Chapter 114: Treacherous Shadows

Duole, upon hearing this, was quite surprised. Although the Blood War did not divide the battlefield into zones, no one would dare to interfere with the Munro clan’s hunting grounds.

Twilight smiled, flicked her finger, and tossed a small object to Duole, saying, “Don’t worry, that kid’s trouble is yet to come. The ones who want him dead are his own kind.”

Duole caught the object and examined it carefully. It turned out to be an amorphous piece of metal that immediately felt scorching hot in his hand. He quickly expelled a surge of blood energy to isolate it from his palm.

This was the bullet that had targeted Qian Ye, containing traces of mithril. Only human-made solid rounds would include mithril, while the dark races preferred lead and black titanium. However, there was still a faint trace of darkforce lingering on the bullet, barely escaping Duole’s senses.

Duole said with some regret, “That kid is strong; it’s a pity he’ll die by someone else’s hand.”

Twilight responded coolly, “It’s because you were too weak to handle the previous team, forcing me to intervene. Now, I’m being watched by a very formidable human. She has been keeping an eye on me. If I fight that kid and can’t kill him in one strike, even if it takes a second move, she might take the opportunity to kill me. Do you want me dead?”

“Ah! No, Your Excellency!” Duole was startled and felt a bit ashamed. However, he was also puzzled—how could someone powerful enough to kill Twilight move freely under the Iron Curtain?

Twilight saw through his thoughts, “She is extremely powerful, capable of resisting even the Heavenly Specter’s avatar. Of course, fighting would alert the Iron Curtain, but if the battle is short and we’re close to the edge, she might escape even if the Heavenly Specter appears.”

Duole gasped, instinctively glancing around. A figure who could resist the Heavenly Specter for a moment could easily end his life. Yet, he had not detected any trace of her presence.

“Master, what should we do now? Should we inform the clan and find and kill her?”

Twilight shrugged, “No need. As long as I don’t make a move and remain vigilant, she can’t do anything to me. Otherwise, she’d be killed by the Heavenly Specter before she gets to me. So, by doing nothing, I can keep her here, which will benefit our side. Now, clean up here, and we’ll leave.”

Soon, Duole commanded his subordinates to bury the bodies, pack the certificates of military merit, and clean the site.

Before leaving, Twilight cast a glance in the direction Qian Ye had fled, with a playful smile, whispering, “Don’t die, or I might feel a bit sad!”

A thousand meters away, on a mountain peak, a girl held a sniper rifle longer than her body, sitting still. The wind was strong and cold, yet she wore a thin white dress, exposing her arms and legs, seemingly impervious to the chill.

She sat motionless, lost in thought. A gust of wind blew through, lifting her long hair. Suddenly, a clump of dark hair detached and flew away, and a long line of blood appeared on her cheek, slowly dripping.

The girl reached up, touched her face, and brought her fingers to her eyes. The few drops of blood on her fingertips were glaringly red. Her expression was dazed, and Qian Ye’s figure flashed in her pupils.

He turned, hit by the sniper bullet, and flew backward. In that instant, Qian Ye wielded a sniper rifle with a distinct bloodline style. The barrel glowed, and a force projectile grew larger until it filled her entire vision!

The girl shivered, waking from her daze, with tiny beads of sweat appearing on her nose.

At that moment, a voice whispered in her ear, “Kongzhao, where are you? Come and see me.”

Bai Kongzhao quickly disassembled the stock and frame of the sniper rifle, slinging it behind her back to avoid hindrance. She moved like a nimble leopard, swiftly descending the mountain and vanishing into the forest.

Moments later, Bai Kongzhao arrived at an ancient tree. Standing there was a woman in a wide-sleeved robe, Bai Atu.

Bai Atu glanced at the sniper rifle on the girl’s back. The gun was clearly longer and larger than a human sniper rifle, with a dark and elegant design, but it had a more rugged and sinister feel compared to the bloodline rifles. It was a demonkin sniper rifle, rarer than those of the bloodline.

Bai Atu raised an eyebrow and asked, “Stolen?”

