Chapter 84: A Exchange of Favors

In deep thought, Qian Ye put away the blood-sucking blade and quickly inspected the noble of the demon lineage, finally taking off an object resembling a family crest. A glance revealed a depiction of a dark swamp with a peculiar ancient tree at its center.

Qian Ye had never seen this emblem before, but the demon lineage was always shrouded in mystery. Apart from the well-known great families, many clans lived in their traditional territories, rarely interacting with the outside world. He had no interest in other spoils, only tucking away the crest.

At that moment, Qian Ye sensed something, reaching out to grasp Dongyue and pressing it onto the noble’s origin force furnace, causing it and the surrounding flesh to explode into fragments, erasing any trace of the lost essence blood.

Soon, Qian Ye recognized the two approaching auras as Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan, and he let out a slight sigh of relief, suppressing all his blood energy into his blood core, then activated the Great Mystic Army Decree, letting the dense dawn origin force wash through his veins.

In a blink, Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan appeared before Qian Ye. Seeing the fallen body of the demon noble, they were surprised. Both martial geniuses, they glanced around the ruins, piecing together most of the battle’s details.

Zhao Jundu’s expression turned cold again, nodding to Qian Ye. Li Kuanglan, however, looked him up and down, his gaze growing sharper, gradually turning an icy blue, his fighting spirit unmasked.

Zhao Jundu, his face now cold, stepped in front of Qian Ye, asking icily, “What do you want?”

Li Kuanglan smiled, “This guy owes me two favors, and he must accompany me in a life-and-death duel. On my path of growth, I need such a whetstone. I thought it would take a few years, but it seems he can already surprise me. I can’t help but want to give it a try.”

Zhao Jundu replied coldly, “If Young Master Kuanglan wants a whetstone, how about me?”

“Not much,” Li Kuanglan answered bluntly, “Fighting you won’t be very helpful for my martial path.”

Zhao Jundu frowned, but he acknowledged the truth in Li Kuanglan’s words. Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan followed similar martial paths, both focusing on rounded combat techniques and control of origin force. However, Zhao Jundu was more righteous and pure, while Li Kuanglan pursued lethality. Qian Ye, on the other hand, was entirely different, moving forward with sheer force, which clearly made him a better whetstone.

At this point, Qian Ye said, “I do owe him two favors. I will not avoid this life-and-death duel.”

Zhao Jundu waved his hand, unusually showing anger towards Qian Ye, “Shut up!” Then, looking at Li Kuanglan, he said word by word, “Those two favors, consider them mine. The duel is canceled.”

“Wait a minute…” Qian Ye began, but suddenly, a purple mist sprang from beneath his feet, binding him and silencing him. Qian Ye struggled, and the sea tide rose, causing the purple mist to waver, but it quickly deepened, turning into a vast green, rendering him immobile.

Li Kuanglan watched this with a half-smile, saying leisurely, “The two favors of Fourth Young Master Zhao have quite a high value.”

“So be it,” Zhao Jundu said.

Li Kuanglan adjusted his slightly disheveled hair, lazily adding, “Your two favors are too heavy; I can’t use them, but one is a bit of a loss. If you really want to take on this matter for him, add another condition.”

“Speak,” Zhao Jundu said.

“To tell the truth, I know Qian Ye because of Song Zining. If he also owes me a favor, then this exchange is complete.”

“Song Zining?” Zhao Jundu narrowed his eyes, a chill emanating from him, and he nodded, “Fine.”

“Do you think he’ll agree?” Li Kuanglan, curious, asked. In the information he had, Qian Ye and Song Zining were friends, but the Zhao and Song families had no particular relationship. If rumors were true, the Zhao family’s fourth young master, known for his outstanding talent, did not hold the dashing seventh young master in high regard. So, what price would Zhao Jundu pay to convince Song Zining?

Zhao Jundu responded coldly, “He has no choice.”

Li Kuanglan’s eye twitched, pondering, “Alright…”

Qian Ye, who had been standing aside, could no longer bear it. Activating the power of the sea, he shattered the Eight Directions Seal in a roar. Once free, he exclaimed, “No good!”

Seeing Qian Ye break free from Zhao Jundu’s Eight Directions Seal, even if it was the simultaneous destruction of two domains, Li Kuanglan’s eyes flashed with surprise. Observing Qian Ye’s intense reaction, Li Kuanglan’s eyes flickered, and he suddenly said to Zhao Jundu, “Then let’s settle it this way.”

Zhao Jundu immediately agreed, “Fine.” As he spoke, he reached out and rubbed Qian Ye’s head, a seemingly soothing gesture that actually carried a dominating force, silencing Qian Ye once more.

Meanwhile, in the imperial camp, Song Zining, with a serious face, was about to don his mystical silver ghost mask when he suddenly sneezed several times, losing his air of a skilled warrior. Astonished, he couldn’t help but curse, “Damn, who’s plotting against me?”

