Chapter 77: The Hunt Begins

No matter whether it was the human race or the dark races, even those with formidable combat power and exquisite control over their bodies could not avoid some instinctive reactions. For instance, when a sharp blade pierced a vital spot, a true master could remain perfectly calm in terms of breathing, but there would still be slight physical reactions that were difficult to suppress—such as the twitching of tiny muscles around the eyes or the slight tensing of muscles due to tension.

Yu Mingkang had been so close to Qian Ye at that moment that even the slightest tremor of his muscles under the skin would not have escaped his notice. Yet, what filled him with fear was that Qian Ye showed no reaction at all, as if the two blades did not exist. He continued to stab Dongyue into Yu Mingkang’s abdomen, driving it deeper.

If there had never been any lifelike mechanical humans, Yu Mingkang would have doubted whether Qian Ye’s body was a cold machine. Even machines could be affected, but Qian Ye showed no signs of being affected at all.

The meeting hall fell silent, with no one daring to respond. The atmosphere dropped to an icy point. After a long while, a general hesitantly said, “Perhaps he has some secret technique that allows him to feign death.”

No one paid him any heed.

A person in a state of feigned death would have their combat power reduced to the lowest possible level. How could they then counterattack and severely injure Yu Mingkang?

The lower-ranking generals were still in a daze, unable to understand why Yu Mingkang was so terrified. Du Yuan and another vice-commander, on the other hand, had grave expressions, as somber as storm clouds about to burst. Rui Xiang, meanwhile, seemed restless, subconsciously tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword.

Du Yuan spoke up, “Alright, Mingkang, sit down. For now, refrain from engaging in battle. Focus on your cultivation and regain your composure. Next, let us… “

He paused mid-sentence.

On the side of the City Guard, several seats were now empty. Compared to the previous meeting, six or seven people were missing, nearly half of the attendees. In this battle, aside from Yu Mingkang, most of the accompanying high-ranking officers were either dead or severely injured, dealing a heavy blow to the City Guard.

The battle report had already been submitted, and throughout the encounter, Yu Mingkang had not made any major mistakes. He had even seized the opportunity to strike a decisive blow. If it had been anyone else, victory would have been assured. Unfortunately, he encountered Qian Ye. The empty seats now served as proof that even Qian Ye, who had used up Zangxin, was still beyond their match.

After a moment of contemplation, Du Yuan changed his mind and asked, “Mingkang, what is your opinion?”

Yu Mingkang never expected to be asked. He struggled internally, then gritted his teeth and pointed at Rui Xiang, shouting, “Qian Ye said that if we do not release the person, he will never give up. This individual has a bright future ahead and will undoubtedly become a divine general. Already, none of us can match him. In a few years, who among us can stop him? We have already lost so many brothers, and we don’t even know why they died! But this old coward, hiding in the city like a turtle in its shell! I say, either hand over the person, or let this old fool face Qian Ye himself. We are done with this!”

Rui Xiang’s face alternated between red and white as he slammed the table, angrily saying, “You impudent scoundrel! You show disrespect to the Heavenly King! If the Heavenly King were to return…”

Yu Mingkang interrupted, “If the Heavenly King were to return, the first to be executed would be you, this greedy, lecherous, and cowardly old fool! The Heavenly King’s honor has been tarnished by you!”

Rui Xiang leapt to his feet, gripping the hilt of his sword, ready to attack. However, a sudden, chilling aura appeared from the side, forcing him to remain fully alert. Rui Xiang slowly turned to look at Du Yuan, saying coldly, “Commander Du, you have indeed grown much in recent years. I am truly ashamed.”

After forcing Rui Xiang to sit back down, Du Yuan withdrew the killing intent, saying calmly, “I am already on my last legs and cannot fight for long. Commander Rui, you need not worry. Since Qian Ye is such a thorn, why not just hand over Song Zining?”

Rui Xiang slammed the table again, raging, “How can we do that? If we hand over the person, where will the Heavenly King’s dignity be? To be frightened by a mere child, how can you bear to do this?”

Yu Mingkang jeered from the side, “You, an old man too afraid to leave the city, have the nerve to speak?”

Du Yuan raised his hand to stop Yu Mingkang, fixing his gaze on Rui Xiang, and said slowly, “Commander Rui, if you are unwilling to release the person and do not explain the reason, what is your intention? Do you want to weaken City Lord Luo Bingfeng’s power?”

Rui Xiang was slightly startled; this accusation was serious. Luo Bingfeng held a special position, and even Zhang Buzhou treated him with courtesy. Now in Tiderise City, if Luo Bingfeng was truly provoked, there would be no place to run. He hurriedly said, “Commander Du, your words are harsh. We are all under the Heavenly King. Weakening the City Lord’s power is weakening the Heavenly King’s power. I, Rui Xiang, would never do such a thing.”

