The forest was silent, as was the Well of Stars.
The Blood Race had built a camp in the nearby woods, resting quietly. Anwen and Aiden set up a camp in the style of the Demonspawn. Aiden silently constructed the camp, while Anwen scribbled on the open ground, calculating something. Bai Kongzhao darted back and forth, assisting Aiden.
The Witch was still missing, and Qian Ye had vanished without a trace.
After Rolo’s temporary departure, it was supposed to be the Blood Race’s turn to draw the Source Blood. However, in the earth-shattering explosion, Edward happened to be at the center, sustaining serious injuries. Moreover, after the explosion, the Well of Stars became less stable, with many stars flickering uncertainly. Under these circumstances, other members of the Blood Race, including Dusk, dared not enter the well. They could only wait for the well to stabilize and for Edward’s blood energy to recover before continuing.
Many people harbored an unspoken worry: would Qian Ye come back?
Despite the Witch holding the fort and relentlessly pursuing Qian Ye until he had almost no chance to retaliate, Qian Ye’s multitude of tactics during the battle came as a great surprise to everyone.
The Level 7 peak origin gun, Feng Yancold, although limited in power, had a specialized ability to target the domain. This struck the Witch’s domain at its weakest point. Her domain, though intangible and vast beyond imagination, was also very fragile. Qian Ye lacked the strength to collapse her entire domain, but with Feng Yancold, he could temporarily disable it, allowing him to escape.
Furthermore, no one knew what the cylindrical object Qian Ye threw before fleeing was, or how it could have such devastating power, severely injuring a Marquis of the Blood Race. If not for Edward’s intervention, absorbing part of the impact, that Marquis might have been blown to pieces on the spot.
Edward clearly overestimated his own strength. In the explosion, he barely managed to save himself, let alone rescue his subordinates. At the critical moment, if the Witch hadn’t cast seven layers of shields on him, Edward would not have sustained only minor injuries.
Whether the Witch herself was injured remained unknown.
What exactly was this cylindrical object? More importantly, how many of these did Qian Ye have?
Everyone knew that such a powerful weapon couldn’t exist in large numbers, but no one dared to assume Qian Ye had only one. If he had another, any gathering of slightly weaker experts would be a death sentence.
Now, Edward didn’t dare to keep all his Blood Race experts in one place. Instead, he divided them into small groups, scattering them throughout the forest. Though dividing forces was risky, if they could hold out for a brief moment, reinforcements would arrive, better than being wiped out in one fell swoop.
In the depths of the forest, Qian Ye sat in the crown of an ancient tree, resting. The recent battle with the Witch had drained him, and if he hadn’t escaped then, he might never have. Before escaping, he threw the metal cylinder to scare the enemy and disrupt Rolo. Even he didn’t expect the explosive power it unleashed.
However, it made sense. The device was a painstaking creation by the Imperial Military, intended as a failsafe in the Engine of Heroes, to completely destroy the heart of the Earthworm. Its power was designed to severely wound a void behemoth, and Ji Tianqing had said there were only a few such devices in the entire Empire. How could ordinary Blood Race experts withstand it?
Qian Ye now sat atop the tree, meditating, as the Book of Blackness poured pure blood into him, replenishing his core. For the dawn origin power, fortunately, the effects of the medicinal wine from Elder Lu of the Tian Sun Grassland were still potent, and the extracted origin power was extremely pure, requiring only slight refinement and conversion.
In just a few hours, Qian Ye’s condition approached its peak again.
He leaped down from the tree, looking up at the sky. It was already afternoon, and the sky appeared as usual, without the hazy mist. It seemed the Witch’s domain had not yet extended here.
Qian Ye identified the direction and once again sneaked toward the Well of Stars.
As he walked, he suddenly heard faint footsteps and immediately hid in the forest. Three Blood Race experts, led by a Marquis, emerged from the woods, hurrying away from the Well of Stars, their purpose unknown.
This group, led by a Marquis with two Counts, was formidable. Defeating them would be a challenge for Qian Ye. He also didn’t want to waste his most lethal moves on minor figures; those needed to be reserved for the Witch or Edward.
After a moment’s thought, Qian Ye activated his bloodline stealth, following the group silently. After a while, he closed in, suddenly rising, his wings fully spread, locking onto all three Blood Race members!
The sudden change shocked the Blood Race experts. Their first reaction was to instinctively unleash their blood energy for protection. Even a Marquis could not remain calm when locked by the Gun of Origin.
