Although he was well aware that William was trying to divert the conversation, the topic still managed to catch Qian Ye’s attention. Thus, he inquired, “Why?”
“I have received information that the old codgers of the Evernight Council have found out what the Skyghost is after and have just made up their minds to go after it and seize it.”
This news was far too important; for a moment, Qian Ye found it hard to believe. It must be the highest secret of the Evernight Council. The fact that William knew it hinted at the Dark Count’s status in the entire dark world. However, why would he tell such vital information to him?
Qian Ye did not think there was enough camaraderie between him and William for such trust.
He frowned and asked bluntly, “Why tell me such an important piece of information? Aren’t you afraid that I will reveal it to the Empire upon my return?”
William chuckled, “We made a deal once. I asked you to look after the direct descendants of Duke Ross. The results now are even better than I expected. You see, the Rosas are only a branch of the Munros, but many of those who fell here today were direct Munros.”
Qian Ye raised a dubious eyebrow, “Why do I have a feeling that I can’t trust a single word you say?”
William, as if struck by a bullet, waved his hand. He wanted to say something, but seeing Qian Ye’s increasingly dark expression, he quickly retracted his overly exaggerated demeanor and laughed, “Alright, don’t overthink it. This news will soon be made public. Telling you a bit early doesn’t matter. Once the Evernight Council moves, do you think they can hide it from the Emperors of your Empire? But if those bigwigs decide to act, it’s best for small fry like us to stay out of the way. Otherwise, even a little splash could be fatal.”
“Oh, right!” William suddenly remembered something and told Qian Ye earnestly, “You should leave this war zone quickly. There is a very dangerous guardian nearby, a woman named Dusk. If you encounter her, try to avoid her. If you do have to engage, hold nothing back. She’s a highly dangerous woman, and several of my brothers have fallen at her hands.”
Qian Ye’s heart skipped a beat, “Dusk? If she’s such a threat, why haven’t you killed her?”
William gave a wry smile, “How easy do you think it is? That woman is extremely cunning and incredibly fast. Even without the Iron Curtain, I’m not sure I could kill her in the wild. Besides…”
At this point, William hesitated slightly before laughing self-deprecatingly, “Moreover, both of our identities are unique. If the assassination fails and she escapes, it would inevitably lead to a war between the werewolves and the vampires. Given the current state of our race, such a war is best avoided.”
The fact that William, standing atop the Mountain Peak, felt this way made Qian Ye realize that the overall situation of the werewolves in the Evernight camp was not good.
William waved his hand vigorously, as if trying to shake off the unpleasantness, “Let’s not talk about these meaningless things anymore. You’ve already caused quite a stir. Although this guy has no great abilities, his position in the Munro clan is significant.”
“Even if he’s from one of the twelve clans, it wouldn’t be a problem for me to kill another one,” Qian Ye answered calmly.
William thought for a moment, nodded, and didn’t continue, asking instead, “What do you plan to do next?”
“I’m planning to go back and regroup.” Qian Ye replied. Regrouping was necessary, and the intelligence provided by William was also extremely crucial. He needed to inform his friends as soon as possible to prepare.
Qian Ye was not clear about the strength of the Skyghost. From Zhao Yuying’s description, it was a terrifying entity surpassing the strongest of both camps. Now that the Evernight Council was determined to confront the Skyghost and take what it sought, it proved they had confidence in holding it back.
At that time, the Iron Curtain would be virtually nonexistent. Without preparation, young talents like Zhao Jundu, Song Zining, and Qian Ye, who operated under the Iron Curtain, would become very dangerous.
Seeing that Qian Ye was not intending to delve deeper, William seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He looked at Qian Ye’s hand, which was still gripping the sword, and whistled, “No need to be so tense.”
Qian Ye just smiled, not relaxing in the slightest.
William didn’t mind, waving to Qian Ye and turning to leave. Qian Ye did not linger, quickly tidying up the battlefield and swiftly departing.
It didn’t take long for the news of the heavy losses suffered by the dark races in Area Jia San to spread throughout the bloody battlefield, shocking both camps again. The name Qian Ye finally surfaced, gradually becoming known to the powerful clans. With his thousand-mile thrust, he penetrated the entire war zone controlled by the dark races, slaying countless powerful enemies, cementing his reputation as invincible under the Iron Curtain.
The major clans, including the Bai Clan, Song Clan, and Nan Gong Family, treated Qian Ye with the same strategy as Zhao Jundu, privately ordering their teams to avoid confrontation with him, and to retreat if encountered.
At this point, Qian Ye had returned to the Zhao family base, informing General Zhao Gongcheng, who was stationed there, of the latest intelligence, and exchanging military merits. In the latest battle report, his achievements were not yet recorded, but apart from Zhao Jundu’s dominance in the Zhao Clan’s war zone, the Blackstream warzone had become a hotspot once again.
After Qian Ye went to the Zhao Clan, Song Zining, unwilling to be left behind, after a period of rest and expansion, led the Dark Flame out of Blackstream City, beginning to sweep through the neighboring areas. Unlike Zhao Jundu’s solo expeditions, Young Master Song had a large army with him, sweeping into the dark realms.
