Several days later, Zhang Boqian returned severely wounded, with all the troops he had taken utterly annihilated. He did not speak of the specific results, but his return was filled with high spirits, showing no signs of ill mood.
Zhang Boqian never bothered to hide his true feelings. Since he was in a good mood, it was clear that he had made significant gains. However, no details of the battle were leaked, and everyone could only speculate based on scant clues. Soon, news came from the Dark Camp. The lesser clans aside, two of the original thirteen bloodline clans had urgently recalled all their nobles from the Evernight Continent back to the Twilight Continent.
With Zhang Boqian’s battle as the starting point, the vast war machine of the Empire began to rumble into action. Various armies were mobilized, some heading to the Evernight Continent to reinforce, others attacking the dark races’ territories from different directions to alleviate the pressure on the Evernight Continent.
In this grand war, there was an unusually quiet corner: Blackflow City.
Since the dark army’s departure, Blackflow City and the small surveillance force had been in a standoff. Neither side launched an attack, and the situation remained stagnant. As the flames of war spread across the Evernight Continent, this place seemed to be forgotten.
During these peaceful days, Wei Bainian did not idle. Every moment was spent fortifying Blackflow City’s defenses. Each passing day brought the city closer to becoming a fully-fledged fortress.
Qian Ye was not entirely idle either. After confirming the dark army had left the area, he led his mercenary group out of Blackflow City to the mine occupied by the deserters of the Seventh Division.
When the dark army passed through, the Fifteenth Division was completely routed, and the remnants of the Seventh Division at the mine were also greatly reduced. The ensuing battles were not intense. At the beginning of the conflict, Qian Ye used Eagle Strike to kill two of the three leaders of the remnants, significantly lowering their morale, and many even started to flee.
Following the previous agreement with Wei Bainian, Qian Ye stationed the Darkfire Mercenary Group at the mine until the end of the war.
The location of the mine was remote, not on the usual marching route, and the attached town had only a few hundred inhabitants. Apart from the rather unproductive mine, it held no value. The terrain around the mine was complex, backed by a branch of the mountains, and just within the range of small floating boats. Controlling the mine ensured a means of escape for Blackflow City. Although the escape route could only accommodate a few, the important figures in Blackflow City who had to stay behind would feel more secure, reducing the likelihood of any schemes.
After taking over the mine, Qian Ye explored the surrounding area alone. All signs indicated that the dark army, which had passed through, had indeed moved deeper into human territory without stopping, validating their earlier judgment.
Returning to Blackflow City, Qian Ye continued to train in seclusion, pushing himself with intense physical exercises to adapt to his newfound strength.
Compared to the original golden blood energy, the new dark gold blood energy was incredibly quiet, mostly remaining motionless within the Eye Technique symbol. Occasionally, it would emerge to consume a normal blood thread. It was so quiet that it did not make its presence unnoticed, but rather, it made Qian Ye feel a strange, cold sensation, as if touched by an ancient, indescribable aura.
Occasionally, the Eye Technique symbol would flash with patterns, becoming increasingly complex, showing signs of advancement and even generating new symbols.
Qian Ye still focused primarily on the War Art Manual. This time, the enhancement and modification of his body by the dark gold blood energy lasted unprecedentedly long, yielding significant benefits. He could now easily push the tide of Daybreak origin power past forty cycles. However, after being refined by the Song Ancient Scroll, the total amount of origin power was not astounding, merely double that of someone at the same level.
As for the dark origin power, Qian Ye did not need to worry about conflict with the Daybreak origin power. The blood energy absorbed during the second battle of Black Mud Town, after being converted, became food for the three types of blood energy in his body, with most of it being consumed by the dark gold blood energy, and a small amount by the purple and normal blood energies.
In the midst of the intense war, the speed of intelligence and information transfer was also affected. Finally, the headquarters of the Expeditionary Force showed new movements. Two official documents, crossing through numerous fire lines, arrived at Blackflow City.
One was a commendation order. The listed bonuses for the military achievements were surprisingly high. According to Qian Ye’s record, he alone would receive as much as 3,000 gold coins. This amount was not lower than what a free fighter would receive for a single bounty, meaning the headquarters only retained less than 20% of the military expenses.
However, it was wartime, and all rewards would be distributed after the war. The remaining reliable transport channels were clearly reserved for urgent military supplies.
