Deprived of the storm’s aid, Qian Ye fell like a stone toward the ground. At this moment, his heart palpitated even more strongly, and he found himself completely rigid, unable to move! All of his primordial force and blood energy were suppressed deep within his body, utterly immobile.
If it had been anyone else, they would have completely succumbed to this overwhelming, world-shaking pressure, regardless of their strength, for it was the fear that beasts felt in the presence of their emperor.
However, Qian Ye’s body only stiffened for a fleeting moment. Then, as if provoked, the dark gold blood energy and Dawn Awakening primordial force within him suddenly roiled. His blood core began to pulse powerfully, pumping the burning gold blood throughout his body. The two primordial force vortices also whirled rapidly, spewing out continuous streams of Dawn primordial force laden with crystalline particles, like a volcanic eruption.
With a boom, the soft armor on Qian Ye’s body shattered into pieces, and his combat suit was left in tatters. Yet, the dark gold blood energy swirled around him, with strands of sun-like primordial force rising up, forcibly breaking the pressure that had bound him.
The instant the intangible pressure shattered, Qian Ye suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. This blood seemed to be the burning gold blood, yet it was mixed with countless crystalline particles. The golden flames burning within the blood immediately ignited upon contact with the crystalline particles in the Dawn primordial force, turning the blood into a ball of raging fire that shot skyward with a roar.
After spitting out the blood, Qian Ye immediately felt a great sense of relief. The pressure that had been as heavy as mountains had vanished. In truth, the pressure still existed, but the rolling primordial force and blood energy within Qian Ye’s body now isolated him from it, preventing it from exerting its influence.
Under the omnipresent, intangible pressure, perhaps to confront a life-or-death crisis, the dark gold blood energy and Dawn Awakening primordial force showed signs of initial fusion, joining forces to resist the invisible pressure.
Qian Ye flipped over, landing gently on the ground. Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation and looked up at the sky.
A beam of white light appeared, shining from afar and streaking across the horizon, momentarily spanning the heavens before disappearing into the heart of the storm.
There, precisely where the spider demon duke and the Duke of Wei were engaged in a decisive battle.
In the path of the white light, no matter how dense the clouds, how fierce the winds, or how much flying sand and debris, all retreated to the sides, as commoners would make way for an imperial procession.
They did not vanish but retreated, making way for the light. And where the white light passed, it created a world of its own.
Witnessing this scene that defied all previous knowledge, Qian Ye was filled with both bewilderment and awe. In the face of such majesty that seemed to transcend all things, even the world itself, Qian Ye was powerless. If he had stood in the path of the white light, he would have involuntarily stepped aside. Now, due to the great distance, he was only countering the residual pressure and managed to break free. Even so, it required his full exertion of blood energy and primordial force to barely escape.
Suddenly, a thunderous clap echoed through the heavens, a massive sound wave that made the entire world seem to resonate with only one voice. When the sound wave reached Qian Ye, although weakened by his blood energy and primordial force, it still shook him, causing him to see stars and blood to trickle from his nose and eyes.
Staggering, Qian Ye still remained standing. He realized that it wasn’t thunder but the roar of the Evernight expert within the storm. Despite his shock, Qian Ye felt a hint of joy. The roar was filled with pain and anger, bordering on hysteria. Clearly, the Evernight expert had suffered a severe injury.
Was it the white light?
A thought flashed in Qian Ye’s mind, recalling a legend about the Imperial Family.
Far in the distance, a solitary boat floated in the sky. The boat, with its blue body and black canopy, looked like any ordinary vessel among the myriad rivers of the mortal world. However, its exquisitely crafted lines hinted at something extraordinary.
The storm had already spread to this area, yet the solitary boat remained motionless, unaffected by the fierce winds. Flying sand and rocks could not touch it, instead curving around in a natural arc and continuing their paths, an enigma beyond explanation.
This solitary boat seemed not to belong to this world or this realm, neither affected by the storm nor detectable by others.
On the boat stood several people, the foremost a young man with a dignified mien, holding an exceptionally long primordial force gun, pointing towards the center of the distant storm. The white light that had just appeared had come from this gun.
This primordial force gun was extraordinarily long, exceeding two meters from end to end. It was adorned with a vividly coiled snake, the symbol of the Great Qin Imperial Family. Unlike the coiled snake patterns known to the world, the snake on the gun had nine large scales on its back, with no scales on the rest of its body.
Among the nine scales, five bore human figures, each with a different expression: some glaring fiercely, others deep in thought, and some exuding innate authority. Their expressions, though different, bore a faint resemblance to the young man holding the gun.
Now that the white light had faded, the young man still held the gun, unmoving, as if time itself had stopped flowing.
Silence reigned on the boat, and after a moment, a middle-aged man with a long beard sighed, “All evil retreats, all beings pay homage! Such power truly befits the name ‘Emperor of Men’!”
A smile tugged at the young man’s lips. “This is the result of the tireless efforts of our ancestors.”
Another elder spoke slowly, “The efforts of the late emperors are indeed the foundation of the ‘Emperor of Men,’ but for Your Highness to wield it at such a young age, it is truly rare. Given time, I believe the sixth scale of the coiled snake will bear the image of the Fourteenth Prince.”
