Qian Ye stood firmly in place, unwavering. The one who had crashed into him staggered back, retreating seven or eight steps before barely stabilizing himself. His vision blurred, and blood immediately seeped from the corner of his mouth. This full-force collision was like hitting a stone wall; his original force was completely rebounded, causing him significant injury.
“Dare to crash into me? I’ll end you…” The man raised his head, rubbing his eyes vigorously, and upon recognizing Qian Ye, the stream of curses and threats abruptly ceased. Instead, he plastered on a smile, bent over, and repeatedly apologized, “Lord Qian Ye! I didn’t know it was you…”
As he spoke, he continued to retreat, then turned and fled, vanishing from sight.
Qian Ye vaguely remembered this person—a lone hunter who operated on the mainland, with an eleven-level original force.
Seeing the man’s sudden change from arrogance to obsequiousness, Qian Ye felt a bit of his annoyance dissipate. It seemed that his recent displays of power, especially dealing with Duri, had some effect. The upper echelons of the nobility might not care, but these mercenaries and bounty hunters, who lived by the sword, were practical and only respected strength.
On the way back, Qian Ye encountered another unexpected person—Duri. At this moment, Duri was half-lying in the back seat of an off-road vehicle, his face as pale as paper, breathing irregularly.
The off-road vehicle had come from the direction of the field hospital, indicating that Duri had just finished treatment. However, the fact that he needed a vehicle for such a short distance suggested his injuries were severe.
Qian Ye extended his hand to stop the off-road vehicle. Duri inside immediately tensed, instinctively sliding to the far end of the seat, staring at Qian Ye and saying, “You, what do you want? We’ve already fought.”
“No harm, I just wanted to check on your condition. I didn’t use my full strength.” Qian Ye smiled.
Duri forced a grimace, more painful than a real smile, “I… I’m fine!”
He was anything but fine. The last move where Qian Ye lifted and slammed him into the ground left him with numerous hidden injuries. Though not fatal, they would cause considerable suffering.
Qian Ye nodded, casually asking, “Where are my spoils?”
Duri’s expression changed again, clearly pained, gritting his teeth, “Everything I had was given to the Li family to be handed over to you! I followed the agreement exactly!”
“I was just asking,” Qian Ye smiled, then stepped aside to let the vehicle pass.
Returning to his quarters, Qian Ye quietly cultivated for a day and night, using the Radiance Chapter to purify the unrefined original force within him. The dragon coiled around him was also repaired. Thus, Qian Ye equipped himself and left the base once more.
Whether it was fate or mere coincidence, on the third day deep in the Misty Forest, Qian Ye, looking at the seemingly normal mist, suddenly felt a stirring in his heart, knowing he had encountered Aiden again.
The Misty Forest was vast, and the frontline between the two factions stretched endlessly. The four battle zones were now connected, spanning thousands of miles. In such conditions, Qian Ye and Aiden had met again.
However, neither immediately acted, instead facing each other silently through the mist.
Qian Ye knew Aiden had spotted him, though he still didn’t understand how Aiden detected him. Likely, Aiden was equally puzzled about Qian Ye.
Qian Ye raised Thunder, hesitated, then slowly lowered the barrel. Although he had a rough lock on Aiden’s position, a few hundred meters apart, both could easily dodge sniper rounds. An ambush without the opponent’s awareness was the only way to land a hit.
Firing a shot now would be futile and would start a prolonged battle.
Fighting Aiden was highly beneficial. Apart from military merit, the constant life-and-death battles greatly improved Qian Ye’s combat skills and led to new insights, evident in his fight with Duri.
In terms of Dawn Original Force, Duri’s cultivation matched his level, even surpassing Qian Ye. Yet, this slight advantage was useless in combat. Duri was completely overwhelmed, not even blocking a single move.
The gains were immense, but there were repercussions. Qian Ye thought of the contract and two lists sent by Li Tianquan. He was unwilling to bear undeserved criticism and leave, so he decided to challenge the rankings and aim for the top.