The other document was a battle order. It sternly criticized Wei Bainian for his reticence and ordered him to immediately lead the Seventh Division to attack the dark race forces now active in Three Rivers County from the rear, to alleviate the overall pressure of the war.
After reading the order, Wei Bainian let out a cold laugh. In front of Qian Ye and the officers, he tore the document to shreds. Then, Wei Bainian pushed the defensive tactics to the extreme, setting up barriers and fortifications every few steps on the wide roads, and erecting hidden sentries and sniper bunkers everywhere.
When the dark army outside the city showed no intention of moving, regardless of how many people or soldiers left Blackflow City, Wei Bainian lifted the city’s curfew. He did not require special checks for people entering or leaving, only strictly controlling the opening and closing times of the city gates.
With the movement of people came the spread of information. Like in many human cities, Blackflow City also had agents and spies of the dark races. The defense situation in the city was quickly leaked, achieving Wei Bainian’s goal. He wanted the dark races to know how difficult it would be to take Blackflow City and the high cost they would have to pay.
Qian Ye’s life was not boring, though it was a bit monotonous. After settling the mercenary group and returning to Blackflow City, he spent almost every moment training. Though Blackflow City was calm, the entire Three Rivers County, and even the whole Evernight Continent, was in a precarious situation. If humans were completely expelled from this continent, the small Blackflow City would not be spared. When the dark race army appeared again at the city walls, it would likely be the time of its fall.
That night, after an hour of intense physical training, Qian Ye emerged from the training room and entered the bathroom. As the hot water sprayed onto his skin, a sense of comfort seemed to erupt from every pore. Suddenly, he heard a voice, “Come closer…”
Startled, Qian Ye instantly entered a combat state, the crimson origin power radiating through his body, intertwining with the steam, creating a scene like the sunrise on a mountain peak.
The bathroom was small, and a quick glance revealed that, apart from Qian Ye, there was no one else, not even a bug.
He turned off the shower and listened intently. The outer room was equally quiet. However, he was certain he had heard the voice. With Qian Ye’s sharp senses and firm will, there was no way he could have imagined or misheard it.
Scanning the bathroom and the outer room again with his extended perception, finding nothing unusual, Qian Ye calmly exited the bathroom and began changing, with the Glorious Tooth within reach as usual.
Nothing further occurred.
Qian Ye picked up a stack of documents and letters, handling routine affairs. He wrote comments on the two reports submitted by Song Hu and wrote a letter to Song Zining.
After finishing everything, Qian Ye hesitated. Recently, he had been using training to replace sleep, but now he felt somewhat restless, possibly due to the frequent battles and training. His body was fine, but he was mentally exhausted.
Lying on the bed, Qian Ye felt a rare sense of happiness. Soon, sleepiness overtook him, and he fell into a deep slumber.
Suddenly, Qian Ye’s consciousness jolted, feeling as if the world shook. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a gray, foggy void. Not only could he not see the nearby furniture, but the bed itself was nowhere to be found. The thick, tangible fog slowly swirled around, as if it had its own consciousness.
Reaching out, Qian Ye “tore” a large chunk of the fog, feeling as if he was grabbing damp cotton.
What was happening? Qian Ye was extremely surprised.
Looking down, he suddenly realized he was no longer in the room. He stood on ordinary ground, with black, fertile soil beneath his feet, but there was no sign of life—no grass, no insects, nothing.
Looking up, the sky was also gray, seemingly endless, but empty.
In this strange world, it seemed that, apart from the fog and grayness, there was nothing else.
Checking himself, he wore a simple linen robe, but he had no memory of owning such a garment. It resembled the common attire of low-level bloodline clans.
Reaching out, his hand had color, as did the exposed parts of his body. In this gray world, it was extremely abnormal, as he was the only colored existence.
Qian Ye suddenly understood; this was a dream, yet it felt so real.
Just then, the voice sounded again, “Come closer…”
This time, Qian Ye heard it clearly. The voice was ethereal, making it hard to determine if it was male or female, but he could discern the general direction.
He tried walking towards the source of the voice, a long journey. In Qian Ye’s mind, at least half an hour passed, but the surroundings remained unchanged. Looking at the swirling fog, he wondered if he was truly moving forward in this dream world.
When Qian Ye couldn’t resist stopping, the voice sounded again, slightly clearer, with something following the three words, though indistinct.
Thinking for a moment, he continued, walking for a full hour before hearing the voice once more.
“Come closer… bring my head… give me eternal rest…”
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