of descendants of the Azure King. Why would they care about such a weak one?”
“Then, you are challenging me?” Nighteye raised an eyebrow.
Before the old duke could explain, Nighteye’s expression turned icy, “I don’t care if you have any secret orders or personal motives. I will make it clear to you and everyone that the dignity of a superior cannot be challenged!”
The old duke’s face paled, seeing the surroundings quickly shrouded in a dark golden-red hue. He didn’t dare to fight back, instead, he leaped into the air and fled!
In the endless world of murky, dark gold-red aura, a dim sun suddenly appeared, slowly sinking into the crimson sea.
“Dusk: Bind!”
The setting sun in the red domain accelerated, plunging into the crimson sea. The old duke, airborne, was dragged down by an invisible hand, struggling but still pulled down to the ground.
“Moon Haze: Slash!”
In Nighteye’s domain, a full moon appeared, and from its light, four long blades materialized, each slicing down one after another.
Demon energy surged around the old duke, forming layers of armor, shields, and various protective barriers. But in the face of the four moonlight blades, all defenses were severed, and with a final scream, the old duke lost all four limbs.
With her hands behind her back, Nighteye said, “This is just a small lesson to let you know the price of challenging a superior. Go and recover!”
Several demon powerhouses hurriedly rushed forward, carried the old duke, picked up his fallen limbs, and sped away.
Before leaving, they did not forget to bow respectfully to Nighteye, even kneeling on one knee, the highest form of respect. Only after showing such proper etiquette did they dare to stand up and leave.
All the dark powerhouses around held their breaths, not daring to move, as Nighteye’s domain was still active, and the dark golden-red moon was coldly radiating light.
Although the two dukes present felt that they were stronger than the old demon duke, the gap was minimal. Seeing the might of the moonlight slash, they knew they couldn’t block even one. Moreover, Nighteye had effortlessly produced four blades with a single gesture.
Such a terrifying domain was unheard of, let alone seen.
Nighteye’s gaze swept over the faces of the dark powerhouses, asking coldly, “Do any of you have objections?”
No one dared to say no; they all shook their heads hastily.
Only then did Nighteye slowly retract her domain, saying, “From now on, all my orders must be executed without fail, with no room for compromise.”
The powerhouses all agreed.
Nighteye slowly rose into the air, flying to a higher altitude. The powerhouses followed, but kept a lower height. With the old duke’s example in mind, none dared to provoke Nighteye again.
The old duke, with all four limbs severed, could eventually recover thanks to secret methods, but it would take decades to fully regain his strength. Even for the long-lived dark races, how many decades could be wasted?
Using his position in the front-line command, the old duke sent a large number of elite vampires to their deaths. Nighteye’s punishment essentially crippled his remaining life, completely disregarding the Demon Emperor’s face. Sensitive individuals gradually sensed an uneasy tension between these events.
However, the ongoing war with the human race took precedence, pushing these tensions aside. But for how long, no one knew.
Nighteye stood in the air, gazing into the distance.
To the ordinary eye, the distance was only a vast expanse, but to a true powerhouse, the faint outline of the empire’s fortress was visible. This was the empire’s main base, and one of the ultimate goals of the Eternal Night Council.
At this moment, no one knew what Nighteye was thinking.
In the imperial military headquarters, the atmosphere was suddenly oppressive, heavy to the point of suffocation. The officers and staff rushing through the corridors looked anxious. The reports in their hands, whether casualties or supplies needed at the front, bore unprecedentedly large numbers.
When Song Zining’s bloodletting strategy began, many staff members felt it was unbearable. But now, with the numbers reaching a new peak, they had become numb, mechanically executing orders and squeezing more potential from the treasury and various supply depots.
Countless gloomy news spread like wildfire across the world. When Qian Ye returned from the New World and heard the latest report from Song Lun and Song Hui, he was stunned.
After a long silence, Qian Ye asked, “The report says the commander of the Eternal Night side is Nighteye?”
“That’s right, the frontline commander of the… the Eternal Night forces is indeed her.”
