Chapter 103: Venturing Deep Into the Unknown

No matter how one looked at it, Qian Ye felt a shiver run down his spine upon seeing the gigantic spider demon towering several meters high, and he abandoned the idea of an ambush. If there were no surprises, this spider demon would be the master of the Black Nest, Count Boto, brother of Stuka.

Qian Ye’s sniper rifle’s crosshairs wavered over Boto’s vital points for a long time, but in the end, he had to resist the temptation and let him pass.

Thinking back to the arduous battle between Wei Bainen and Brahms, Qian Ye was not confident that he could severely injure Boto, who was in peak condition, with a single shot, especially with a large group of guards beside him. However, judging by the fact that Boto had left in full force, it was likely that a powerful enemy had appeared nearby, perhaps a clan or a legion’s squadron.

After the spider demon squadron left, Qian Ye hesitated about what to do next. Then he remembered that Boto had almost taken all his elite troops, which meant the Black Nest was now more vulnerable than ever.

In the past two days, Qian Ye had been active in the territories surrounding the Black Nest, and he knew very well that as the war spread, the dark warriors transferring through the nest were almost always dispatched to the vast battlefield on the same day they arrived.

Without further hesitation, he immediately set off towards the Black Nest.

The massive Black Nest reappeared on the horizon, indeed much quieter than it had been two days ago, with a noticeable reduction in the number of outer guards. Qian Ye observed for half an hour but saw only a few spider demons entering and exiting, and the servitor spiders resting around the nest were few and far between.

Like a ghost, Qian Ye began to approach an inconspicuous exit, a logistical passage where servants often moved in and out with miscellaneous items. Perhaps because the passage was frequently used, its vigilance was much weaker than other areas. People generally assumed that invaders would not choose busy places to enter.

At the entrance of the passage, a huge servitor spider crouched motionless, and it was unclear where its dozen or so eyes of varying sizes were focused.

Qian Ye approached from the side and rear, and when he was less than ten meters away, the servitor spider finally sensed something and stirred restlessly, its massive body swaying as it tried to stand up.

Qian Ye suddenly leaped, and with a strike of his Eastern Peak sword, he sliced the servitor spider in half!

He then activated his blood aura, releasing a vampiric presence, and moved through a dozen smaller servitor spiders. The lesser servitor spiders, overwhelmed by the pressure of the higher bloodline, fell to the ground, unable to move. Qian Ye’s sword moved like the wind, sweeping through the servitor spiders and instantly slaying them all.

These servitor spiders were mostly low-level cannon fodder, at ranks two and three. In the Empire’s current reward list, rank two and above had military merit, but each was worth only a little, and the points doubled with each rank increase. Although the servitor spiders in front of him could earn some military merit, Qian Ye was too lazy to collect them and instead rushed straight into the passage, deep into the Black Nest.

Not far along, a team of servants and a few servitor spiders appeared in the passage. They were shocked to see Qian Ye. The servitor spiders hissed and lunged at him, but Qian Ye, dragging the Eastern Peak, charged through without stopping, instantly wiping out the entire team, leaving only a human servant alive.

Qian Ye raised the Eastern Peak at the human servant, “If you don’t want to die, take me to Boto’s living quarters.”

The servant’s legs trembled, and he could barely stand, leaning against the wall of the passage. He cautiously raised his arm and pointed the way.

Qian Ye simply said, “Follow me!” and disappeared in an instant.

The servant’s face, pale as paper, turned green, and he almost collapsed. Finally, he gritted his teeth, clung to the wall, and followed.

Turning the corner of the passage, the servant was startled by the scene before him. Next to the passage, there was a room usually occupied by guard werewolves, but now they lay scattered and bleeding, lifeless.

Qian Ye stood amidst the corpses, looking at the terrified servant with an amused smile, “You came just in time. Continue leading the way.”

The servant’s heart raced, knowing that if he hadn’t followed, Qian Ye would have come back to kill him. Seeing seven or eight vicious werewolves silenced so effortlessly, the servant dared not think otherwise and obediently led the way, even warning Qian Ye of hidden sentries and patrols.

With such a capable guide, Qian Ye advanced smoothly. The Eastern Peak, heavy as a mountain, and his honed swordsmanship allowed him to excel in narrow terrain. Even a knight could not withstand a single blow from Qian Ye. It was only when he encountered a spider demon baron that he faced a formidable challenge, but Qian Ye’s subsequent onslaught was like a raging tide. The baron, unable to maneuver, was struck by over a dozen blows and nearly dismembered.

Qian Ye decapitated the baron and stored the head in Andu’s space.

The baron seemed to be the highest-ranking warrior in the area, and after killing him, Qian Ye met no resistance until he reached Boto’s living quarters.

Boto’s living quarters were in an independent area, ending in a small circular plaza, but the servant warned Qian Ye that the entire plaza was actually an elevator to the surface, used exclusively by Boto. Fortunately, when the viscount was not in the castle, no one could activate the elevator, so there was no need to worry about attacks from above.

At the end of the plaza, two tall bronze doors stood, and in front of them, a massive, black spider demon, clad in fearsome heavy armor, held a giant axe, the blade of which glowed with faint flames, clearly no ordinary weapon.