In the ruins, Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan, each with their own thoughts, settled the matter, completely ignoring Qian Ye’s objections. The two, having reached an agreement, looked at each other, then at the dejected Qian Ye, and fell silent.

Qian Ye, knowing Zhao Jundu’s character, realized that talking now was futile and decided to deal with Li Kuanglan privately later.

Zhao Jundu broke the silence, asking, “Qian Ye, did you kill that demon noble?”

Qian Ye, having prepared his answer, said candidly, “Yes. The terrain here is narrow, and he engaged me in close combat. Naturally, he met a bad end.”

This explanation was reasonable and matched the battle traces Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan had seen. Most demons were not power-based, and although their bodies were generally stronger than those of humans, the difference was limited. Their strength lay in their various unique innate abilities.

Qian Ye’s power and martial skills, however, could be extremely terrifying in a short burst, especially in confined spaces where concentrated force was more effective. The demon noble, trapped in such an environment, had no way to escape and met a dire fate.

“Did you notice any powerful enemies nearby?” Li Kuanglan asked, still preoccupied with the dark golden light.

Qian Ye replied, “Before I was surrounded, there was another dark noble, but he never appeared afterward.” This was not the answer Li Kuanglan sought.

Zhao Jundu decisively said, “Let’s not worry about that. It’s rare for us to meet, so let’s act together.”

Li Kuanglan smiled, drawing a sketch of the main castle tower on the wall, “The main castle tower is here. We can open a passage to the right and enter from this spot.”

Zhao Jundu’s “we” clearly did not include Li Kuanglan. Looking at the smiling blue-clad youth, he didn’t waste time and effort, tacitly agreeing. His finger flickered with purple qi, and he drew a route on the sketch, “Fine, each of us will search a passage, advancing side by side. If we encounter a strong enemy, the other two can quickly support.”

Li Kuanglan nodded, “We should reach the top floor as fast as possible. There’s a marquis there who earlier launched the fire net to intercept the floating boat’s cannonballs, but he should be drained now. Together, we should be able to take down this big fish. Let’s go; we don’t want someone else to steal the glory.”

Zhao Jundu led, Li Kuanglan followed, and Qian Ye brought up the rear. The three formed a temporary team, charging out of the ruins toward the main castle tower.

Such a team was invincible on the battlefield. After just one fight, they developed a synergy. In battle, Zhao Jundu would directly control the opponent with the Eight Directions Seal, and Li Kuanglan would follow with a sword strike. If an opponent survived Li Kuanglan’s strike, they would find Qian Ye and his Dongyue waiting.

Even if the Eternal Night had more people, or Count Gad led them, they would only face slaughter. The three crushed all opposition, reaching the top of the castle. At the last staircase, they finally encountered an opponent.

A tall, slender elder of the bloodline stood there, his snow-white hair without a single strand of color. His face was notably square and long, with a chiseled look that made him memorable. His shirt had old-fashioned ruffles, and his black tie bore a small ‘Z’.

He stood before the hall’s entrance, maintaining a smile, not seeming to be facing a life-or-death battle, but rather welcoming old friends.

Seeing this bloodline, Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan both changed expressions. Li Kuanglan slowly tightened his grip on Cold Moon Cage Sand, saying, “Julio.”

Julio smiled softly, “It’s an honor that at this time and place, there are still opponents who remember me, even if we’ve never met. Perhaps I’m wrong; maybe I’ve met one of you gentlemen before.”

As he spoke, Julio’s gaze fell on Qian Ye, contemplative. But he seemed to recall nothing, shaking his head with a self-mocking tone, “It seems I need to return to the blood pool for a while. My memory is failing.”

Li Kuanglan sneered, “The blood pool isn’t necessary. I think the River of Fresh Blood would suit you better.”

Julio pondered seriously and then nodded, “That’s a good idea.”

Zhao Jundu interjected, “Are you stalling for time? That’s pointless.”

Julio laughed, “Stalling? Young friend, no, that’s indeed pointless. Neither the Lightless King nor Marshal Rocksa will come to our rescue. From the moment your strongest king entered the battle and the Queen of the Night did not, everyone in this camp was abandoned.”

Zhao Jundu frowned, “Why don’t you leave? If you go now, we won’t stop you.”

Li Kuanglan, uncharacteristically, did not object. They knew well that a marquis of the bloodline was one thing, but a powerful marquis like Julio and Nana was another.

Even though Julio had exhausted much of his blood qi in the aerial defense, a final desperate stand could at least drag one of the three to his death. Currently, the weakest, recently battled Qian Ye, was the most likely target.

Julio, hearing this, neither rejoiced nor grew angry, but sighed deeply, “In life, one encounters battles where the outcome is known yet cannot be abandoned. It is the fate of a warrior, a destiny the heirs of sacred blood cannot escape.”

Qian Ye exchanged glances with the two, knowing the battle was inevitable. And from Julio’s tone, he was determined to die in this battle.