Qian Ye suddenly remembered that using the technique of Stabilizing All Directions in the Misty Forest would provoke a strong reaction. He couldn’t afford to think about anything else, quickly grabbing the Shadow Demon’s gray short sword, and hurriedly stripped off the gray outer robe in the last moment before turning and running.
This time, Qian Ye managed to escape fast enough. When a dozen or so aboriginal figures jumped down, they completely lost their target. They circled around several times, finding nothing, and dispersed reluctantly. No more strange beast figurines fell from the treetops. After running several kilometers and seeing no pursuers behind him, Qian Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief, slowing his pace to a steady speed as he continued on.
Just as this area calmed down, Aiden appeared on the scene. He cautiously looked around at the unmoving giant tree canopies, then lowered his head to examine the bodies of the four Shadow Demons, a look of pain in his eyes.
These Shadow Warriors were extremely powerful, especially skilled in tracking and ambush. Even for a renowned clan like the Dark Abyss, such warriors were rare. Their bloodline was from a small and hard-to-reproduce group among the demon race, and not everyone possessed the ability of invisibility. Moreover, the resources and equipment required to train them were incredibly expensive.
During the last war of the Behemoth’s Slumber, Aiden absorbed part of the void essence, significantly increasing his potential and gaining even greater attention from his family. As a baron of significant strength, he was destined to hold an important position as long as he didn’t die. This time, for the floating land campaign, his family specifically assigned him four Shadow Guards. Who could have imagined that in just a moment, they would be annihilated?
The purple substrate on the ground rippled slightly, like a breeze over a calm lake. Aiden knew these greedy substrates had smelled blood and were beginning to devour it. He immediately stepped forward, hoping to inspect the cause of the Shadows’ deaths before the substrate could, in order to find a way to counter Qian Ye the next time they met.
However, as he took a step, a flurry of sounds surrounded him. Countless small beasts and tiny figures burst from the giant tree capsules, their pairs of blood-red eyes locking onto Aiden.
Aiden looked around, noticing that several giant trees were shaking. The once quiet forest was now filled with killing intent. His heart jolted. Although he was not afraid of these beasts and aboriginal savages, it was impossible to face so many at once. In just his field of vision, hundreds had already fallen, with even more emerging endlessly from the tree canopy capsules.
If he didn’t leave now, he might be surrounded.
While the beasts and aboriginals weren’t a concern, Aiden was wary of Qian Ye. With the demon race’s research on the Misty Forest, Aiden keenly noticed a delay in the reactions of the purple substrate and the giant trees. He couldn’t be sure if Qian Ye had done something to cause this, and if the other was ambushing from the shadows, it would be quite interesting.
Aiden thought back to Qian Ye’s use of a standard sniper rifle, which had dealt such devastating damage. His eyes flickered with a cold intent to kill. A high-level standard gun was still a standard gun, and such extraordinary performance could only mean the sniper was exceptionally skilled. The human race’s sniping technology had always been a major threat to the dark races, and on the battlefield, a super sniper could cause more damage than an entire army.
Aiden became even more determined to eliminate this enemy by any means. However, he had no choice but to retreat immediately, watching as the substrate engulfed the bodies of the four Shadow Guards, three of whom still had their gear intact.
Qian Ye did not risk turning back. His current condition was dire, leaving him with almost no fighting power. His Dawnforce was nearly depleted, and his Blood Qi was desperately resisting the black titanium’s erosion. If he encountered a formidable enemy now, he might not even have the strength to fire an Origin Gun.
After estimating he had run over a hundred kilometers, Qian Ye stopped and found a safe place to rest. As he sat down and leaned against a tree, he let out a stifled groan and shot up. He had accidentally pressed against a wound on his back, and it was excruciatingly painful.
Time had passed, and the wound on his back had only partially healed, with residual black titanium hindering the recovery process. Though the golden blood had blocked further penetration of the black titanium and was slowly neutralizing its destructive power, the wound still needed time to heal.
Qian Ye slowly removed his upper body armor, looking at the large hole in his vest and the several slashes that had pierced through his armor. He felt grateful. If not for the extraordinary defense of his dragon, he might have fallen to those Shadow Guards.
Qian Ye rummaged through Anduia’s space and found a box of gunpowder bullets, remnants from a long-ago inventory, thrown in a corner and thankfully not discarded.
He extracted the gunpowder and sprinkled it over the wound on his back. He then rapidly rubbed two metal casings together. A loud bang, and a meter-high flame erupted from his back. Even with his endurance, he couldn’t help but stifle a groan.
The flames died down, and the skin on his back was charred black. He took out the blood-sucking blade and cut away the burned flesh, revealing a large amount of fresh blood. Now, the black titanium-corroded and necrotic flesh around the wound had been cleaned, and his body’s natural healing ability kicked in. The blood flow stopped, and new flesh began to grow, gradually closing the wound.
