Qian Ye arched his body, using the deep trenches and boulders as cover, approaching the battlefield like a phantom.
Perhaps engrossed in the slaughter, Bai Kongzhao did not notice Qian Ye’s approach. Her adversaries were not only the dark races but also a small contingent of Imperial soldiers at the center of the battlefield. As she passed by a colonel guarding the outer perimeter, her hand lightly touched his neck, as gentle as a lover’s caress. In an instant, the colonel’s head was forcibly “plucked” off!
The entire hunting process was just a fleeting moment. The Imperial colonel offered no resistance; he hadn’t even noticed Bai Kongzhao’s presence, still fiercely engaging the dark races opposite him.
On the battlefield, nearly a hundred dark races had surrounded the two dozen Imperial soldiers, launching a ferocious assault. However, with Bai Kongzhao’s sudden appearance, wherever she went, life ceased to exist. Both dark races and Imperial soldiers fell in droves, the area becoming a death zone. She seemed to have no purpose other than pure carnage.
Qian Ye took a deep breath, pulling out the Ode of Shadows for the first time. He loaded it with a sniper round containing black titanium and slowly infused it with blood energy.
The Ode of Shadows gradually responded, awakening from its slumber. Deep emerald lines on the gun’s body lit up one by one, while the barrel became a bottomless abyss, the blackness taking on a life of its own.
Seeing the blood energy take effect, Qian Ye felt a surge of joy and accelerated the input, fully activating the Ode of Shadows.
Once fully activated, Qian Ye felt as if the massive gun had become an extension of his body. His senses could extend through it, greatly expanding his range. Even with his eyes closed, he could clearly “see” everything within a hundred meters with the Ode of Shadows.
Qian Ye now understood why Eden could match his vision with the True Sight Eye in the Misty Forest. The Ode of Shadows was part of the answer.
Though both were seventh-level guns, compared to the Ode of Shadows, Thunderbolt was in a different league. A standard issue weapon for the Imperial military, Thunderbolt barely made the seventh level by vastly amplifying its power. It lacked special functions and had numerous flaws, such as the deafening roar that gave it its name. In battle, this meant the sniper had to relocate after each shot, even heavy artillery couldn’t suppress its noise.
Qian Ye had experienced the Ode of Shadows’ power firsthand. In terms of sheer force, this gun far surpassed Thunderbolt, reaching the pinnacle of the seventh level. Though Qian Ye used blood energy to drive it, which limited its full potential, it was enough to deal with Bai Kongzhao. The girl was renowned for her innate killing talent and terrifying instincts, not for her physical strength.
Extending his perception through the Ode of Shadows, the moment he sensed the girl, he pulled the trigger!
The Ode of Shadows emitted a strange, low-pitched roar, like a choir singing in bass. The bullet, shrouded in shadows, blurred and flew towards the girl’s back.
With this sudden attack from less than eight hundred meters, Qian Ye knew Bai Kongzhao was doomed.
For a moment, Qian Ye felt a sense of emptiness, mixed with reluctance. If Bai Kongzhao were on the battlefield, her contributions would be no less than Qian Ye’s. If she continued to serve the Empire, she might become a pillar of strength. Unfortunately, her killings were senseless, without regard for friend or foe, making her a madman. Such a dangerous lunatic could not be allowed to live.
Qian Ye’s reluctance dissolved like a bubble. As he was about to stow the Ode of Shadows, he froze.
In a critical moment, Bai Kongzhao miraculously sensed something and turned to look at Qian Ye. As she turned, her body contorted into a bizarre angle.
A spray of blood erupted from her shoulder, almost half of it gone, with her right arm barely attached. Under the impact of the sniper round, the girl flew sideways over ten meters, crashing to the ground like a broken doll.
The moment she hit the ground, the girl sprang up and quickly retreated, her speed unhampered.
Qian Ye watched in disbelief as Bai Kongzhao vanished from sight. He didn’t pursue; the distance between them was too great, and she was too adept at hiding. In this complex terrain, she could easily conceal herself, making it nearly impossible for Qian Ye to find her.
Shaking his head, Qian Ye stowed the Ode of Shadows. The bullet contained black titanium; even if she survived, she wouldn’t last long. This menace was finally eliminated, but Qian Ye felt no relief.
Qian Ye gathered himself, charging into the battlefield, directly cutting into the dark races, the Twin Flowers roaring continuously. With his martial skills improving, so did his marksmanship. Each shot from the Twin Flowers hit a vital spot, and every time a shot rang out, an enemy fell, regardless of their level.
