Qian Ye did not pursue, but instead quickened his pace and changed direction, taking the shortest route to the human territory. Bái Kōngzhào, by all accounts, was no less injured than him, yet in the blink of an eye, she had once again lurked nearby. Her recovery speed was extraordinary, and moreover, she should have known that she couldn’t possibly kill Qian Ye alone. Yet, like a pestilence that clings to the bone, she refused to leave, indicating she must have some kind of support.
However, Qian Ye hadn’t gone far before he stopped once more. He was now extremely cautious, sparing no expense of his blood qi to maintain his true vision, and indeed, he detected abnormal ripples of primal force ahead. Within a kilometer, there were over a dozen people lying in ambush, forming a line that firmly blocked the southeastern path to the human territory.
The presence of these people at this place and time, coupled with their apparent intent to set up a blockade, was too coincidental. Linking it to Bái Kōngzháo’s actions, it made the gravely wounded Qian Ye even more vigilant.
Suddenly, in the distance, there were noticeable fluctuations of gathered primal force, and several additional powerful, yet obscure auras appeared. Although they were all Dawn Primal Force, they felt even more menacing to Qian Ye. Without much hesitation, he retracted his aura, slowly retreated, and prepared to take a different route to circumvent the roadblock.
In the distant forest, dozens of soldiers were swiftly moving through the trees. Their equipment was of the highest quality, but their weapons and gear bore no distinct markings, making it difficult to discern their affiliation.
A short-bearded man at the front suddenly raised his hand, and the soldiers immediately halted, dispersing into the forest, forming a defensive formation.
Bái Kōngzhào emerged from the woods, her movements utterly silent, as if a ghost. Many soldiers involuntarily felt a fear they couldn’t quite comprehend; most of them had never seen the girl, yet they instinctively felt afraid.
The short-bearded captain, upon seeing Bái Kōngzhào, relaxed and approached her, asking, “Miss Kōngzhào, how did things go?”
“I shot him once and cut him with a blade. He is now heavily injured.”
The captain’s face brightened, and he said, “I have set up the blockade as you instructed, but where is he now?”
Bái Kōngzhào extended a small hand and said, “I can lead you to him, but it will cost double, and I need payment now.”
The captain’s expression immediately changed, and he said, “This wasn’t part of our original agreement.”
“He is more formidable than you think. You can try to find him on your own, but I assure you, you won’t be able to.”
The captain took a step back, appraising Bái Kōngzhào, and asked, “Have you… successfully communicated with the Iron Curtain Will?!” His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
“If you dawdle any longer, he’ll be long gone,” Bái Kōngzhào said expressionlessly.
A soldier with a grim face sidled up to the captain, whispering in his ear, “Boss, this girl is also seriously injured. Should we just take her down? After all, it’s just us brothers here, and no one would tell a soul.”
The captain’s gaze inadvertently fell on the girl’s leg, where her skirt was torn, revealing almost her entire thigh. A prominent wound could be seen, with flesh and skin torn, and her lower leg covered in dried blood, suggesting she had bled profusely.
Looking at the pale, well-shaped leg, the captain suddenly felt parched, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. Behind him, many soldiers’ eyes burned, fixed on the girl’s thigh. They were all seasoned elite warriors with strong wills, yet for some reason, they found themselves unable to control their urges.
Bái Kōngzhào’s face remained empty and vacant, as if unaware of what was happening.
The captain suddenly recalled the various legends about this girl and her background, breaking out in a cold sweat, and instantly regaining his composure. Without another word, he unfastened a bag from his waist and threw it to Bái Kōngzhào, “Here is the agreed-upon money, all of it.”
The grim-faced soldier exclaimed, “Captain!”
“Shut up!!” The captain grabbed the soldier by the neck, nearly choking him, staring into his eyes and enunciating each word, “Don’t forget, that woman from the Bái family is here! I have a wife and children, and I don’t want to die in a foolish manner!”
“But…” He wanted to say that the Bái family woman couldn’t possibly act, but one glance at the captain’s fierce eyes made him wisely swallow his words.
At some point, Bái Kōngzhào’s once hazy eyes had turned a deep, unfathomable black. She watched them, letting out a regretful sigh.
She then lowered her head, opened the bag, and saw neatly arranged black crystals inside, saying, “It’s still not enough. As I said, I’ll lead you to him, but it will cost more.”
The captain turned and shouted, “Empty your pockets and bring all the money you have!”
Dozens of soldiers poured out, placing all their gold coins, and even some black crystals, into the captain’s hands, quickly filling the bag.
The captain handed the bag to Bái Kōngzhào, saying, “All the cash is here.”
Bái Kōngzhào took the bag, tossed it into the satchel, slung it over her shoulder, and said, “You are smart. But I don’t like smart people because I am stupid.”
