Chapter 37: The Final Bullet

Qian Ye began to consider how to escape this predicament, never expecting that the vampire viscount would relentlessly pursue him. At the current pace, being caught after another two hundred kilometers seemed inevitable.

Regardless, escaping into human territory was the ultimate solution. If a dark warlord were to brazenly enter the Zhao family’s dominion, it would surely draw the attention and intervention of human powerhouses. Given the vampire squad’s disguise in imperial military uniforms, they likely didn’t want their presence to be too obvious.

However, reaching the nearest Zhao city meant traversing at least a thousand kilometers of rugged mountains, no easy feat by any means.

Up ahead, another ridge appeared, with shrubs and trees intertwined, flourishing and lush. The tracking consciousness grew clearer, almost palpable with its sinister and murderous intent.

Deciding to take a risk, Qian Ye leaped onto a hilltop and halted. He picked up a dry branch from the ground, sharpened it with his short blade, and pricked his finger, letting a few drops of blood drip onto it.

His blood no longer had the brilliant red luster it once did, nor the strange radiance; instead, it carried a sense of concentrated restraint, darker in color but richer and more potent.

The blood seeped into the withered branch and was quickly absorbed.

Qian Ye then rushed to a thicket he had already chosen, carefully placing the branch inside, trying to make it look as if it had naturally fallen. He then selected a spot around the area, bundling the only two vampire grenades he had, burying them, and setting up several small traps, erasing all signs of human tampering.

Finally, Qian Ye climbed a small rise to the southeast, rapidly setting up a sniping position. He assembled the Eagle Strike and concealed himself, aiming the gun at the distant thicket.

He breathed slowly, following a powerful rhythm, allowing strands of origin power to flow into the Eagle Strike, gradually coalescing into an origin bullet. The purified dawn origin power now infused into the bullet was entirely milky white, with a smooth and gentle luster, like the finest jade.

As the origin bullet slowly formed, blood-red patterns suddenly appeared on its surface, interspersed with three or four eerie purple lines, and a fine, almost imperceptible dark golden stripe.

Once the origin bullet was fully formed, a hazy layer of origin power light enveloped it, making it appear to swell slightly, indicating the “heavy slug” enhancement.

Finally, Qian Ye activated the “Punch of Impact,” a fingernail-sized array chip, further enhancing the modified Eagle Strike.

With everything prepared, he waited quietly for the moment to strike.

In his intense focus, Qian Ye felt a strange connection between the origin bullet in the chamber and himself, allowing him to slightly influence its state. Thinking for a moment, he carefully injected another thread of origin power, causing a translucent, rosy mist to appear on the surface of the bullet, significantly reducing the sonic boom during flight.

Qian Ye did not have to wait long.

The twilight fog draped over the mountains like a veil. A shadowy figure rose like a ghost, and Viscount Zaran appeared. He silently glided over the treetops and stone peaks at an astonishing speed, like a mirage, entering the range of the Eagle Strike in the blink of an eye.

Zaran had already leaped again, expected to glide at least dozens of meters before landing. However, he abruptly stopped mid-air, turning sharply, like a marionette defying normal flight. The viscount retreated precisely to the point where he had jumped from.

Seeing Zaran’s bizarre movement, Qian Ye’s eyes twitched. Fortunately, when the vampire viscount passed over the trap, Qian Ye remained calm, knowing that a shot fired in haste might miss.

Zaran returned to his original position, looking up and taking a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. He then fixed his gaze on a thicket of deep green vines, unable to tear his eyes away.

With his keen insight, he immediately spotted the bloodstained branch among the thousands of leaves. The sweet, intoxicating scent made Zaran momentarily dazed.

Just as the pureblood noble’s blood could momentarily overwhelm Qian Ye, his own blood contained a complex and powerful force, both a destructive poison and an irresistible allure to the vampires.

Zaran’s pupils turned blood-red, revealing a fervent and greedy look, his blood boiling, almost reaching the boiling point. He reached out to grab the branch, but his hand paused halfway. As a viscount of the Bayen clan, he regained his senses almost instantly, and a strong sense of danger flooded his sharp senses.

The moment Qian Ye pulled the trigger, Zaran leaped like lightning, his body instantly escaping the crosshairs. Behind the Four Elements Mirror, Qian Ye resisted the urge to reposition the gun, maintaining aim at the original target.

This time, the Eagle Strike did not roar like thunder before a storm, but let out a muffled sound. The milky white origin bullet, streaked with blood patterns, moved through the air like a deep-sea fish, silent and swift, covering a kilometer in an instant.

