Chapter 180: Come Forth and Meet Your Doom!

At this moment, the captain’s voice sounded behind Qian Ye: “What… what is going on?”

The captain rushed to the hatch and looked out. The airship was only a hundred meters above the ground, a height that wouldn’t kill anyone, at least not an imperial general. The Bai family general had smashed into the earth and was struggling to get up. With his level of force cultivation, he shouldn’t have fallen so badly. It seemed that Qian Ye had slightly tampered with him when he threw him out of the airship, causing him to land firmly.

The captain finally let out a sigh of relief and said helplessly, “General, why do this? Actions like yours will only benefit the dark races.”

Qian Ye replied calmly, “I wasn’t interested in bullying the little ones before dealing with Bai Aotu. But if someone dares to come before me, I won’t hold back.”

This captain, also a general, was from the Zhang family and should have remained neutral in this conflict. However, due to the Zhao family’s full support, he naturally leaned towards them. He knew that the disgraced Bai family general would not return to the airship, which was for the best to avoid further conflicts with Qian Ye and the others. Being caught in the middle would be difficult.

Just then, the ship suddenly shook violently. Through the open hatch, two high-speed airships could be seen detaching from the fleet and flying away.

The captain couldn’t help but shake his head and sighed, “Two more places needing support. The frequency today is much higher. Damn it, if it weren’t for the Bai family’s foolish actions, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad.”

Originally, Qian Ye and the four of them, along with the Wei family’s private army, were a powerful force on this battlefield. Under William’s leniency, they had driven back Dusk and eliminated all her followers. They could easily sweep through any other dark race squads. After all, a Marquis-level figure would never take on such a task.

But now, with Qian Ye and Wei Po Tian both seriously injured and Song Zining also wounded, the only one who could fight was Zhao Yuying. Without their high-level combat power, the Zhang family fleet’s pressure increased significantly, evident from the increased number of support ships dispatched.

Song Zining was not seriously injured and could have fought. However, the seventh young master had his own ideas and stayed in his cabin, pretending to be severely wounded. According to him, if he wasn’t seriously injured, how could he show the Bai family’s brutality? Although he was only lightly injured, the two cuts on his face looked terrible. On the surface, it seemed as if he was more seriously wounded than Wei Po Tian.

But Song Zining wasn’t idle. Having served in Zhang Boqian’s staff, he was well-known throughout the Zhang family’s military. Hearing that he was seriously injured, many generals from the Zhang family’s remnants and the fleet came to visit. In just half a day, Song Zining had recounted the battle a dozen times and cursed the Bai family each time.

After the two high-speed airships flew away, Qian Ye closed the hatch and asked, “How long until we reach the Zhao family’s defense zone? Is it urgent?”

The captain, with a worried expression, replied, “The journey isn’t too urgent, but once we reach the Zhao family’s fortress, the fleet will need to return for supplies. By then, the dark army will likely catch up, and that will be the critical moment.”

Qian Ye nodded and said, “That’s fine. I’ll go rest first.”

“Your injuries do require some rest. I’ll have some more medicine sent over.”

Qian Ye returned to the training room to continue his cultivation, accelerating his recovery. The real hardship would come when they reached the fortress.

The transport ship continued to shake, and the muffled sounds of explosions could be heard outside. The battle zone was getting closer, and the support ships were becoming increasingly overwhelmed. Each delayed support meant the destruction of a squad.

In such a situation, Qian Ye could only hide in the training room to recover, deepening his hatred for Bai Aotu.

In the Bai family’s camp, Bai Aotu sat cross-legged in the tent, facing Bai Kongzhao from afar.

“You said you wouldn’t bother Qian Ye anymore. Why now?”

Bai Kongzhao still had a slender figure, though slightly taller. Her long, disheveled hair was slightly curly and dry. Her skin was an unhealthy pale, almost transparent, revealing blue veins beneath. Her face and hands were covered with small wounds, some nearly healed, others new. Only her eyes remained as mysteriously beautiful as ever.

Hearing Bai Aotu’s words, the girl softly said, “This time, it wasn’t about Qian Ye. I wanted to kill Song Zining. When the opportunity arose, I acted.”

“Song Zining?” Bai Aotu frowned slightly, “Has he become so powerful?”

She knew Bai Kongzhao’s terrifying talent in combat and survival. If the girl said she had an opportunity, her target was certain to die. There was only one exception: Qian Ye.

However, Bai Aotu had just seen Song Zining, knowing he had only minor injuries, meaning Bai Kongzhao had completely failed.

