Qian Ye continuously swept his perception in all directions as he walked towards Guanlan City. After traveling for a while, the void origin power on the wilderness suddenly calmed down, and Qian Ye’s perception instantly extended out, discovering a battlefield.
The battle was happening several kilometers away. Qian Ye concealed his aura and stealthily approached the battlefield. At this moment, Aiden might have also entered the wilderness, lurking somewhere unknown. Qian Ye certainly didn’t want to give him an opportunity for an ambush.
A dozen mercenaries were surrounded by over a hundred enemies, fighting for their lives. Grenades and bullets rained down like there was no tomorrow. The only natural cover they had was a pile of rocks, which offered little protection against origin guns. Yet, these mercenaries had set up semi-human-height metal barricades among the rocks, forming a simple but complete defensive structure. With this, they managed to hold off their nearly tenfold adversaries, preventing them from breaking through.
These seemingly crude metal barricades provided surprisingly good defense. Only a level three origin gun could barely penetrate them, while a level two gun needed several shots to break through. Most mercenaries in the wilderness used level two or three guns, and even a minor leader couldn’t afford a level four gun. These barricades could be connected or set up individually as barriers. Without these movable walls, these mercenaries would have been defeated long ago.
Among the besieged mercenaries, a burly man dressed as a leader shouted, “Blackbird, Darkfire will never let you go. Even if we die here today, it will only be a step ahead of you!”
A sharp voice among the attacking hunters laughed, “Do you think Darkfire can survive? It won’t be long before it and Nanqing City are erased from the map. Laoliu, if you’re smart, surrender now. Considering our long acquaintance, not only will I spare your life, but I can also take you to meet my new master. Your future won’t be comparable to what you have in Darkfire. What do you say?”
Laoliu burst into laughter and roared, “Expect me to betray? No way!”
“Then I have no choice. I didn’t want to use this move on you.”
Before Laoliu could reply, a sharp whistle pierced the battlefield. An origin bullet spewed a long trail of origin flame, instantly crossing the battlefield, piercing through the mobile barricade and Laoliu’s body, and then shot through another mercenary behind him, flying far into the distance.
Laoliu’s body went rigid instantly. The speed of that strange origin bullet was too fast; only now did his protective origin power begin to dissipate. The mobile barricade failed to save his life.
Blackbird’s sinister voice echoed across the battlefield, “Kill them all, leave none alive!”
Bullets came from all directions, and one after another, Darkfire mercenaries fell. Just as Qian Ye arrived at the edge of the battlefield, witnessing this scene, his face darkened. He stepped into the ranks of the attacking mercenaries, and with the sound of the ocean roaring, dozens of mercenaries around him collapsed instantly.
The sudden lack of firepower made Blackbird feel something was wrong. As he turned to look, a black sword tip appeared on his shoulder.
“If you don’t want to die, tell your men to stop.” Qian Ye’s voice, cold as ice, whispered in Blackbird’s ear.
Blackbird, being clever, immediately screamed, “Stop, stop! Put down your guns! All of you, stop right now!”
The attacking mercenaries, stunned, saw their leader captured and looked at the dozens of fallen comrades. They realized they had encountered an unstoppable force and quickly lowered their weapons, raising their hands high.
Blackbird let out a silent sigh of relief, about to beg for mercy when Qian Ye asked, “Who is your master?”
“A demon, I don’t know his name or appearance. I only know he is very powerful and gave me a lot of money to intercept caravans coming out of Nanqing City.”
“That’s all you know?”
Qian Ye’s calm voice sounded like a devil’s whisper in Blackbird’s ears. He shivered involuntarily and hurriedly said, “I am quite observant. From some details, this demon may be related to the Liu family in the city. That’s all I really know! Lord, I’ve saved some money over the years, and if you don’t mind, I am willing to… “
Before he could finish, the light on the blade of Dongyue flickered, and the sword energy sliced through his neck. Blackbird’s face was full of shock and fear as he slowly fell, uttering his last four words: “… all for you.”
Qian Ye stood up and said to the surviving Darkfire mercenaries, “Take these people back and interrogate them slowly.”
A more senior Darkfire mercenary boldly asked, “Lord Qian Ye, what about you?”
Qian Ye patted his shoulder and said, “I have my own arrangements,” and without lingering, he vanished into the vast wilderness.
The surviving Darkfire mercenaries, enduring their grief, moved Laoliu and their comrades’ bodies onto a truck left nearby, and then took the surrendered mercenaries back to Nanqing City.