At that moment, a fierce dark golden blood flame erupted from Qian Ye, and the presence of the dark golden blood energy distorted and blurred the protective shields of the two Counts. The Marquis’ face paled, feeling the terrifying pressure of the dark golden blood energy, and hesitated to step in to help his subordinates.
Countless dark golden blood lines shot from Qian Ye, piercing the nearest Count. The Count’s protective shield, weak as paper, offered no resistance.
Qian Ye grabbed the Count, dragging him back like a predator hauling its prey. The Count’s face turned ashen, his eyes filled with despair, and his struggles were feeble and ineffective.
The Marquis and the surviving Count were torn between fear and desperation, watching Qian Ye drag their comrade into the forest, unable to move. When Qian Ye disappeared, they breathed a sigh of relief, thankful to have escaped. Without delay, they fled at full speed, not caring about their tracks.
In the forest, Qian Ye released the Count, who was now a corpse. Hit by Qian Ye’s life-stealing and suppressed by the dark golden blood energy, the Count, despite his powerful combat ability, had fallen without even a tenth of it being used.
After killing the Count, Qian Ye’s body was once again filled with pure blood, and he continued toward the Well of Stars.
Though still far from the well, Qian Ye suddenly sensed a fluctuation in origin power, indicating a battle.
Around the Well of Stars, many young and powerful members of the Evernight gathered, fighting either Imperial strongholds or beasts from the Great Maelstrom. Qian Ye accelerated, approaching the battlefield swiftly.
Just a short distance away, a thunderous roar echoed, and waves of origin power surged, ruffling Qian Ye’s hair before sweeping onward, spreading far and wide.
This was the sound of an origin gun, at least a Level 8 one. Though unfamiliar, the origin power was of the dawn. The wielder must have been in dire straits, resorting to such a desperate tactic.
Qian Ye held nothing back, speeding to the battlefield in an instant.
On the expansive battlefield, figures darted and fought in the air, on the ground, and in the trees. Ancient trees toppled, and the sky was obscured by blood energy, demonic energy, and the massive forms of spider demons. Various colors of dawn origin power rose and destroyed numerous barriers. However, the surrounding blood energy formed a cage, trapping the dawn origin power within.
Flying through the battlefield were familiar figures. On one side, the Evernight fighters, including Bai Kongzhao. On the other side, Qian Ye recognized Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan, who had returned, alongside Zhao Yuying and Wei Po Tian.
Among the Evernight, the Blood Race occupied key points, forming an impenetrable encirclement. Edward, Anwen, Dusk, and Rolo were in the inner circle, battling fiercely. Bai Kongzhao roamed the field, occasionally attacking. But her trouble for Ji Tianqing and the others was no less than that of a fully engaged Edward and Rolo. A single strike, even from Ji Tianqing, left her flustered.
Aiden stayed outside the fray, high up, observing the entire battle. If anyone broke through the encirclement, he would take them down.
The most feared, the Witch, was absent, and her domain was nowhere to be seen. But if she wished, her domain could silently cover the entire area, making it impossible for anyone, including Qian Ye, to escape her pursuit. Moreover, the shocking move she used against Zhao Jundu had not yet been unleashed.
Seeing the situation, Qian Ye’s heart sank. His greatest concerns were the Witch and Bai Kongzhao. Bai Kongzhao’s attacks were ruthless, each strike aimed at vital points, and her special abilities seemed to enhance the severity of her wounds. Each slash from her caused dread, and if hit, recovery would be unlikely.
Without hesitation, Qian Ye teleported to the center of the battlefield, appearing behind Rolo. With the momentum of Mount Dongyue, he swept at Rolo’s spider body mercilessly.
Rolo was taken aback, letting out a scream. His legs extruded glowing silk, and his spider body ascended, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike. The sword edge grazed his feet, cutting off a finger-sized piece of chitin.
Rolo, shocked and enraged, shouted, “Why me? You and that guy have a bigger grudge, right?”
He pointed to Edward, who glowered. Qian Ye’s strike genuinely frightened Rolo; a slightly slower reaction would have resulted in Qian Ye slicing open his abdomen. For a spider demon, while not fatal, it would have been troublesome.
Ignoring Rolo, Qian Ye coldly turned to Bai Kongzhao.
The girl, wielding a cleaver, leaped into the air, aiming for Wei Po Tian. Unaware, Wei Po Tian, relying on Thousand Mountains, charged recklessly.
Feeling Qian Ye’s gaze, the girl trembled and plummeted to the ground. She turned and fled, not looking back.
Expressionless, Qian Ye breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have scared off the little killer.
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