Bai Kongzhao thought carefully and said, “He was much stronger than expected, especially with a life-saving fan. But in terms of value, that fan is like a second life. I’ve essentially killed him once already.”

Bai Aotu nodded, accepting this explanation. Such life-saving items were extremely rare and valuable, often causing great commotion. In a secret transaction, the empire once paid half an elite legion for an item that could withstand a god general’s attack.

So, Bai Kongzhao’s strike was equivalent to killing half of Song Zining.

The girl continued, “Additionally, Qian Ye was much stronger than expected. His pursuit prevented me from taking another shot. If you weren’t here, I might not have escaped. But next time, I’ll avoid him and not give him a chance to catch me.”

Bai Aotu frowned and remained silent for a while before saying, “Kongzhao, you are human. Why do this?”

“For survival, and for the empire.”

“Hmm?” Bai Aotu’s gaze, sharp as lightning, pierced Bai Kongzhao. Bai Kongzhao met her gaze without flinching.

“The reason?”

Bai Kongzhao placed a seemingly ordinary crystal in front of Bai Aotu. Bai Aotu, with her keen insight, immediately felt a shock and said, “A fragment of original crystal?”

The crystal contained a vast, surging sea of original force, full of vitality. However, its nature lay between darkness and dawn, limiting its use to most people.

Complete original crystals not only contain immense original force but also confer unique abilities. These abilities are usually very powerful, fundamentally enhancing the possessor’s combat power.

The original crystal fragment Bai Kongzhao presented did not contain unique abilities, but it provided a framework for one. If she cultivated, she could develop a powerful ability based on it.

Bai Kongzhao pointed to the crystal and said, “This is the down payment for killing Song Zining.”

A fragment of original crystal, just a down payment? Bai Aotu picked up the fragment and examined it closely. Suddenly, she asked, “Is this the kind of power you need?”

The girl nodded, “They have two more fragments. After killing Song Zining, they’ll give them to me. With these three fragments, I can become even stronger and continue to survive.”

Bai Aotu, rarely, sighed and asked, “Who are they?”

“I don’t know the true employer, only that they are from the Song family.”

Bai Aotu sneered, “The Song family! Even at a time like this, they’re still doing this. They must be truly beyond hope.”

“Alright, then what about your claim for the empire?” Bai Aotu asked again.

“In the Evernight side, I’ve made some acquaintances. They say if I kill Song Zining, they’ll give me a chance to kill a Marquis on their side. Additionally, there’s this.”

Bai Kongzhao placed a large sniper rifle in front of her and added a rectangular, completely blue metal bar next to it.

Bai Aotu’s expression changed slightly, “This is a demon sniper rifle, and it seems to be from a famous maker. Is this piece of metal the Azure Heart?”

“Yes, the Evernight side offered the Azure Heart. If I kill Song Zining, they’ll send someone to process it into the core of an original force rifle, replacing the current core of this gun.”

Bai Aotu picked up the sniper rifle and examined it for a while, pausing on the cursive script on the stock. This section contained the name of the gun and the signature of the craftsman, indicating it was a high-quality item.

Bai Aotu put down the sniper rifle and said, “So, this is an eighth-grade rifle. Can you use it?”

“If I get the other original crystal fragments, I can manage.”

The tent fell silent, with Bai Aotu watching the girl for a long time before sighing softly.

The girl sat quietly, her eyes filled with confusion, as if unsure of her actions or where she had gone wrong. Perhaps her inner world was extremely complex, or maybe simple, centered solely on survival and becoming stronger. And becoming stronger was for survival.

Bai Aotu didn’t know what to say and finally spoke slowly, “Such actions will bring you great trouble. Try to avoid them in the future. I won’t always be able to take the blame for you. From now on, you’ll have to rely on yourself.”

“Uh?” Bai Kongzhao seemed confused.

Bai Aotu didn’t continue and waved her hand, saying, “Go now. If you don’t leave soon, it’ll be too late.”

Bai Kongzhao was about to say something but suddenly jumped up like a startled cat, turning to look behind her. She grabbed the sniper rifle and the original crystal fragment and rushed out of the tent, disappearing in an instant. Before leaving, she still bowed to Bai Aotu.

Bai Aotu regained her calm demeanor and sat quietly.

Just then, a melodious yet angry voice resounded across the Bai family camp: “Bai Aotu, come out and meet your death!”

Even in anger, the voice was indescribably beautiful.