“She?”
“She. A high-ranking vampire, who, it is rumored, once had… some connection with you.” Song Lun tried to be as tactful as possible.
Qian Ye remained silent for a long time, “What else does the report say?”
“Just what we’ve told you. But the casualty figures are huge! Is she too harsh?!” Song Hui blurted out.
Song Lun hurriedly intervened, “What are you talking about? Now, sir has nothing to do with her. Even if there was something, it’s his private matter!”
“Do we have any data on the Eternal Night’s casualties?”
“Well… I didn’t pay attention. Wait a moment, I’ll ask the Summit people; they will definitely know.” Song Lun replied.
At present, under Qian Ye’s rule, the Emerald Sea was a mix of various races, with Greenwave City becoming a multicultural metropolis.
With the Summit officially established, the balance of power between the human and dark races had shifted significantly, placing the humans at a clear disadvantage.
But Qian Ye’s stance in support of the human race was clear. In the native wolf people’s minds, he held a nearly divine status, maintaining a delicate balance among the races, living in peace and mutual respect.
The human race no longer referred to the dark races disparagingly, and the dark races also dropped their derogatory terms for the humans.
The distant war in the Black Sun Valley seemed to have no connection with the Emerald Sea. If anything, Greenwave City served as a trade hub between the two camps.
In this context, Qian Ye’s bias was clear, with key strategic resources going to the empire and bulk conventional materials supplied to the Eternal Night, exclusively to the Summit.
However, beneath the surface, clandestine trade deals between the empire’s families and the dark races continued, unknown and unpreventable by Qian Ye. This was not unique to the continent; even on the lowest level of the Eternal Night, where the two camps were engaged in fierce combat, trade never ceased.
But now, the war in the Black Sun Valley had come directly to Qian Ye, impossible to avoid.
“Sir, what should we do now?” Song Hui asked.
Qian Ye waved his hand, speaking slowly, “Let me think. You may go.”
Song Hui wanted to say more but was pulled away by Song Lun.
Once outside, Song Lun whispered sternly, “Can’t you see Sir is in a bad mood?”
“But…”
“No buts. Sir knows more than us. He will decide. Let’s go.”
Qian Ye stood by the window, lost in thought. At this moment, he genuinely didn’t know how to choose, torn between his love and his brother.
After a long time, he left the room and went to a small building next to the Grand Duke’s mansion.
This was the representative office of the Summit, where the top tribal leaders stationed in the Emerald Sea resided. Recognizing Qian Ye, the wolf people hurriedly welcomed him into the chief representative’s office.
“Where is William?” Qian Ye asked.
The chief representative, a marquis, replied, “Lord William is personally training the new recruits, probably at the training base outside the city.”
“Alright.” Qian Ye nodded, and in a flash, he disappeared from the spot.
The wolf marquis stood there in a daze, realizing Qian Ye had left, and broke into a cold sweat.
Moments later, Qian Ye appeared above the Summit’s training camp.
The camp was extensive, adjacent to Qian Ye’s original training base. It could accommodate thirty to forty thousand soldiers, and currently, twenty thousand were in training on the field.
The Summit’s efficiency in this matter was truly astonishing, revealing their urgent need for troop training.
Qian Ye slightly released his aura, and a golden light rose from below. A massive, pale-golden wolf leaped gracefully to Qian Ye’s side.
Qian Ye examined the wolf’s fur, noticing that underneath the silver, the tips had turned to a pale gold, creating a rolling, golden wave with each movement.
Pointing at him, Qian Ye said, “You showed up like this just to show me your new fur color?”
“Isn’t it beautiful? So majestic!” William boasted.
But Qian Ye was not in the mood for jokes, “Let’s talk business.”
“Alright, what brings you here so suddenly?”
Directly, Qian Ye said, “I want the latest battle reports from the Eternal Night Council.”
“There are many reports, but…”
“I want the ones you can see.”
William sighed, “We wolves can only access a limited number of reports. I didn’t want to tell you, but… since you asked, I’ll show you.”
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