Shortly after they left, the once-empty wilderness twisted, revealing two tall, slender figures. Dressed in black robes, they resembled night spirits, their faces covered with ghastly masks, hiding their features. They walked silently and swiftly, quickly surveying the battlefield. They lingered longest at the spot where Qian Ye had unleashed the Vortex Domain and where Blackbird’s corpse lay.
There were fewer than ten surviving Darkfire mercenaries, but nearly a hundred surrendered ones. Qian Ye had quickly left, so the Darkfire mercenaries, fearing the night, hastily gathered their spoils and left, leaving Blackbird’s body behind.
The two black-robed figures squatted, lifting Blackbird’s corpse, carefully examining every trace on his body, not just the sword wound on his neck. They made gestures, and Blackbird’s corpse responded like a marionette. In a flash, they positioned Blackbird in a kneeling posture, exactly as he was before death.
They exchanged glances, and one said, “It’s Qian Ye. His combat strength seems to have improved again.”
The other replied, “From the current clues, it’s hard to say he’s stronger than during the Floating Land period.”
“Regardless, we have confirmed Qian Ye’s existence. We need to report this to the young master. Let Aiden confirm Qian Ye’s true combat strength.”
“A good idea. It’s time to give Aiden some new tasks and see what he’s still hiding.”
“Let’s go.”
The two black-robed figures slowly rose into the air, about to fly away. But as they exerted their strength, one shot out dozens of meters instantly, while the other remained motionless!
The flying figure was shocked and turned to see Qian Ye, who had appeared sometime earlier, tightly holding the other black-robed figure’s foot. No matter how he struggled, Qian Ye’s feet were like nails in the ground, immovable.
The captured figure let out a piercing scream, and dark magic flames erupted around him, propelling him like a cannonball into the sky. He should have shot hundreds of meters into the air, even carrying tons of weight, if not for his left foot held by Qian Ye.
But now, he could only lift Qian Ye’s heels slightly, unable to rise any higher. In this contest of magic and origin power, the black-robed figure was thoroughly defeated.
The already airborne black-robed figure, instead of returning to help, accelerated into the sky, disappearing instantly.
Qian Ye didn’t chase the one who escaped. He already had one in his grasp.
The captured black-robed figure struggled futilely. He looked back and saw Qian Ye watching him with a mocking gaze. Suddenly, his right hand ignited with magic flames, forming a burning magic sword, and he slashed it down!
Qian Ye was startled, but the sword wasn’t aimed at him. Instead, it severed the black-robed figure’s left leg. Free, the black-robed figure ignored his injury and surged with magic power, aiming for the sky.
But Qian Ye, lightning-fast, raised his left hand and grabbed the right foot.
The black-robed figure, determined, slashed off his right foot!
Qian Ye’s right hand grabbed at the air, and Dongyue appeared in his hand, the blade pressing against the black-robed figure’s shoulder.
Magic flames raged around the black-robed figure, like a caged bird flapping its wings, yet unable to escape Qian Ye’s grasp.
The black-robed figure suddenly removed his mask, revealing a pale and beautiful face. This was a typical demon noble, the intricate pattern on his forehead indicating his noble lineage. He glared at Qian Ye, his eyes filled with shame and hatred. In a desperate and crazed scream, he tilted his head, crashing into the blade of Dongyue.
Watching the head fly high, Qian Ye was surprised. A noble demon, even a third-class viscount, was considered part of the elite in the Evernight. With such a future, Qian Ye thought he would cherish the chance to live, but he had chosen to end it decisively.
Qian Ye stuck Dongyue into the ground and carefully searched the demon viscount’s body. As expected, aside from necessary supplies, there was no information to identify him, not even a family emblem. Their equipment was also minimal: a long and short sword, a short origin gun, several solid origin bullets, and enough food for a day.
Qian Ye frowned slightly. These clues were almost useless. A demon viscount could survive for a long time without food or water. A day’s worth of food was enough to cover thousands of kilometers. This range was too large to determine their base location.
Qian Ye looked in the direction the other demon viscount had fled, his eyes turning blue. In his true vision, the fleeing demon left a faint trail in the sky, ascending into the clouds. This demon was skilled in tracking and evading pursuit. Once he entered the clouds, his trail would be quickly erased by the void currents, making it impossible for Qian Ye to determine if he continued upward or changed direction.
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