Zaran leaped ten meters in the air, then, with a highly unusual technique, hovered, retreated, and seemingly reversed time, returning to his starting point. This special skill had saved him countless times from ambushes, but this time, it led him right back into the trap.

Turning, Zaran was shocked to see the origin bullet nearly upon him!

At such close range, there was no chance to dodge. All Zaran could do was cross his arms to shield his face, his blood surging forth to form a shield.

With a loud boom, the multi-reinforced origin bullet exploded, sending Zaran staggering back, his arm guards shattering. However, his blood continued to surge, growing more intense, blocking the fierce explosion of origin power.

Frowning, Zaran shook his left hand, revealing a bloodline. He had blocked the full force of the Eagle Strike, but the violent explosion had still cracked his hand and left two minor wounds on his wrist.

Witnessing the true power of an ancient clan’s dark warlord, Qian Ye steadied his mind and quickly reloaded, firing another shot. But Zaran was prepared, roaring and spewing a dense cloud of blood, which hit the origin bullet mid-air.

A blinding flash of origin power filled the air, and the blood cloud and origin bullet annihilated each other.

Qian Ye’s expression changed. With a sudden burst of strength, he broke the Eagle Strike into two, grabbing the “Punch of Impact” array chip, and turned to run.

Zaran saw Qian Ye on the high ground, a cruel smile forming on his lips. He calmly adjusted his slightly disheveled coat and started to give chase.

To him, Qian Ye was merely a knight, and whether he was three hundred or three thousand meters away made no difference. Now that Qian Ye’s location was exposed, it was just a matter of time.

But as Zaran took his first step, a sudden warning flashed in his mind, followed by a deafening explosion. The full force of the vampire grenade enveloped him!

After the origin storm, the surrounding bushes were flattened, and a massive crater appeared on the mountain top. Yet, Viscount Zaran still stood, unharmed.

However, his clothing was torn, his body covered in wounds, blood, and soot. The imperial uniform, used for disguise, was reduced to rags, and his master-crafted armor was damaged in several places.

Thick blood surged from Zaran, and the small wounds began to heal at an alarming rate, while larger ones started to clot. His eyes turned completely blood-red, like two crimson gems.

Staring at Qian Ye’s retreating figure, he gritted his teeth, “You have angered me, truly angered me! You will regret this, for a very, very long time!”

Qian Ye’s speed was not fast, and Zaran easily closed the gap, bringing the distance within a hundred meters in less than ten minutes. Qian Ye did not turn back, knowing he was about to be caught, and suddenly burst into speed, nearly matching Zaran’s.

Zaran sneered inwardly, eager to see how long this little knight could maintain such a burst of power.

While running, Qian Ye waited. The Eagle Strike’s shot wouldn’t have significantly harmed a warlord, but Qian Ye clearly saw the bleeding wound on Zaran’s hand, and the enraged viscount ignored the two small cuts.

Even in his burst state, Qian Ye’s speed was still slightly inferior, and the distance continued to close, from a hundred meters to fifty, then thirty.

If Zaran were to use his blood burst, disregarding the short-term damage to his body, he could reach Qian Ye in an instant. But as a viscount, using such a desperate measure to catch a mere knight would be a laughingstock in the clan, and even more so in front of the Dracula descendants. Zaran had to save face.

As Zaran contemplated how to torture this annoying knight once he caught him, his body suddenly jolted, almost making him fall. He felt a sticky, damp sensation on his face and mouth, and when he wiped it, he was horrified to see his hand covered in foul, black blood.

Zaran was greatly alarmed, feeling something burning inside, a fiery pain spreading through his body, and his arms swelling.

Ahead, Qian Ye sensed Zaran’s steps falter and turned to see the blood toxin finally taking effect. He immediately drew the Twin Blossoms, reloading and firing at the fastest speed, reloading and firing again.

The Twin Blossoms continuously roared, the eerie red and white flowers blooming in the air, twin-shots raining down on Zaran.

But the barrage achieved little. Though Zaran was forced to retreat, the continuous assault only tore through the already-damaged armor, making his protective blood aura flicker. If not for the battling blood toxin, these would have been mere flesh wounds.

Despite his expectations, Qian Ye was still shocked. In direct combat, he truly felt the terrifying power of a warlord. The usually unstoppable Eagle Strike and Twin Blossoms were rendered ineffective. Perhaps only the Shining Fangs could break through, but Qian Ye would never want to engage in close combat with a vampire viscount.

In a short while, Qian Ye’s stock of origin bullets was exhausted, leaving him with just one iron bullet box. Instinctively, he opened the box, loading the last origin bullet into the Twin Blossoms, and pulled the trigger.