Chapter 68: The Reward

The face of the vampire viscount, handsome to the point of being sinister, revealed a crazed smile. Suddenly, he let out a sharp howl and exerted his strength with both arms.

He had anticipated that this would be enough to crush Qian Ye’s wrist. He could even hear the crisp sound of bones breaking in his ears, for human bodies were so fragile, like clay figurines.

But after the vampire viscount exerted his force, he found himself holding an incredibly hard super alloy. The impact was like a head-on collision with a mountain, immovable.

Qian Ye, on the other hand, felt a different surprise. The strength coming from the vampire viscount was much weaker than expected. He took a step forward, and a faint thunderclap echoed in the air.

As Qian Ye stepped forward, the vampire viscount involuntarily took a step back. The mocking look on his face had vanished, replaced by shock. No matter what, the viscount never imagined he would be at a disadvantage in a contest of strength.

However, the waves of overwhelming power were unstoppable. The viscount was forced back step by step until, with a thud, his back hit the wall.

Qian Ye let out a roar like that of an ancient beast. A faint crimson light surrounded him, and within it, a flicker of golden flame seemed to burn. All the primal nodes in his body vibrated simultaneously. With a crack, the viscount’s hand bones were shattered. Next, a torrent of violent primal force surged into his body, and a series of cracking sounds could be heard as the damage spread from his arms to his chest, hips, and legs.

Qian Ye took a step back, looking at the opponent who could barely stand, supported by the wall. He said softly, “Regardless, you are a worthy opponent. I will grant you eternal sleep, according to your ancient traditions.”

With that, Qian Ye drew the Crimson Fang and pierced through the viscount’s blood core.

The vampire viscount did not die immediately. He looked at Qian Ye with an incredulous gaze and suddenly said, “So, you are also… a descendant of the Holy Blood…”

“I am human,” Qian Ye replied.

The life of the vampire viscount was completely extinguished. Qian Ye did not hesitate and disappeared into the mist. This viscount’s strength was unusually low, and Qian Ye felt that he must have been injured beforehand or had expended a great deal of energy.

After walking just one block, Qian Ye encountered a vampire baron. As soon as they met, an intense battle erupted. In the end, Qian Ye killed the baron with the mithril-coated Crimson Fang, though he himself was slashed three times.

In comparison, the earlier vampire viscount seemed exceptionally weak.

In this city, there was no safe place. Even in secluded alleys, trackers could appear at any moment. Qian Ye sat down and quickly cleaned and bandaged his wounds. Then, without further ado, he began to circulate the Mystic Chapter of the Song Clan’s ancient scroll. The abundant essence blood continuously transformed into dark primal force, which was then absorbed by the blood qi in his body.

Facing an unknown number of enemies and a city full of danger, he needed to maintain his strength. Although the powerful blood qi had no effect on the primal force of dawn, it could accelerate the recovery of his strength and injuries.

Qian Ye’s luck was quite good. During this period, no enemy appeared. When he stood up, he sensed the position of the True Sight Eye again. It seemed to be the closest since entering the city, only a few hundred meters away.

Although, based on experience, it shouldn’t be this easy to find, Qian Ye still headed in that direction.

A moment later, a loud boom resounded, and Qian Ye watched as a vampire knight fell before him. The explosive power of the vampire’s primal grenade was not something to be easily resisted.

Minutes later, two more explosions rang out. Qian Ye drew his sword and rushed towards the severely injured vampire baron. The baron was fierce, and though he eventually died under the Crimson Fang, he managed to slash Qian Ye twice in return.

Qian Ye looked down at the wound on his thigh and sighed helplessly. Such a wound was troublesome, affecting his speed. Qian Ye relied on his overwhelming physical and speed advantages in every encounter.

More skirmishes followed. Qian Ye, though victorious each time, continued to sustain injuries. He had already experienced a Blood Boil once and used a recovery potion. Fortunately, the essence blood was replenishing steadily.

Qian Ye sat down in a corner, a position that allowed him to see any enemies coming from the front and prevent ambushes from behind. Most of his wounds had closed, but there was still a constant, stabbing pain. Intense combat would tear the wounds open again.

Qian Ye took out a mithril bullet and coated the blade of the Crimson Fang with mithril, while pondering something. The vampires he had encountered were all of the rank of knight or higher, but none were above viscount. The knights and barons had normal combat strength, but the viscounts were noticeably weaker, some even weaker than the barons. Why was that?

Finally, the entire antimagic mithril bullet turned into a thin layer of silver light on the blade. Qian Ye checked his equipment again. There were only two antimagic mithril bullets left, and the black titanium annihilation bullet remained unused. He also had three primal grenades left.