“Human?!” The spider demon’s voice boomed like thunder, and he slightly lowered his towering upper body, seemingly surprised. However, he soon raised his great axe, dark primordial energy swirling around him like black mist.

“You made it this far, indeed unexpected, but with me, Goulmar, your journey ends here! Tonight, you will be the most sumptuous feast on my table!”

Qian Ye remained silent, raising the Eastern Peak, and in a flash, he was in front of Goulmar, bringing down his heavy sword!

Goulmar roared, swinging his great axe, colliding violently with the Eastern Peak.

A loud clang resounded like a bell, causing the entire passage to tremble!

This was a straightforward clash of raw strength and primordial energy, but the result did not match Goulmar’s expectation. The great axe hit the Eastern Peak, like striking a mountain, and the counterforce left Goulmar’s blood surging, forcing him to retreat several steps, his limbs giving way, and his spider body collapsing to the ground.

Qian Ye also flew backward, his arms numb. This exchange was not easy for him either. Goulmar was clearly a spider demon skilled in close combat, with strength that surpassed his peers in the dark races. For Qian Ye to face him head-on and only be slightly disadvantaged was a testament to his formidable strength, something no one would believe if told.

Having tested Goulmar’s strength, Qian Ye ceased further probing and drew a thread of dark primordial energy from the void, bringing the Eastern Peak down once more.

Oblivion Slash!

Goulmar instinctively sensed danger and roared, primordial energy bursting forth, ready to rely on his thick armor and skin to withstand the blow, while simultaneously raising his great axe for a counterattack. The human’s strength was astonishing, and he wanted to see if that tiny body could withstand a blow as well.

However, just as the great axe reached its zenith, it froze in mid-air. Goulmar felt a sudden, profound weakness, and his primordial energy dissipated in an instant. Looking down, he saw a long crack in his heavy armor, nearly splitting it in half. Beneath the armor, his body also bore a wound that was widening.

Goulmar moved slightly, and the wound split open, gushing blood. He was shocked, almost unable to believe the power of that one slash. This was no ordinary human; even a full-blooded viscount from one of the twelve ancient clans would not fare better.

At that moment, Qian Ye flashed again, already stepping onto Goulmar’s spider body.

Goulmar, snarling, swung his elbow at Qian Ye, but his arm was caught. The two arms were incomparable, with Goulmar’s wrist thicker than Qian Ye’s thigh, yet the result of their struggle was a stalemate.

Holding his ground for a moment, Qian Ye discarded the Eastern Peak, drew the Crimson Fang, and plunged it deep into Goulmar’s body, straight to the heart!

“You… are not… human?!” Goulmar mumbled, his massive spider body collapsing, a few limbs twitching meaninglessly, but his body no longer moving. Until the end, he never learned the answer.

Qian Ye lay on Goulmar’s body, motionless, until the flow of essence blood through the Crimson Fang stopped. Only then did he rise, gasping for breath. Spider demons had strong vitality, and even being cut in half, they could survive for a long time. Only when their essence blood was drained did they truly die.

Qian Ye steadied his breathing, cut open Goulmar’s neck and chest, and retrieved a fist-sized spider crystal. This was the proof of military merit for a viscount-level spider demon.

Looking at the slightly yellow, transparent crystal, Qian Ye faintly sensed the flow of primordial energy within. The Empire had yet to discover the use of spider crystals, so they were mostly used as decorations by nobles, but they served as excellent proof of military merit.

The servant timidly peeked out from the other side of the plaza, seeing Goulmar’s corpse, and was almost speechless, “Lord Goulmar, is, is dead?”

Qian Ye smiled, “What else did you expect? To kill him a few more times?”

The servant shook his head, fearfully, “No, my lord, I didn’t mean that! My lord, ahead is Viscount Boto’s living quarters, and I’ve never had the chance to go in. What do you—”

Qian Ye waved his hand, “Go, and be careful not to get killed.”

The servant, feeling like he had been pardoned, scurried away, hugging his head.

Qian Ye sighed inwardly. This servant was a human, but he had grown up in the dark lands, and until the end, he had no intention of going to the human-controlled regions.

This man would probably find a place to hide, waiting for things to settle down, and then return to his life as a servant until he died, or, if he was unlucky, become a meal for a dark race, as he no longer knew any other way to live.

Qian Ye gathered himself and walked to the bronze doors, pushing them open. The doors were unlocked, and there were no magical barriers or additional guards, suggesting that Boto had complete faith in Goulmar’s defense.

The living area was extraordinarily large, occupying nearly half the area of the nest castle. In front of Qian Ye was a semi-enclosed passage, ten meters high and wide, making it feel unusually spacious, with footsteps echoing. Considering Boto’s massive spider body, such a large passage was necessary, though it was still somewhat cramped.

Every so often, flaming torches burned on the walls, casting eerie blue-green light, making the path seem incredibly sinister. Perhaps because Viscount Boto was out, the area was eerily quiet, like a sleeping city, and the intense battle between Qian Ye and Goulmar seemed to have gone unnoticed.

Qian Ye quickly walked the hundred-meter passage, reaching a grand building with spider emblems on the doors. This time, he did not rush to push the door but instead pressed his ear against it, carefully listening and sensing.