At this moment, Bai Kongzhao was a timid and compliant girl, softly saying, “I was lucky and found it with a dying demonkin. If you want it, it’s yours.”

Bai Atu pondered for a moment and sighed, then asked, “Is it good?”

Bai Kongzhao nodded honestly.

“You don’t reject darkforce, and your original cultivation method is rare, even comparable to the White Family’s techniques. But I must remind you, if darkforce completely suppresses dawnforce, you might transform entirely and fall to the Evernight side.”

“I know. I will always be human,” Bai Kongzhao replied.

Bai Atu sighed again, “For now, you can hunt freely. The Iron Curtain may be hell for others, but it’s the best hunting ground for you. Just be careful not to go overboard, and don’t kill unnecessarily, especially our people.”

Bai Kongzhao lowered her head, “I will try to control myself.”

“Good, then I’ll go.”

Bai Kongzhao was shocked and looked up, genuine fear on her face, “Where are you going?”

Bai Atu pointed to the dark sky, “Someone is already watching me. I can’t stay long. But before I leave, I’ll give that bloodline woman a lesson to make her lie down for a while. So, you won’t have to worry about her for the next few days.”

With that, Bai Atu patted the girl’s head and left. Her steps were slow, like a normal walk, but she vanished into the forest in moments.

Bai Kongzhao stood still, maintaining her submissive posture. From an unseen angle, her pink lips curved into a strange smile. After a while, she raised her head, sniffed the air, and chose a direction to walk.

Strangely, that direction led directly to Qian Ye.

Qian Ye leaned against a tree, preparing to check his wounds. However, he suddenly paused, listening. There was a faint rustling in the forest, indicating someone was approaching rapidly.

Qian Ye stepped sideways, hiding behind the tree, standing close.

Several figures darted through the forest with terrifying agility. Qian Ye remained as still as a statue. Suddenly, he swept his blade, and a figure passing by the tree was instantly cut in half.

The other figures hesitated, and in that moment, Qian Ye rushed to another, stabbing through his heart.

Most of the pursuers were bloodline warriors, with only one werewolf. The bloodline was known for their speed and agility, and Qian Ye, injured and cautious, couldn’t shake them off.

Despite losing two comrades, the remaining warriors attacked fiercely without fear.

Qian Ye swung his sword, cutting and slashing, each blow heavy as a mountain. The bloodline warriors couldn’t block a single strike, most being cut down along with their weapons.

Within moments, most of the dark warriors were dead, with Qian Ye deliberately sparing one. He remembered this one had spotted him from a distance. Qian Ye wanted to know how, as even a dark viscount would struggle to detect him when he hid.

The spared warrior was a mid-ranking blood knight, likely centuries old but still mediocre in the Munro clan. In the recent battle, he hadn’t shown any special skill, suffering several broken bones from Qian Ye’s strike, rendering him immobile.

Qian Ye approached him, pointing his blade at his chest, and asked, “How did you find me?”

“A Munro warrior never surrenders. Kill me!”

Qian Ye sneered, “Not talking, huh? I have ways to make you talk. For example, injecting melted mithril into your veins. How about that?”

The blood knight paled, exclaiming, “You, you devil!”

Qian Ye continued, “Or, I could open a small hole in your chest and drip melted mithril in, one drop at a time. That works too.”

Melted mithril in a bloodline’s veins would turn them to ash, and in the heart, it would cause permanent damage, preventing the formation of a blood core. The worst part was, if controlled well, the victim could live a long, agonizing time.

This was one of the most feared tortures among the bloodlines, mostly invented by humans, with a few by the dark races. Qian Ye, from Red Scorpion, was well-versed in such methods.

Seeing the knight’s fluctuating expression, Qian Ye knew he was close. He took a mithril force bullet, melted the tip, and prepared to drip it.

“I, I’ll talk!” the blood knight finally gave in.

Qian Ye didn’t stop, “Go on, I’m listening.”

“Like this…” As the knight began, Qian Ye sensed something unusual. The environment seemed to shift, a change beyond words, not a physical sensation, but a feeling.

Trusting his instincts, Qian Ye sidestepped, turning to look. The odd sensation became tangible, a coldness growing in his lower back.