With the wound on his back treated, Qian Ye let out a long breath. He was exhausted, drenched in sweat, as if he had just emerged from water. There were still a few cuts on his back, but they were minor. Once the main wound stopped bleeding, his body’s regenerative abilities would take care of them.
Qian Ye took a look at the gray short sword he had picked up from the Shadow Guard’s corpse. It had a straight blade, suitable for both dagger and piercing use, with powerful armor-piercing capabilities. The blade contained black titanium, though the thin layer had little effect on Qian Ye, it still hindered the healing process. If it cut a typical human warrior, the black titanium would be highly toxic, similar to mithril’s effect on the dark races.
Besides, the material of these four short swords was quite rare, and in terms of quality, they could be considered grade six Origin weapons. Add the black titanium, and their price was exorbitant, likely fetching the price of a grade seven Origin gun on the market.
In the Empire’s black market, weapons containing black titanium were priced at least 50% higher than normal, far exceeding those with mithril. This seemed odd, as black titanium only affected those who cultivated Dawnforce. Yet, upon reflection, it made sense. In Qian Ye’s view, human internal conflicts were frequent, and black titanium was one of the rarest metals, originating entirely within the dark territories.
The gray robe seemed ordinary, but it was covered in intricate Origin arrays. The fabric alone was rare and costly, and the arrays enhanced invisibility and concealment. The value of this gray robe surpassed that of the short swords.
These Shadow Guards, with their superior equipment and innate skills, had almost overpowered Qian Ye. Unfortunately for them, they faced the overpowering force of Stabilizing All Directions. The demon race’s defenses were weak, and the Shadow Guards were specialized in stealth and assassination, lacking in direct combat. Qian Ye, with his heavy armor and greatsword, was their nemesis.
Tossing the gray short sword, Qian Ye felt the battle wasn’t a total loss. Though he hadn’t managed to secure proof of slaying the demons, the weapons and equipment were valuable, at least enough to cover the cost of repairing his dragon.
His back still throbbed with pain, occasionally itching deep within, making him want to scratch. These were signs of rapid self-healing.
To distract himself, Qian Ye reviewed the battle, his brows furrowing.
Signs indicated that the person who shot him from the shadows had similar stealth and sniping abilities. The patience and timing of the shooter were also terrifying. Most importantly, the distance from which the shot was fired, and Qian Ye’s ineffective counterattack, suggested the shooter’s field of vision was nearly as extensive as his own, if not slightly less.
With such an enemy, the Misty Forest was becoming even more dangerous.
Fortunately, the sniper didn’t pursue with the four Shadow Guards. This gave Qian Ye some idea of the sniper’s strength. Someone capable of firing such a powerful sniper rifle twice, even if their dark energy was nearly depleted, was at least a demon baron.
Qian Ye felt a chill. The demon race’s combat prowess was always superior to other dark races, and being targeted by a demon baron was not good. Yet, his internal Originforce was depleted, and restoring it wasn’t easy.
Drawing Voidforce with the Great Art of the Highest Warrior might attract the forest’s attention, and if a high-ranking dark race member detected the Voidforce, it would be suicidal. His limited supply of potions and stimulants was also ineffective, and their effects diminished as his strength increased.
Qian Ye sighed inwardly. If Dawnforce could be replenished like Darkforce, it would be wonderful.
But he laughed at himself. The Great Art of the Highest Warrior, refined by the Song Clan’s ancient text, was already a top-tier cultivation method with virtually no flaws. Was he still not satisfied?
Taking a deep breath, Qian Ye calmed his impatience, preparing to cultivate slowly. He wouldn’t display the Great Art unless he reached fifty rounds. Although it was slow, spending a night would allow him to recover.
Just then, a faint shadow flickered beside him, and a purple snake sprang from the ground, biting him on the hand.
Distracted, Qian Ye was caught off guard. But after the initial bite, he quickly seized the snake in his hand.
The snake fiercely resisted, wriggling its head and tail, biting him again. But Qian Ye’s hand glowed with a faint golden light, hardened by Blood Qi, making the bite ineffective.
Suddenly, Qian Ye felt a slight numbness in his wrist. Looking down, he saw a small red dot where the snake had broken the skin. The familiar tingling was a sign of poisoning.
Activating his golden blood, Qian Ye burned most of the poison, the remaining traces forming a transparent drop and oozing out. That the snake could affect him at all meant it was highly venomous.
He had never seen a snake in the Misty Forest before. This snake, fast as lightning and extremely venomous, was individually weak, but a swarm of thousands could force a level thirteen or fourteen human warrior to retreat. Otherwise, multiple bites could lead to death.
This was worse for the human race, as the dark races were much more resistant to poisons. The demon race, with their dark energy, was almost immune, and their resistance was only slightly less than Qian Ye’s.
“The forest’s malice is becoming more and more apparent,” Qian Ye frowned.
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