The ability to traverse the Demon Realm was unique to the Demon Kin, utilizing demonic energy to construct special pathways. Within these pathways, the Demon Kin could achieve immense speed boosts, instantly traversing distances of a thousand meters or more, making it an unparalleled skill for survival.
The Demon Realm traversal was both powerful and exceedingly rare. Qian Ye had only heard of it before, never having seen it in action. To his surprise, Aiden possessed this ability and even used it to escape the Original Gun’s lock-on and devastating attack.
Comparing this with the Void Flash he inherited from Andu Ya but had yet to master, Qian Ye became even more wary of the Demon Kin’s unique innate abilities. Void Flash allowed for direct spatial travel, while Demon Realm traversal ignored environmental factors to construct spatial pathways. Both were mysterious abilities involving void essence and spatial laws.
Even after witnessing the complete formation and activation process of the Demon Realm traversal, many aspects remained incomprehensible to Qian Ye. He couldn’t think of a way to interrupt this skill either. However, such a powerful skill must have significant costs, and Aiden was already injured. It was likely that he would retreat from the battlefield to recuperate for some time.
Qian Ye himself was in no better shape. The Original Gun had missed its target, and his origin power and blood qi were both nearly depleted. Not only did he dare not pursue, but he also needed to find a place to recover immediately to avoid being taken advantage of by others.
With a sigh, Qian Ye reflected that the deeper he delved into battles with the dark races, the more high-ranking warriors he encountered. He felt increasingly how vast and grand the world was, and how insignificant individual existence was. He wondered where the peak of power lay and what kind of vista awaited at the top.
Just as he turned, a crisp sound emanated from within him, as if something had shattered. In an instant, Qian Ye’s perception of the surrounding origin power became much clearer. The remaining traces of origin power in his body seemed to be celebrating, as if each breath could now draw in the ambient origin power.
Upon examining his body, Qian Ye found that a new origin vortex was forming in his lower abdomen.
Compared to the first fully developed origin vortex, this newborn one was still quite weak, merely a small swirling mist. However, a vast amount of origin power, several times its size, flowed into it like numerous streams converging into a sea. The tiny vortex appeared to connect to an endless ocean, absorbing everything without discrimination.
It seemed that the fierce battle with Aiden had finally shattered the last barrier, allowing the new origin vortex to form. Now, Qian Ye had taken the final step, entering the eleventh level of Dawn Origin Power. This was a natural progression, but it was still a joyous occasion.
As Qian Ye walked back a few steps, he suddenly exclaimed when he saw the massive sniper rifle, Shadow Hymn, lying on the ground. A few dozen steps away, a tactical backpack with purple substrate climbing up its straps was thrown aside.
Qian Ye rushed forward, grabbing the sniper rifle and tactical backpack before the substrate could consume them. It seemed that Aiden had discarded all his equipment to lighten his load when he activated the Demon Realm traversal. Qian Ye had to admire Aiden’s keen judgment; any hesitation would have left him vulnerable to the Original Gun’s strike, and he might have lost not just his equipment, but his head as well.
Holding Shadow Hymn, Qian Ye inspected it thoroughly inside and out, then tested the gun. This weapon was clearly made for the Demon Kin, primarily driven by demonic energy. Although other dark origin powers like blood qi could also activate it, the power was significantly diminished.
However, even with the reduction, its lethality far exceeded Thunderbolt. After all, Thunderbolt was only a standard sixth-level sniper rifle, whereas Shadow Hymn, a masterpiece of a seventh-level Demon Kin master, was vastly superior. One could say that even a single barrel of Shadow Hymn could fetch several Thunderbolts.
Carrying Shadow Hymn, Qian Ye’s mood brightened considerably, “At least this isn’t a total loss.”
He tried using both dark gold and purple blood qi, and on a whim, he injected some Dawn Origin Power. The runes on the gun’s barrel lit up brilliantly, but the temperature soared, turning the metal red-hot, on the verge of exploding.
Startled, Qian Ye quickly stopped. The Demon Kin master’s origin array was indeed extraordinary. While using Dawn Origin Power on a normal dark origin gun was difficult, it seemed that the renowned Demon Kin guns had a self-destruct mechanism. He wondered if the origin array could be modified.
If Aiden knew what Qian Ye was doing, he would be furious. Shadow Hymn was Demon Kin-specific, and using other types of dark origin power would reduce its power and accelerate its wear. If possible, Aiden would prefer to trade Shadow Hymn for a seventh-level Vampire-specific sniper rifle, Crimson Moonlight, and even throw in two boxes of black titanium sniper rounds.
Qian Ye, of course, didn’t care about Aiden’s feelings. As he looked at Shadow Hymn, another question arose. Due to the different origin arrays, the more advanced the origin gun, the more pronounced its factional attributes. The various races acknowledged that the Demon Kin had the highest mastery of array technology, making their high-level guns even more distinctive.
Yet, the legendary ten great guns had never been known to have factional conversion issues. If the driving force behind the ten great guns wasn’t attributed origin power, what could it be? Void Origin Power? And if so, what was the method to unleash the full power of the Original Wings?
