Chapter 176: The Hunt

As Qian Ye flew by, two figures suddenly burst from the ground, seemingly intending to intercept him. One of them miscalculated Qian Ye’s speed and missed, but the other was exceedingly seasoned, somehow judging Qian Ye’s position in an instant and blocking his path.

Qian Ye, however, was consumed by rage. Seeing someone dare to block his way, whether intentionally or not, it fueled his fury. With a deep growl, he shouted, “You seek death!” He raised his sword, Dongyue, and swung it horizontally!

The strike was still some distance away from the opposing vampire, who sneered and did not flinch, clearly dismissing the power of Qian Ye’s aerial slash.

But in a flash, Qian Ye’s figure blurred and reappeared right before the vampire! The slash with Dongyue was no longer a feint but a lethal strike. The sword swept through, slicing the vampire and his own blade into two. Without a glance at the severed corpse, Qian Ye was already far away.

The vampire’s upper body remained suspended for a moment. He gazed down at his falling lower half, muttering something incoherent. Moments later, his upper body too began to descend. The formidable vitality of a First Viscount kept him from dying instantly, but even if he were rescued and regenerated in a blood pool, his strength would be severely diminished. For a true Eternal Night warrior, this might be a worse fate than death.

As his body hit the ground, burying his delicate face in the dirt, the First Viscount still muttered, “How… could this… happen…”

He was proficient in many secret combat techniques, especially in countering moves like the Void Slash. He could evade, dismantle, or even withstand such attacks, taking only injury. Yet, he never imagined Qian Ye would flash to his front in an instant. An aerial slash could never compare to the concentrated, hidden power of Dongyue.

Thus, with one stroke, the once-promising First Viscount met his end in the dust.

The other interceptor, also a First Viscount vampire, now hovered mid-air, staring at Qian Ye’s receding figure, his eyes blank and hands trembling. If his technique had been more refined, and he had intercepted Qian Ye accurately, then both of them would have fallen.

He suddenly thought that being weaker might not be so bad after all.

Qian Ye had no time to deal with the second interceptor. A mere First Viscount, whenever he met them, he would kill them, regardless of the timing. Now, catching up to the sniper was paramount. The attack had come without warning, and Qian Ye hadn’t sensed it at all. Just by this, the sniper’s skill surpassed Aidan’s.

Moreover, Qian Ye still couldn’t lock onto the assailant, almost feeling no presence, only tracking through the residual force waves in the air and a faint sense. Any delay could result in losing the chase. Such an enemy, if not killed early, would bring endless trouble.

The two shots had wounded Wei Po Tian and Song Zi Ning, which infuriated Qian Ye more than if he had been hit himself. The first shot was clearly aimed at Qian Ye, but for some reason, Wei Po Tian sensed it and blocked it for Qian Ye at a critical moment.

The fleeing assassin seemed to sense Qian Ye’s pursuit, making his aura even more obscure and his escape route more erratic. Qian Ye found the chase extremely arduous, nearly losing the trail several times, and had to slow down to avoid overshooting.

In this cat-and-mouse game, Qian Ye gradually deduced the assassin’s identity. In his life, only Bai Kong Zhao had made him chase so hard.

Several times, he had nearly caught her, but due to various reasons, he had let her slip away. This time, Qian Ye was willing to expose his void flash ability to eliminate this menace.

Bai Kong Zhao seemed to sense imminent danger and suddenly increased her speed, leaving clear traces, but also making Qian Ye’s pursuit more challenging. A slight mistake, and she would escape.

But Qian Ye spared no blood essence. Whenever he felt her pulling away, he used void flash to intercept. In this chase, Qian Ye gradually forced Bai Kong Zhao into wider and wider circles.

Icy blue flames flickered in Qian Ye’s eyes, knowing this was the beginning of Bai Kong Zhao’s end. She could no longer maintain distance and would eventually be discovered and locked onto. Qian Ye was determined: once he found her, he would use void flash to close in, deliver a Fang Ding Baifang, where Dongyue’s edge would be omnipresent, ensuring Bai Kong Zhao’s demise, no matter how she dodged.

At worst, she might retaliate on her deathbed, but Qian Ye was prepared to meet it head-on, giving her no chance to escape. With Golden Blood coursing through his body, Qian Ye’s strength rivaled that of a vampiric Earl. Bai Kong Zhao, at best, could severely injure him, but killing him would be next to impossible.