An enraged Spider Demon baron held his war axe and charged at Qian Ye, bellowing.
Without looking, Qian Ye fired a shot. The Spider Demon baron spewed a gush of blood, his head snapping back. No matter how resilient the Spider Demon or how thick his armor, being hit in the mouth with a Bloodthorn Mandala was devastating. The reinforced power shattered the lower half of his face.
Raising his left hand, Qian Ye fired another shot, hitting the previous wound, exploding the remaining half of the Spider Demon baron’s head.
As the strongest in their group, the Spider Demon baron was the only one who required two shots from Qian Ye, a twisted acknowledgment of his strength.
The baron’s death finally broke the dark races’ morale. They dispatched a dozen men to hold the rear while the rest withdrew.
Qian Ye snickered inwardly, preparing to bypass the rearguard and chase down the fleeing enemies, then return to finish off the rearguard, as he had done countless times in the Misty Forest. Under Qian Ye, very few managed to escape.
However, the rearguard was already resigned to death. Seeing they couldn’t stop Qian Ye, they switched targets, launching a desperate attack on the surviving Imperial soldiers, willing to die together. In moments, several Imperial soldiers fell under their frenzied assault.
Sighing, Qian Ye had to turn back to save them. Otherwise, by the time he killed the fleeing ones and returned, fewer than ten Imperial soldiers would be alive.
When Qian Ye came back, the fate of even the most formidable dark warriors was the same: a bullet to the head. In no time, Qian Ye cleared the rearguard and resumed chasing the fleeing enemies.
Moments later, having eradicated two fleeing squads, Qian Ye pursued the third. Two more squads had escaped too far to be caught.
This squad consisted entirely of werewolves, all in their beast forms, sprinting at full speed. Yet, Qian Ye was faster, closing the distance rapidly. Once within range, he raised the Phantom Flower, aiming at the lead werewolf. A hit here would cause agonizing illusions, disrupting the other werewolves’ speed.
Just as he was about to fire, a warning sense surged in Qian Ye, and he dove forward without hesitation!
A bullet whistled by, striking Qian Ye’s back at an angle! The Dragon Scale armor dented and a piece was torn off, flying far. The massive kinetic energy sent Qian Ye tumbling in the air before crashing to the ground, smashing a boulder.
Qian Ye spat out a mouthful of blood but rolled to a crouch, the Ode of Shadows in hand, pointing in the direction of the sniper. Several hundred meters away, Bai Kongzhao stood behind a boulder, staring at Qian Ye in disbelief, unable to fathom how her sure shot had missed.
Her right hand hung limply at her side, her shoulder crudely bandaged with torn cloth. Her left hand held a sniper rifle taller than her, trembling slightly. The recoil of a sniper rifle powerful enough to throw Qian Ye demanded a price, and if not for her becoming a warlord, it would have shattered her left arm.
Qian Ye’s pupils narrowed, noticing the enormous sniper rifle in Bai Kongzhao’s hand, with a menacing elegance in its deep black form, unmistakably of demon kin style. The tall, lean demon kin favored sniper rifles longer than two meters.
Seeing Qian Ye stand, Bai Kongzhao leaped like a startled rabbit, dragging the massive sniper rifle, vanishing into the undulating rocks.
Qian Ye did not, nor could he, pursue. His insides were severely shaken, even his bloodline-enhanced organs had shifted. This injury, while not serious, required half a day’s rest. Any strenuous activity would turn it into a grave injury.
Slowly standing, Qian Ye stowed the Ode of Shadows in Anduai’s space and checked his body. The real injuries were internal, but with his recovery, they would heal in half a day. The external wounds were minor. The Dragon Scale, however, was badly deformed, uncomfortable to wear, and Qian Ye removed the chestplate.
Perhaps fearing she wouldn’t kill Qian Ye, Bai Kongzhao had chosen a kinetic bullet over an armor-piercing one, relying on severe shock to incapacitate, especially effective against heavily armored targets. Even a specially armored vehicle would have its occupants jolted to death by such a shot. Had it hit a heavily armored human warlord, it might not penetrate the armor, but the person inside would be turned to pulp.
Staring at the deformed Dragon Scale, Qian Ye sighed, unsure if it could be repaired. Without it, Qian Ye would have faced several life-threatening situations, possibly dying in his first encounter with Eden. But now, after repeated damage, the armor was nearing its end. Even if fixed, its defense would be compromised. Another hit, and it would need to be remade.
Suddenly, Qian Ye recalled something. Where did Bai Kongzhao get that sniper rifle, seemingly appearing out of nowhere?
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