Qian Ye exhaled lightly, stood up, and, as a habit, sensed the position of the True Sight Eye. He was slightly startled to find it was now within a hundred meters, closer than ever.

Suddenly, a chill ran down Qian Ye’s spine, and a sudden thought popped into his mind. Could it be that the True Sight Eye only appeared when enough people had died? He looked up at the unchanged fog, and behind it lay the city that devoured flesh, like a living creature lurking in the darkness.

But wasn’t this place supposed to be the legacy left by Andua for his servants and descendants? How did the Black Wing King foresee, a thousand years ago, that countless dark race warriors would follow the one who opened the spatial gate into the ruins, becoming sacrifices to the city?

Qian Ye had a premonition that something else would happen. Considering the highest-ranked enemy so far was a viscount, who seemed to be suppressed, he felt that the city still held secrets.

For now, he could only wait quietly. Qian Ye didn’t rest long. Moments later, a vampire knight turned the corner. Qian Ye lunged like lightning, thrusting the Crimson Fang through the knight’s heart.

This vampire knight was young but had formidable combat strength. Even in his dying moments, he managed to counterattack, impaling Qian Ye’s abdomen with his longsword.

Qian Ye grunted, grasped the sword, preventing further damage, and with a shake of his right hand, the vibration traveled through the Crimson Fang, turning the knight’s internal organs into a mass of pulp.

Gritting his teeth against the excruciating pain, Qian Ye slowly pulled the sword out of his abdomen and drank a healing potion. The powerful regenerative ability in his blood boil state quickly sealed the wound, stopping the bleeding. However, internal injuries were not so easily healed.

The knight’s corpse began to be drawn down into the ground of the city.

Qian Ye picked up the longsword he had just pulled out of his body and examined it. The blade, previously covered in blood, was now clean, revealing its primal patterns. On closer inspection, each pattern, though rough and strong, was actually composed of finer, more intricate lines.

This was no ordinary third-level weapon used by a regular vampire knight. Qian Ye swung the sword a few times, feeling its immense weight, likely over a hundred kilograms. He casually stabbed the blade into the nearby wall, and it sank in with a dull thud, embedding itself halfway.

The stone in this city was as hard as an alloy.

After activating the primal array on the sword, Qian Ye recognized the effects of advanced durability and advanced sharpness. This sword was at least a fifth-level weapon, something even a typical viscount might not possess, yet it was wielded by a vampire knight.

Without much thought, this knight must have been a direct descendant of an ancient clan, a genius highly regarded by the entire family, yet he met a grim fate in this city.

Shaking his head, Qian Ye couldn’t help but feel a bit of regret. He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and tried to rest.

At that moment, a sudden, excruciating pain shot through his head, making him groan. In his mind, a familiar voice boomed, “Bring me my head!”

Unlike previous dreams, this voice was extremely loud, each word reverberating in Qian Ye’s ears, nearly causing him to feel dizzy.

“Where is your head?” Qian Ye asked in his mind, unable to resist.

The voice answered, “You are very close to it, very close! Continue the slaughter, kill the outsiders and the guards. When you have amassed enough flesh and blood, you will find my head!”

The voice gradually faded, leaving a final sentence, “This is a reward given to you in advance…”

The headache gradually subsided. Qian Ye was no longer in the mood to rest. He leaped to his feet, only to pause. The stone slabs in front of him suddenly softened like water, and something began to rise from them.

It was a longsword! Black in color, with faint silver patterns etched into its blade, it looked similar to the fifth-level sword of the vampire knight.

Qian Ye slowly reached out, grasped the hilt, and lifted the sword. The primal array on the sword was indeed similar, with layers of nested arrays, but it had an additional new ability: Heavy Slash.

Qian Ye weighed the sword, placed its tip on the ground, and pressed down gently. The sword emitted a faint whistle, easily piercing the hard surface.

It was indeed a Heavy Slash. When swung with force, it would deliver a more powerful blow. This was a semi-active ability, very practical, and naturally, very expensive.

At that moment, another figure emerged from the mist.

When Qian Ye caught a glimpse of the figure, not very tall but standing firm and radiating killing intent, he instinctively threw a primal grenade.

It was Li Zhan!

Qian Ye hadn’t expected to meet him so soon. Li Zhan’s strength was on par with a first-rank vampire viscount, and he had extensive combat experience, having emerged from a sea of blood and corpses. He was the most dangerous enemy, and the one Qian Ye least wanted to encounter.

Li Zhan, seemingly unaware of Qian Ye’s presence, also reacted with a moment of surprise upon seeing him. But his next move was almost identical to Qian Ye’s, throwing a primal grenade in response.