Qian Ye was not ignorant of politics. He sensed Li Tianquan’s aggressive actions against him were partly due to another faction’s influence and partly because the Li family’s military situation was too smooth. Exceeding expected merits and low casualty rates had secured Li Tianquan’s position.
This outcome was partly due to Qian Ye. A strong individual with superior vision, adept at concealment and assassination, and possessing multiple powerful talents, was terrifying in the Misty Forest. Qian Ye knew this all too well.
If he continued to tangle with Aiden, he would miss the ranking list.
“If…” Qian Ye shook his head, not completing the thought, and did not attack.
As if by unspoken agreement, Qian Ye’s inaction was mirrored by Aiden. Qian Ye knew he hadn’t moved.
Aiden gently stroked the Abyssal Hymn, recalling his father’s final words.
“Your combat experience is good, but your results are unacceptable. If you can’t show better results next time, I won’t be able to defend you at the upcoming family council. While I hope my direct descendants can be candidates, without sufficient strength, holding that position is suicide.”
The Abyss Council meeting held special significance for Aiden. Every three years, it discussed the succession order.
Elders set a standard based on all heirs’ performances, eliminating those below the line. This narrowed the pool to concentrate resources on the strongest.
Currently, Aiden was in the middle, in a precarious position, potentially being eliminated. This was partly due to his age and Elder Pars’ hands-off approach. Regardless, the criteria wouldn’t be lowered.
Before the council, the floating land battle was the only place to gain significant merit. All listed heirs, except the top-ranked, participated. Aiden’s recent performance was the worst.
Thinking this, anger flared in Aiden’s eyes, red spreading. If not for the prolonged battles, his rivals wouldn’t have surpassed him. A momentary impulse made Aiden want to blast Qian Ye with the Abyssal Hymn and reclaim his Shadow Ode.
Reason stopped him. Aiden knew the man opposite was incredibly strong and growing fast.
In their first battle, Aiden almost killed Qian Ye. By the last, Aiden was the one fleeing. Despite the surprise factor and Aiden’s certainty that the powerful shot couldn’t be repeated, Qian Ye’s progress was undeniable.
This was a miracle of the weak human race, where short-lived beings grew rapidly, baffling even dark deities.
Aiden slowly lowered the Abyssal Hymn, glanced at Qian Ye, and quickly moved in another direction.
Qian Ye was slightly surprised but didn’t intervene. The forest was vast enough for both. As Aiden disappeared, Qian Ye stowed Thunder, changed direction, and headed toward the central cave.
Qian Ye knew this encounter was different. Even if they met again soon, they might not fight. When they did, it would likely be a duel to the death.
After parting from Aiden, Qian Ye’s luck seemed to improve. Soon, he encountered a small Dark Race unit.
The unit, a mix of races, well-equipped, specialized in hunting Empire scouting teams or lone strongmen. Led by a spider demon baron, the team’s composition, discipline, and reconnaissance units with vision over two hundred meters made them formidable. Only experienced hunters, like Lu Sha and his team, could take them on with caution.
But these rules didn’t apply to Qian Ye. From five hundred meters away, he locked onto the spider demon. When the thunderous sound reached the Dark Warriors, the spider demon’s back was already blown apart, his upper body nearly severed.
Despite their resilience, timely treatment could save the spider demon. Qian Ye’s shot, though not lethal, disabled him.
Qian Ye put away Thunder, rushed forward, and circled the unit, firing the Twin Flowers, picking off high-level warriors. Their rapid fire and low consumption were perfect for this, disabling even those not immediately killed.
After a continuous barrage, a baron, three knights, and several others fell. Qian Ye remained in the mist, never giving them a chance to counter. Especially the baron, a formidable opponent, was felled by three quick shots.
In moments, the unit’s combat power was shattered. Qian Ye then leisurely drew the Dongyue, charged in, and with a flash, appeared in the center of the dark warriors.
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