With the Dark Flame’s move, the dark races naturally responded. Even if a strong individual was unbeatable, they still had to return after a kill. But when a human army marched, the territory they passed through would change hands. Therefore, the dark races also continuously mobilized their forces, engaging in a series of battles with Song Zining across the vast area west of Blackstream City.
Song Zining demonstrated that his victory in Blackstream was not due to luck. He used troops like a god, winning every battle, defeating the dark armies multiple times larger than his own.
First, the native nobles of Evernight, then the high-ranking nobles from the upper continent, and finally, commanders from noble families, all came out to fight, but all fell under the might of Young Master Song.
In this phase, those noble commanders, originally very arrogant, relied on their status and were unwilling to win by overwhelming numerical superiority. But as they were defeated one by one, they finally had to admit that Young Master Song’s use of troops was far beyond that of ordinary generals.
And just as the dark races were gathering their forces, preparing to encircle and annihilate the deeply entrenched Dark Flame, Song Zining, as if foreseeing the situation, suddenly retreated hundreds of kilometers, retreating to a strategically defensible location between two mountains. The dark scouts on the battlefield couldn’t understand how the humans, known for their lack of speed, could cover such a distance in such a short time.
The dark army, arriving at this spot, faced Song Zining, who was holding a defensive position. They were caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. Despite their superior numbers, they dared not attack and had to reluctantly withdraw. This withdrawal allowed the Empire to claim hundreds of kilometers of territory between Song Zining’s position and Blackstream City.
In just one month, Song Zining won thirteen consecutive battles, advancing a thousand miles, almost capturing another Sanhe County.
Such military achievements immediately shook the entire Empire. Some even predicted that Song Zining could become the next generation’s military god, akin to Lin Xitang. His glory was not overshadowed by Zhao Jundu.
After this campaign, Song Zining not only gained immense prestige but also reaped tremendous benefits. Leading a large army, he captured a county, killed nearly ten thousand dark soldiers, and crushed countless more. This military merit, far surpassing the solitary efforts of Qian Ye and Zhao Jundu, was enough to fundamentally change the ranking of military achievements.
If the Song Clan produced such a military genius, their weakened state would be instantly reversed, with hope for revival. For a time, all the major clans and families dug up Song Zining’s background, only to find that he had actually fallen out with the Song Clan’s elders, and his private assets were seized, effectively expelling him from the clan.
Thus, the Song Clan became the laughingstock of the Empire again.
Seeing the battle reports, Qian Ye was happy for Song Zining but also worried. He wrote a long letter, detailing the possible movements of the Evernight Council and suggesting that Song Zining return to Blackstream.
Since the land could be recaptured, it could be reclaimed again. But once the Iron Curtain was opened, the absence of high-level experts would be a critical weakness for the Dark Flame. The Evernight Council would surely bring some bigwigs, and before them, ten thousand expeditionary soldiers were mere ants.
After writing the long letter, Qian Ye replenished his ammunition and supplies, and set off alone once more. He planned to resolve the potential dangers in the Zhao Clan’s war zone as soon as possible, then return to Blackstream City.
During this trip, Qian Ye intended to join forces with Zhao Jundu, and together, they would capture several large fortresses in the overlapping areas of the Zhao Clan’s and the dark races’ war zones. Without these bases, the dark squads would be forced to retreat, and even if a few strong individuals could penetrate, they would not be a threat. This would stabilize the Zhao Clan’s war zone and also earn them additional military merit in the final stages of the blood war.
Even if the Iron Curtain disappeared, Qian Ye and Zhao Jundu, working together, could still retreat smoothly.
After Qian Ye set off, the battle report containing Song Zining’s latest achievements also reached the Empire. However, not everyone was happy about Song Zining’s sudden rise. The atmosphere in the Song Clan was particularly strange these days.
Neither the elders nor the young masters spoke about the latest developments in the blood war, as if the nearly hundred squads sent by the Song Clan did not exist. Servants whispered that an elder had smashed a table or a young master had taken out their anger on the servants.
But covering one’s ears and stealing the bell had its limits. When the latest military merit rankings were published, the Empire was shocked again. The Song Clan, which had long been at the top, was finally dethroned, and the Zhao Clan soared to the top, rising several ranks!
On this list, the new military merit points of the Zhao Clan were the sum of the second to ninth places! This number was extraordinary, meaning that the Zhao Clan, with its own efforts, had occupied half of the Empire.
Although the changes in the rankings were partly due to chance, such as the other clans, except for the Song Clan and the Yin Clan, seeing a significant drop in their military merits, with the Nan Gong Family almost gaining nothing. Those at the top were very clear about the true reason for the decline in military merits.
However, analyzing the composition of the Zhao Clan’s military merit, the largest contribution surprisingly came from Song Zining, followed by Qian Ye and Zhao Jundu. The combined military merits of the other teams were not as much as any of these three.
Song Zining explained that the Zhao Clan had offered the highest price. With this statement, the attitude of the other clans towards Song Zining changed, and they began to inquire about the possibility of buying military merits. If the Zhao Clan could buy, why couldn’t others?
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