Chapter 63: The Return

“The Empire? Impossible! I am a descendant of the Holy Blood.” Ye Tong’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Qian Ye had thought it through and said slowly, “The Evernight is not part of the Empire’s territory. We won’t go to the heart of human-occupied areas, but live on the borders. There are many half-breeds here, and even humans with dark primal force. As long as you hide your bloodline well and do not use all your power, no one should be able to recognize you as a vampire.”

“No fighting? What will I do every day then?”

Qian Ye looked into Ye Tong’s eyes and smiled, “I will fight, and you can stay at home, waiting for me to return.”

“But…” Ye Tong wanted to argue, but as she saw Qian Ye’s gaze and listened to his words, she felt as if she were melting and could not say anything more.

She buried her face in Qian Ye’s chest and whispered, “There are no secrets that can last forever. Have you considered that one day my identity will be discovered, and it will implicate you?”

“If we are found out, I will take you even further away. The world is so vast, with twenty-seven continents; there must be somewhere we can live.”

Ye Tong was silent for a moment, then softly, with a touch of longing, she asked, “What kind of life would it be?”

Qian Ye smiled and asked, “Can you cook and wash clothes?”

Ye Tong thought seriously for a moment and said uncertainly, “Our tastes in food should be similar, right?”

Qian Ye laughed, and Ye Tong, realizing what he meant, poked him hard.

Qian Ye tightened his arms around her, lowered his head to kiss her forehead, and said, word by word, “I will definitely protect you.”

“Mm, I believe you.”

They embraced for a while longer, then, one after the other, they began to make their way up, preparing to leave this underground cave world.

From deeper below, fierce primal force fluctuations occasionally echoed, sometimes shaking the entire cave passage. Clearly, true powerhouses were fighting with all their might. The places where these intense battles occurred shared a common trait, as if some vast, cryptic will was calling out. Qian Ye had seen ancient essence shattering during the celestial ghost battle and recognized the aura of the essence fragments clearly.

Only now did he feel a chill, realizing how lucky he and Ye Tong had been.

The ancient essence fragment they encountered had not remained activated, and its aura had not spread far. Besides the possibly nearby Xu Lang, no one else had been disturbed. Otherwise, judging by the fierce battles happening deep in the cave, even if both of them were at their peak, working together, their chances of success would be slim.

Qian Ye and Ye Tong both had the ability to conceal their bloodlines. They suppressed their auras and passed through several beasts’ territories without incident. Even when they encountered a few powerhouses from the Evernight and the Empire, the others were in a hurry to join the battles deeper in and sensed nothing special about them, so they passed by without conflict.

Their return journey was much faster than their arrival. Only when they neared the surface did they encounter some stray natives and beasts in the outer passages. For Qian Ye and Ye Tong, clearing these threats was effortless. Finally, they left the mountains formed by the bones of an ancient void beast on a moonlit night.

The strange forest still appeared quiet, and the purple-black substrate on the ground was no different from when they came. It felt slightly soft underfoot, but otherwise, there was nothing unusual.

However, Qian Ye and Ye Tong knew it was just an illusion. Under the purple substrate lay countless bones that had become nutrients, blending into the substrate.

Maintaining a distance of a hundred meters, Qian Ye and Ye Tong took turns advancing. At this distance, they could ensure they stayed within each other’s sight and detect enemies early despite the dense fog. Most opponents would only see one of them, allowing the other to launch a lethal strike from the side.

Qian Ye walked ahead and suddenly looked up at a giant tree in the distance. Its spherical crown was damaged, some parts had grown back, but many hive-like openings remained, their contents unknown.

He turned to look at Ye Tong, and both remembered the sudden surge of natives and beasts from behind. Looking at the forest, it seemed much more eerie and sinister.

Although the atmosphere in the misty forest was oppressive, the journey was peaceful. They didn’t encounter any fierce natives, and the occasional scouting teams from the Evernight and the Empire were of lower ranks, easily avoided. Qian Ye also recognized two members of minor families who had dealings with the Zhao clan, and learned about the latest movements of the two camps.

After a few days, they crossed the forest and exited the stone forest. Qian Ye climbed to a high point and gazed into the distance. Immediately, he saw three flags. Two belonged to the Evernight Parliament, and one was the flag of the Empire. Each flag marked the site of a base. Although Qian Ye had heard about this, seeing the extensive fortifications in such a short time still surprised him.

It turned out that the deep sleep of the void beast on the Evernight continent indeed contained a void passage. However, since this world itself was a floating land in the void, the void passage was essentially one-way, and only Sovereigns and Lords could return using their individual strength.

Once the two factions understood the spatial characteristics, they began building bases centered around the mountain of the void beast’s skeleton. Construction was still in full swing, with the Evernight side maintaining a two-to-one advantage over the Empire.