Now, Qian Ye became more patient, slowly circling Bai Kong Zhao, tightening the noose. The more experienced the hunter, the more cautious they become, as cornered prey becomes incredibly fierce.

On the distant horizon, a camp appeared. Any camp in this area now would be temporary. However, this camp was sizable and established by humans.

A sense of foreboding filled Qian Ye, and he immediately sped towards the camp, planning to intercept Bai Kong Zhao. As expected, Bai Kong Zhao also accelerated, charging straight towards the camp, no longer concealing herself.

After such a long chase, Qian Ye finally saw her slender figure, moving unbelievably fast, like a wisp of smoke heading to the camp. A slight sinking feeling overcame Qian Ye as Bai Kong Zhao, under full burst, moved much faster, twice her usual speed. Clearly, she had been conserving energy, looking for an opportunity to lose Qian Ye.

Qian Ye activated void flash, his figure flickering, rapidly closing the gap. Though Bai Kong Zhao was fast, nothing matched the short-distance sprint of void flash. Just as she was about to enter the camp, Qian Ye would catch her.

But then, a towering aura surged from the camp, like an ancient beast waking and its bloodthirsty gaze fixed on Qian Ye.

Qian Ye was shocked, instantly halting his momentum, wildly increasing his prime force, pouring it into Dongyue.

In the center of the camp, a fist rose.

The hand was slender, bony, and pale, with distinct knuckles like carvings, seeming unreal.

To Qian Ye, the fist felt unreal, and indeed, it was. The camp was still kilometers away, yet his vision was dominated by that fist, unable to see even the person wielding it.

The fist rose slowly, coming directly for Qian Ye’s chest, its intent clear and unmasked, making avoidance impossible. So domineering, rarely seen in the world.

The blow was vast, spanning mountains and plains, majestic and boundless, with crushing force.

Qian Ye knew evading would lead to a relentless pursuit, with no room for error. Void flash could help, but the range of the punch was too broad. Qian Ye’s void flash was rudimentary, requiring bloodline guidance, and might not escape the opponent’s lock.

In this life-or-death moment, Qian Ye steeled himself, without fear, panic, or anger, abandoning all thoughts of evasion. He landed, feet on the ground, Dongyue raised to the sky!

Dongyue’s edge trembled briefly, unleashing the partially mastered Fang Ding Baifang. Under the pressure, he unleashed his strongest strike ever.

This strike sought no finesse, only raw power!

The fist came straight, ignoring Dongyue, colliding with the sword.

In that instant, Qian Ye felt he had struck a mountain, and a speeding one at that. A deafening crash, and Qian Ye’s vision darkened, the world spinning as he flew backward, tumbling.

The fist halted, and a woman in a flowing robe appeared, as if the fist and she were separate entities, the punch having nothing to do with her.

Bai Ao Tuo!

She frowned, looking at her fist. A bloody mark appeared, then split, revealing flesh and bone, leaving deep scars on her finger bones, nearly half their depth.

Her bones glowed a faint green, like jade, unlike ordinary human bones.

Studying her wound, her frown deepened, puzzled why the punch had missed. Only then did she seem to remember Qian Ye, looking around.

Qian Ye flew a hundred meters before crashing to the ground, sliding another ten. His body, upon inspection, was riddled with injuries, numerous bones shattered, and internal organs torn, except for his crystallized blood core, which was only slightly damaged.

Coughing, Qian Ye spat out large clumps of blood. Bitterly, he realized he was severely injured, with no chance to retaliate.

Dongyue lay beside him, half-buried in the ground. Qian Ye grabbed the hilt, using it to stand, looking at Bai Ao Tuo, saying, “It’s you.”

Expressionless, she replied, “Of course. But I find it strange that my punch didn’t kill you. You must have many secrets.”

Leaning on the sword, Qian Ye stared at Bai Ao Tuo and laughed, “You want to kill me?”

“Not really, just one more punch will do.” Bai Ao Tuo was calm, as if discussing something unrelated.

Suddenly, Zhao Yu Ying’s voice echoed, “Qian Ye!”

She rushed over, reaching Qian Ye’s side in moments, seeing his blood-soaked chest, exclaiming, “What happened? Who did this to you?”

Before Qian Ye could answer, Bai Ao Tuo said, “Me.”