Chapter 84: Peril at Hand

In the face of such bold words, Qian Ye finally lost his composure, and he was dumbfounded, “Now?”

“Why not?”

Qian Ye was speechless for a moment before he said, “This environment doesn’t seem suitable…”

Dusk smiled intriguingly, pinching Qian Ye’s cheek, then trailing her hand down to caress his chest, “Stop trying. Can you feel how your original force is like a river in winter, frozen solid? This is the effect of the Ice-bound Blood. Not even Count Jia De could break free in this state. Unless… do you have some secret technique?”

Count Jia De? That was the highest rank among the dark race’s nobles.

Qian Ye lowered his eyes; his Dawnforce indeed seemed mired in a swamp, almost unable to flow. The ordinary blood energy lay dormant deep within his heart, while the purple blood energy withdrew into the power runes as if hibernating. Only the dark golden blood energy, with its Primordial Wings, was slightly slowed.

However, Dusk’s last playful and probing whisper made Qian Ye suddenly alert, a feeling of extreme danger sweeping through him. He immediately abandoned any thought of resisting with his pupil technique and remembered!

This woman always gave Qian Ye a sense of déjà vu, and it wasn’t just an illusion. He had seen her! When he left Anduia’s lost world, she was the first enemy he encountered after stepping out of the light gate.

At that time, the effect of the drop of source blood Anduia gave Qian Ye had not yet completely worn off, and in the high-speed motion through the void, Qian Ye couldn’t be sure if Dusk had seen his face clearly. But meeting here in this way, it was hard to believe there was no underlying motive. The question was, what did she want, and how much did she know?

Seeing Qian Ye silent, Dusk lightly patted his face, “Be good, don’t think too much. If you delay any longer, I might change my mind.”

“Then what? Will you let me go?” Qian Ye asked.

Dusk laughed, delighted, “I’ll consider it!”

“You said you wanted to give me the First Embrace…”

Dusk wrapped her arms around Qian Ye’s neck, turning her head to look at him. Her obsidian eyes were crystal clear, and he could see his reflection in them.

They stared at each other for a while.

Dusk nuzzled her cheek against Qian Ye’s face, her breath almost entirely in his ear, “I don’t like useless men who are only obedient. That’s so boring. I like strong, dangerous, and thrilling ones…”

She released him and stepped back, “It seems today isn’t a suitable day. You’re not strong enough yet, but I’ll give you more time. I’m looking forward to it, don’t make me wait too long.”

Qian Ye turned to silently watch Dusk, a woman with drastically different moods and unpredictable actions. How much of what she said was true, perhaps only she knew.

At least Qian Ye was certain that, at first, this woman genuinely wanted to give him the First Embrace, but for some reason, she changed her mind halfway. The reason, of course, wasn’t a sudden burst of kindness.

Dusk leapt gracefully, gliding through the air and landing on a branch of a large tree. She seemed to remember something, turned around, pointed at Qian Ye, and mimed the action of firing a force pistol, “By the way! If you become my man, I wouldn’t mind helping Night Pupil once.”

Night Pupil! It had been a long time since he heard that name, and it stirred a wave of emotion in Qian Ye, causing his expression to change unusually.

Even the slightest change didn’t escape Dusk’s keen eyes. Her smile now had a hint of a chill that sent shivers down Qian Ye’s spine. It was like they were playing a game of chess, and now, Dusk had finally glimpsed his trump card.

“I’m off, get stronger, little man!” Dusk waved forcefully, her figure blurred, and in an instant, she appeared far away, disappearing after a few more flashes, not giving Qian Ye a chance to ask any questions.

Qian Ye stood silently, suppressing the urge to call her back.

Dusk’s appearance cast a heavy shadow over Qian Ye’s heart. This blood clan woman’s combat power far exceeded Stuka’s, and even Zhao Yuying would likely lose to her.

Thinking back, Qian Ye had entered Dusk’s domain without any precautions from the start. If she hadn’t wanted to take him unharmed, the fight would have ended in a few moves. Qian Ye’s only choice was to rely on the dark golden blood energy and the power of the Primordial Wings to avoid being completely controlled by the Ice-bound Blood and falling into her hands alive.

But why would someone with such power, a noble in the blood clan, specifically target him? Thinking of the secrets on his body, Qian Ye took a deep breath.

If this blood clan woman was one of those who had competed for the Blackwing King’s treasure, then perhaps some danger was already close. But what did this have to do with Night Pupil? From Dusk’s words, it seemed that Night Pupil was also in some kind of danger.

With a loud thud, Qian Ye punched the ancient tree next to him, and the trunk, which would require two adults to encircle, collapsed on one side. His knuckles split, and blood dripped into the soil.

Qian Ye suddenly realized that even though he saw the danger right in front of him, he couldn’t do anything about it. The sense of accomplishment from subduing Brudos vanished. He couldn’t even sort out the feelings of helplessness, complexity, and frustration—whether it was due to his own fate or Night Pupil’s situation.