After surveying the surroundings, Qian Ye found a secluded spot and, from the Anduya space, took out clothing for Ye Tong to change into. She put on a warrior’s outfit common among high-born family retainers, along with an imperial sword and short gun, and covered herself with a hooded cloak.

Her arms and thighs were wrapped in bandages with faint traces of blood, and her face was also bandaged in two places. With a dust mask pulled down, only her black hair and eyes were visible, the most common features in the Empire.

The already established and flagged base seemed somewhat desolate compared to the ongoing construction. Dozens of imperial soldiers stood guard at the entrance, and several high-speed floating ships were parked in the landing area behind.

As Qian Ye and Ye Tong approached, the originally lazy soldiers became alert, pointing their guns at them. The turrets on either side of the base gates also turned towards them.

“Halt! Who goes there?” the guard shouted from a distance.

Qian Yan took out the identification badge issued by the military before leaving and pointed to the Yanyun Iron Riders emblem on his shoulder, saying, “Zhao clan, Qian Ye.”

Over the past few days, the Imperial base had gathered many scattered powerhouses from the stone forest and misty forest. Some were injured and unable to fight, while others lacked the strength and retreated after entering the underground caves.

So the guards were not surprised to see them. They took Qian Ye’s identification and emblem, asking casually, “Young Master Qian Ye, are you planning to return directly or wait for the rest of the Zhao clan’s forces to gather before leaving?”

Qian Ye replied, “The mission is complete, and I am injured, so I plan to return early.”

Hearing that the mission was complete, the guards’ expressions changed, but no one asked more. Completing a mission was not something to be taken lightly. For Qian Ye and the other powerhouses recruited by the Empire to enter the void beast’s lair, completing a mission meant obtaining an ancient essence fragment or destroying a celestial ghost’s avatar—both were major achievements and top-secret.

Guarding here, they had received strict orders. The guard quickly verified the badge and emblem and said, “General Hu is in charge of this matter. You can go directly to him.” He glanced at Ye Tong behind Qian Ye and asked, “Is this your attendant?”

Qian Ye nodded, saying, “Yes.” Then, calmly, he asked, “Have any others from the Zhao clan come out yet?”

The guard answered, “A few days ago, when the base was just built, the eldest young master, Zhao Junyi, brought a few attendants for supplies, then went back in.”

Zhao Junyi was the eldest of the four Zhao brothers. Before Qian Ye left, he had heard from Duke Youguo that Zhao Junyi and Zhao Jundu had entered the void beast’s lair. It seemed Zhao Junyi did not go deep into the cave system or maybe didn’t go in at all, staying outside to cover their rear.

Qian Ye breathed a slight sigh of relief. Clearly, the Zhao clan was not just blindly competitive but strategic. Though he had no news of Zhao Jundu, learning of the Zhao clan’s division of labor, he concluded that Zhao Jundu was likely safe.

The guard returned Qian Ye’s identification badge with both hands and sent one person to lead Qian Ye and Ye Tong to the base commander.

The commander, a polite and efficient lieutenant general of the Imperial main force, knew figures like Qian Ye on the recruitment list were all outstanding talents. Since he had survived, his future was boundless, and naturally, the general did not want to leave a bad impression.

An hour later, a high-speed floating ship was ready for takeoff. The lieutenant general personally escorted Qian Ye and Ye Tong aboard.

The floating ship ascended, plunging into a massive cloud vortex, disappearing into the center. That was the direct void passage to the Evernight’s void beast’s lair.

After a dizzy spell, Qian Ye’s senses returned to normal. The floating ship emerged from the void beast’s lair, landed on the edge of a canyon, dropped off Qian Ye and Ye Tong, and then turned back.

Once the floating ship disappeared into the canyon, Qian Ye asked, “Do you remember the place?”

Ye Tong nodded. They had agreed to meet in a secluded valley outside Blackstream City.

“Good. Wait for me there. I will arrange everything.” Saying this, Qian Ye hugged Ye Tong tightly, then let her go, watching until her figure vanished into the wilderness before heading towards the Imperial camp.

Looking at the seemingly endless front line, Qian Ye was surprised. When he entered the void beast’s lair, the Imperial army had not yet fully assembled. From the expansion of the Zhao clan’s forward base, he knew the scale of the war, but now, seeing it with his own eyes, he deeply felt the Empire’s resolve.

However, the contest for the ancient essence fragments of the void beast was nearing its end. What exactly was the “fate of the nation” war that Duke Youguo had mentioned?

The Imperial camp stretched along a range of hills, with fortifications, watchtowers, and armored walls at the front, forming a fortress city. Qian Ye presented his identification at the camp gate and was guided to the Zhao clan’s section.

For this operation, the Zhao clan had deployed a large number of private troops, led by Duke Youguo, Zhao Xuanji, making them a powerful and prestigious force. Their camp was located next to General Zhang Boqian’s central camp, a prominent position.