Under the girl’s gaze, the captain, despite being three levels higher in primal force, felt very uneasy, chuckling dryly, “Smart people live longer, and I just want to survive. Miss, if we delay any longer, we might not catch him.”
“I remember his scent, and I will never lose track of him, no matter how far away he is.” The girl’s voice was soft and melodic, yet the captain felt even more uncomfortable, with no trace of his earlier lascivious thoughts.
Bái Kōngzhào led the way into the forest, followed by dozens of burly soldiers, moving swiftly.
A thousand meters away, by a pool, Qian Ye leaned against a tree, half-undressed, tending to his wounds. He had intended to endure the pain and travel as quickly as possible to the Silver Current Bay base, but it seemed someone did not want him to return easily, and his injuries needed urgent treatment.
The wound on his side, where the battle knife had pierced, looked fatal but was actually not so bad. Demon weapons, containing a tiny amount of dark titanium, caused wounds that were hard to heal for ordinary people. However, Qian Ye’s body contained a domineering dark gold blood qi, which was slowly consuming the harmful substances in the wound. At this rate, the wound would heal normally within a day.
The most troublesome injury was on his chest. The armor given by Wèi Pòtiān, though shattered, had saved him once. It had first blocked a sniper bullet, though it had cracked, and then was penetrated by Bái Kōngzhào’s blade, completely shattering and embedding fragments deeply into his flesh.
The two successive blows had broken several ribs, and their positions were not favorable. Any overly vigorous movement could cause the broken bones to pierce internal organs. With such injuries, if not for his advanced vampire constitution, he would have died many times over.
Qian Ye endured the pain, removing the fragmented pieces of armor, wrapping them in cloth, and storing them in his necklace space. This armor had saved him three times. Though damaged, the material was still valuable and could be reforged into another high-quality piece.
Finally, Qian Ye fetched clean water, pouring it over his wounds, cleansing them, applying medicine, and then leaning against the tree, letting out a long breath. His eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted into a drowsy sleep.
Just as he closed his eyes, he heard faint footsteps and felt a slight tremor in the ground. In an instant, Qian Ye snapped awake, crouching to sense his surroundings. At least dozens of people were rapidly approaching.
These people made no effort to conceal their tracks, perhaps for the sake of speed or because they already had a clear target.
Qian Ye stood, leaping onto a nearby ancient tree, hiding among its dense foliage.
Led by Bái Kōngzhào, the group of soldiers soon arrived at the pool.
“Wait!” The girl waved, and the soldiers halted. Her gaze swept the area, finally resting on the pool’s edge, her delicate brows furrowed.
The short-bearded captain squatted at the edge of the pool, pressing the ground, saying, “He was just here…”
Before he finished, Bái Kōngzhào screamed, “He’s above!”
The captain, startled, instinctively looked up, only to see a dozen primal force grenades falling from the sky, causing his heart to sink.
All the grenades exploded almost simultaneously, covering an area of tens of meters with a conflagration that merged into a blinding fireball, slowly rising into the sky.
After the flames passed, the short-bearded captain sprang up, his body flashing with primal force, extinguishing the flames. His quick reaction, ducking and activating his defense, had allowed him to avoid the worst of the blast.
The forest was now in disarray, with trees toppled and burning. A dozen men stood up, while others lay groaning, and the rest were motionless.
A chill ran down the captain’s spine. Had this attack cost him most of his men? Recalling the overwhelming grenade assault, it seemed plausible, but who would carry so many grenades?
Suddenly, the captain realized—where was Qian Ye?
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure flash. Qian Ye emerged from behind a burning ancient tree, pushing off the trunk like a cannonball, streaking across the fire and diving towards Bái Kōngzhào.
The girl let out a scream and turned to run, showing no intention to resist. The captain, cursing inwardly, reached for his primal force gun.
Qian Ye landed, bounding forward again, chasing for dozens of meters, but a sudden pain in his waist slowed him, and the distance widened. He had to stop, watching the girl disappear into the forest.
Without hesitation, Qian Ye turned back, charging straight for the captain, who was aiming his weapon. Three thunderous strikes of Dōng Yué shattered the captain’s protective force, and a swift slash decapitated him.
As the remaining fires burned, Qian Ye moved through them, felling and slaying one enemy after another. Soon, he was the only one standing.
Leaning on his sword, Qian Ye panted, his primal force nearly boiling, but he eventually calmed it. His chest and waist wounds had reopened, and he had new injuries. The most vicious blow had come from the captain’s dying counterattack, leaving a deep, bone-deep gash on Qian Ye’s left arm.
Qian Ye walked to the captain’s headless corpse, carefully examining it, and finally found the token of the Nángōng Family in his pocket.
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