After standing for a long time, Qian Ye took a deep breath and headed toward Green Peak Mountain. No matter what happened, he had to keep moving forward. Qian Ye was never one to give up easily, or his life would have ended in that lighthouse town.

Below Green Peak Mountain, the Fanged Tribe still existed, but the entire settlement was on high alert. The wolfmen had retreated into the caves, and a low wall and several stone arrow towers had been constructed halfway up the mountain.

When Qian Ye, running at high speed, came into view, a long wolf howl sounded, and hundreds of wolfman warriors rushed out of the caves, taking up their battle positions, ready to fight.

Qian Ye ignored the warriors, stopping only a few dozen meters from the low wall, scanning the tense formation, and coldly asked, “Where is the chieftain? When will he show himself?”

The wolfmen were immediately agitated, many growling. However, at that moment, Qian Ye exuded an aura that made them instinctively fearful, a pressure from a strong warrior, and even the most aggressive wolfman dared not rush at him rashly.

The left flank of the defense line suddenly parted, and the old chieftain, escorted by a few strong wolfmen, walked out. He waved his hand, telling the tribe members to stay, and approached Qian Ye alone, saying slowly, “Young and powerful human, your manner of appearing seems inappropriate.”

“Respected chieftain, your manner isn’t very appropriate either. My patience is wearing thin. Now, give me a definite answer.”

The old chieftain’s face darkened, “Is this a threat to the Fanged Tribe?”

“I don’t threaten, I state facts.”

“The Fanged Tribe has two hundred brave warriors, each ready to shed blood.”

Qian Ye sneered, “You mean, you want all of them to bleed dry?”

The old chieftain was speechless.

“Before you make a decision, you should know that Brudos is preparing to surrender.”

“Terrifying red-haired Brudos?” The Fanged warriors stirred with agitation.

They were also vassals of the Wolf Earl, and the fear of Brudos was deeply rooted in every wolfman’s heart. And such a terrifying figure was actually going to submit to this young human?!

The wolfmen finally began to truly appreciate Qian Ye’s strength. Before, they had somewhat underestimated him, simply because he was human.

The old chieftain looked older in an instant, and he didn’t doubt the truth of Qian Ye’s words. This was a piece of information that could be easily verified. Besides, the old chieftain knew that Brudos had blocked the mountain path, but Qian Ye was still here, which said everything.

He glanced back at the tribe members, most of whom looked confused, gazing at their chieftain and guide with simple faith and waiting. The old chieftain’s gaze fell further, behind the defensive line, where the children and women stood.

Finally, the old chieftain turned back, looking at Qian Ye with a bitter smile, “It seems we have no other choice.” He slowly knelt on one knee in front of Qian Ye, raising the chieftain’s staff above his head and offering it to Qian Ye.

Qian Ye accepted the staff and returned it to the old chieftain.

In the dark realm, this simple act of acceptance and return was the ritual of submission, symbolizing the process of allegiance and the granting of authority. From this moment, the Fanged Tribe was officially Qian Ye’s vassal, according to the rules of the dark realm.

“Bring a few people, and follow me to Green Peak Mountain.”

The old chieftain hesitated, “That’s the resting place of our ancestors.”

Qian Ye said calmly, “Hundreds of years ago, it was nothing. And now, if it weren’t for me driving off Stuka, it wouldn’t be yours either.”

The old chieftain sighed, called two tribal elders, and followed Qian Ye up Green Peak Mountain. At the top, traces of the original force array remained. Qian Ye only circled it once before heading to the cave that the blood clan had occupied.

The blood clan members who had stayed behind were all concentrated in the outer two stone halls. Qian Ye had been in a hurry and, after dealing with them, did not venture further. Now, he had the time to examine carefully.

The outermost stone hall was completely empty. Starting from the second layer, slots were carved into the walls, and many of these slots contained thick-wrapped skeletons. Qian Ye walked to the innermost part and found that there were about a hundred such skeletons.

This was a wolfman custom, preserving the bodies of the most important figures in the tribe and placing them in the ancestral graveyard. Most wolfmen, after death, had their bodies thrown into the valley, returning to the earth.

The Fanged Tribe’s ancestral graveyard contained so many preserved bodies, indicating their history was longer than Qian Ye had imagined. Perhaps before migrating here, their origins could be traced back to the era of the Thousand-Year War. The blood clan that occupied this place did not desecrate the wolfman ancestors’ bodies, leaving everything as it was.

Standing in the wolfman ancestral graveyard, Qian Ye suddenly felt a strange, indescribable sensation. Both his Dawnforce and blood energy were subtly agitated, as if responding to something.

Qian Ye’s pupils faintly turned blue, and he looked around, noticing that the original force here seemed much denser than outside. Threads of dark original force were seeping from the cave walls, some of which were even absorbed by the wolfman ancestors’ skeletons.