In a perilous situation, Qian Ye didn’t dwell on it further. After stowing Shadow Hymn into the Andu Ya space, he opened the tactical backpack. Once again, Aiden didn’t disappoint. Though there weren’t many items, each was valuable.
Two sets of aiming scopes with different calibers that displayed origin power attributes, two boxes of black titanium sniper rounds, and four boxes of armor-piercing sniper rounds. There was also a spare short barrel.
The box containing the black titanium sniper rounds wasn’t large, and from its appearance, it was clear that each box held three clips. When Qian Ye opened it, he felt a sharp, stinging sensation on his face, indicating the high content of black titanium!
A quick glance revealed that each bullet’s tip was a near-transparent black, with wisps of smoke swirling around it. Even though Qian Ye wasn’t particularly affected by black titanium, he quickly closed the box.
Qian Ye had a hunch why Aiden came to the Misty Forest. These sniper rounds had a black titanium content several times higher than ordinary ammunition, making them ideal for dealing with human Marquises or higher-ranking Generals. Even a Divine General would have a hard time with them.
Aiden was inherently strong, adept at stealth sniping, and had the advantage of visibility in the Misty Forest. Killing a human General wasn’t out of the question.
But who would have thought that all this fine equipment would end up in Qian Ye’s hands. The armor-piercing sniper rounds were relatively ordinary, but compared to the six black titanium rounds, they were still beyond Qian Ye’s means. Firing one of these bullets was equivalent to firing a fourth-level gun, and only someone like Aiden would use them.
While Qian Ye had previously hated Aiden’s opulent gear, he now deeply wished Aiden could be even more extravagant. For a moment, Qian Ye’s killing intent waned, thinking that maybe he wouldn’t need to kill Aiden next time, just strip him of his equipment. Next time they met on the battlefield, Aiden would bring another set of top-tier gear.
Qian Ye chuckled, knowing this was just a fleeting thought. On the real battlefield, playing such a game would be suicidal.
He stowed all the captured equipment into the Andu Ya space. Calculating the time, he had completed the regional defense phase and could return to collect his reward.
Qian Ye and Aiden’s battle had largely taken place within his defensive area. Aiden, aware of Qian Ye’s destructive power, naturally wouldn’t let the dark forces come to their deaths. The occasional scout teams that strayed into the area were easily dealt with by Qian Ye, and the regional defense score should be quite good.
Settling military achievements was best done sooner rather than later, so Qian Ye set off on his return journey.
On the rocky desert, a new dark fortress was taking shape at the site of the Bai Clan’s old stronghold.
High above, a transport ship over three hundred meters long was slowly descending. This ship was extremely unusual, almost a hundred meters wide, resembling a massive box with protruding corners, exuding an inexplicable ugliness.
This was contrary to common sense, as the Demon Kin and Vampires were known for their aesthetic tastes. Their creations, from architecture to weapons, were renowned for their beauty and splendor, even attracting the admiration of the imperial nobility.
When Aiden appeared on the horizon, he saw the massive ship descending. It did not land at the airship landing field but hovered over a dedicated open area at the edge of the fortress, then began to descend. The area was evidently prepared specifically for it.
After landing, the ship’s outer walls opened, revealing that all the walls were detachable. Inside, formed buildings were exposed.
The ship’s four corner protrusions then rose, stopping at over a hundred meters. When the top armor plates opened, they revealed multi-barrel machine gun ports.
In an instant, four towers with both sentry and anti-air capabilities appeared within the fortress.
Hundreds of spider-demon warriors, assisted by servitor spiders, dismantled and carried the heavy walls, installing each several-ton piece onto the nearby fortress walls. The once skeletal framework of the wall instantly became a sturdy structure.
Before long, as the giant transport ship disassembled, a new fortress building rose from its landing site, growing higher and higher.
Another identical giant transport ship appeared in the sky, guided by the ground’s origin lights to land on another dedicated open area. At this rate, the new fortress would be completed in a few days, and it would be larger than the Bai Clan’s stronghold.
Inside the fortress, tens of thousands of slaves and laborers were busy, with an equal number of cannon fodder being driven to complete the finer details. Although the fortress was not yet complete, its style was clear: a mix of Demon Kin and Vampire, with the Demon Kin predominating.
As Aiden appeared, a squad of warriors rushed towards him.
The captain recognized Aiden and was shocked, “Lord Aiden, what happened to you?”
Aiden, with a cold expression, said, “No nonsense, take me to be treated!”
The captain shivered and immediately responded, “Yes!” He ordered the soldiers out of the vehicle, invited Aiden in, and drove directly to the medical area.
Halfway there, they passed a jeep coming from the opposite direction.
The driver and passenger of the jeep were a Demon Kin and a Vampire, respectively, while two flirtatious Vampire girls were giggling in the back, half-hanging over the front seats. The dark races’ discipline on the battlefield was far inferior to that of the humans, and many enjoyed considerable freedom when not in combat, provided they had the necessary strength.
As the two vehicles passed, the Demon Kin suddenly shouted exaggeratedly, “Hey! Isn’t that Aiden? What happened to you, looking so battered? Is this the Aiden I know? Haha, look at your arm, it’s almost broken. How are you still alive?”
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