These words caused a stir among those present, and the Fourteenth Prince’s eyes shone with a dazzling light. Only the Emperor of the Empire could command the ‘Emperor of Men’ and continuously nourish it with his essence and primordial force. The meaning behind the elder’s words was clear.
But the light in the Fourteenth Prince’s eyes quickly faded, returning to his usual mild demeanor. He smiled bitterly, “I was only fortunate enough to barely wield the ‘Emperor of Men.’ How could I compare to the illustrious forebears who have achieved so much? The idea of imprinting the coiled snake is far-fetched.”
The elder, however, disagreed, stroking his beard with a smile, “When the time is right, even if we do not speak of it, those with the will shall know. Moreover, Your Highness, in this critical moment, you struck a vital blow, saving the Duke of Wei. Such a great deed cannot be ignored. In times when the fate of the empire hangs in the balance, modesty is not always the best course. Bravery and progress are necessary at times.”
The Fourteenth Prince smiled bitterly, “Not to mention future matters, even today’s feat was possible only with the support of all and the strategic planning of General Lin. How can I claim credit for it?”
As the conversation continued, with the Prince being modest and the ministers urging him on, the ‘Emperor of Men’ suddenly vibrated. Even the coiled snake, which had kept its eyes closed even when shooting the white light, slowly opened its eyes, looking down at the earth, seemingly fixated on something. An overwhelming aura of majesty rose from the coiled snake, coalescing in the air into a massive, coiled snake shadow, menacingly gazing at the ground.
It seemed to have encountered a formidable foe, its fighting spirit soaring, ready for a deadly confrontation.
The sudden movement of the ‘Emperor of Men’ startled everyone on the boat. However, never having seen such a sight, they were unsure how to react.
As the coiled snake’s eyes opened, the Fourteenth Prince let out a scream, feeling his primordial force being drained away. After already expending most of his primordial force in the previous strike, this new drain was unbearable. With a loud cry, he fainted, his vision going black.
With the Fourteenth Prince collapsing, the ‘Emperor of Men’ lost its source of primordial force. The coiled snake shadow in the air let out an angry and reluctant roar before slowly dissipating.
Everyone’s expressions changed dramatically, and they hurriedly tended to the Fourteenth Prince, finding that he had only fainted from excessive primordial force depletion. This injury, though fatal to most, could be easily cured by the Imperial Family’s capable healers and medicinal herbs.
The middle-aged man with the long beard, his face etched with deep concern, spoke meaningfully, “It seems the ‘Emperor of Men’ was just fighting something.”
Everyone’s faces changed.
The ‘Emperor of Men’ was one of the ten greatest guns in the world, and over the years, successive emperors had continuously enhanced its power. Though the Imperial Family did not publicly proclaim it, many privately believed it to be the greatest. What could have provoked the coiled snake to open its eyes and fight back was now becoming clear.
Led by the elder, after a brief pause, he said, “With His Highness unconscious and the ‘Emperor of Men’ without a wielder, it is not advisable to linger here, even on the Boat of Transcendence. We should leave now!”
No one objected. The boat swiftly turned, gracefully disappearing into the horizon as if it had never been there.
In the endless wilderness, Qian Ye stood firm, his wings of light spreading behind him as he gazed at the sky, precisely in the direction where the coiled snake shadow had appeared.
Just a moment ago, Qian Ye had once again felt the immense, indescribable pressure. This time, it carried a hint of killing intent and battle fervor, aimed directly at him. Although he could not see the coiled snake in the sky, Qian Ye felt as if an ancient, monstrous beast was staring at him.
This was a contest on an entirely different level. Not long ago, the residual pressure had nearly severely injured Qian Ye. Now, facing the full force of the pressure, though it was only an intangible pressure, it was enough to crush his primordial force and blood energy, causing him to collapse instantly.
At this moment, the dormant Primordial Wings suddenly burst forth, their light spreading, enveloping Qian Ye in a gentle glow, daring to confront the invisible beast in the air!
The confrontation lasted only a moment before the aerial majesty dissipated, followed by a growl of frustrated anger, like a rolling, rumbling thunder.
What was happening?
A series of rapid changes left Qian Ye bewildered. The inexplicable movements of the Primordial Wings gave him a vague idea. Before he could think further, a large shadow suddenly appeared in the sky, hurtling down with a roar.
Startled, Qian Ye darted to the side, avoiding it by a dozen meters.
With a loud crash, the shadow slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and leaving a shallow pit. As the dust cleared, Qian Ye saw a huge spider demon lying in the pit, its massive body and thick, dark primordial force indicating it was at least a marquis.
Yet, the spider demon marquis was clearly in a bad state. Its spider body was fully exposed, and its eight legs moved stiffly, struggling to stand. Its dark primordial force was in disarray. Upon seeing Qian Ye, it exclaimed, “You, how can you still move?”
This reminded Qian Ye of the moment the overwhelming pressure had almost paralyzed him. The spider demon marquis, without dark gold blood energy, Dawn Awakening, or Primordial Wings, was completely immobilized, falling from the sky and landing right by Qian Ye’s feet.
Looking at the spider demon marquis that had fallen from the sky, Qian Ye’s eyes took on a sinister gleam.
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