Du Yuan replied, “So, Commander Rui has no personal motives?”

“Absolutely none!”

“Good. Then let us both go out of the city together and see what tricks Qian Ye has up his sleeve.”

Rui Xiang was shocked and quickly refused, saying, “This may not be appropriate. I have urgent matters and cannot spare the time.”

Du Yuan’s eyes flashed with a sinister light, saying, “What urgent matters? Why not tell us? If you really don’t want to, I will personally go to the Heavenly King’s residence and ask.”

Rui Xiang’s expression shifted, finally turning sullen, as he said in a low voice, “Very well, I will accompany you out of the city. But Commander Du, take care of yourself. In a high position, one inevitably makes enemies. If something happens to you, it would be hard to say what would happen to your family.”

The generals of the City Guard immediately changed their expressions, glaring angrily. Rui Xiang, however, looked at them with undisguised contempt, saying, “A pack of chickens and mongrels, barking at me?”

Du Yuan remained calm, saying, “If we do not take this chance to eliminate Qian Ye, in a few years, it will be Commander Rui who will have to worry about his family.”

Rui Xiang’s face turned very ugly.

The meeting ended in disharmony, but both sides eventually agreed to jointly engage in battle and report to the City Lord. However, just like the previous time, the messenger was intercepted by that woman before reaching the holy mountain and never saw Luo Bingfeng. Even after seeing the heavy casualties, the woman only casually acknowledged it and said nothing more.

After the meeting, Yu Mingkang did not hurry to leave. He stood in the courtyard, looking up at the sky, and sighed deeply. A general approached and, lowering his voice, asked, “Commander, why does that old man refuse to fight Qian Ye?”

Yu Mingkang, now calmer, said, “He is afraid of death.”

“Afraid of death? Qian Ye, no matter how strong, is no match for Commander Rui,” the general was clearly puzzled.

“The key is, what if he can’t dodge Qian Ye’s gun?”

The general scratched his head, “Can’t dodge? How is that possible? The gun was fired from a kilometer away. If I had been prepared, I might have dodged it. And him? Despite his poor character, he is still very powerful.”

Yu Mingkang smiled bitterly, “At a kilometer, you might dodge. At eight hundred meters?”

The general was straightforward, “Then I’d close my eyes and wait for death.”

Yu Mingkang nodded, sighing, “Exactly. At five hundred meters, I can’t dodge either. For that old man, two hundred meters would be a stretch. At a hundred meters, he would have nowhere to run.”

“But Qian Ye seems to have only one shot.”

“Don’t forget, that one shot severely wounded the Wolf King. What we saw was not its full power.”

The general finally understood, saying in shock, “That means if the old man gets hit by Qian Ye’s full-power shot, he would surely die?”

Yu Mingkang nodded, “That’s why he wants to hide in the city and avoid the fight.”

Outside Tiderise City, Du Yuan, clad in armor, walked alongside Rui Xiang. Wearing the armor, Du Yuan transformed from a kind old man into a fierce general, his previously clean-shaven face now mostly covered by a grim mask.

Rui Xiang, on the other hand, had a stony expression, his eyes scanning the surroundings, one hand never leaving the hilt of his sword, clearly on high alert.

Du Yuan pointed to a nearby grove, smiling, “If Qian Ye were to ambush us there and fire his gun, I would likely meet my end here. What does Commander Rui think?”

Rui Xiang’s face turned very ugly, and he remained silent. Du Yuan’s armor was of a high rank, once used by Luo Bingfeng, with impressive defenses. It was not comparable to Rui Xiang’s robes and the inner armor beneath, which were perhaps three or five times weaker. If Du Yuan couldn’t withstand Qian Ye’s attack, Rui Xiang had no chance.

Seeing Rui Xiang’s silence, Du Yuan chuckled and said, “If Qian Ye were really nearby, I wonder who he would aim at first.”

Rui Xiang’s face froze as he pulled out a metal tube from his chest, firing it into the sky. A signal flare soared upward, reaching the clouds.

As soon as the signal was sent, several off-road vehicles sped out of the city, spreading into the wilderness in a fan-shaped formation. Several figures also emerged from the city, appearing and disappearing, moving faster than the vehicles, and also entered the wilderness.

Looking at the numbers, Du Yuan knew that Rui Xiang had sent out his elite troops to occupy key positions to restrain Qian Ye. Having achieved his goal, he ceased to mock Rui Xiang, quickening his pace and walking further away with him.

At that moment, Qian Ye was not outside Tiderise City but standing atop a desolate peak dozens of kilometers away, gazing silently at the distant horizon. His body was intermittently glowing with scarlet gold flames, and his aura was slowly rising. Now, his body was gradually approaching its peak state, and some of the previously vague bottlenecks were becoming clearer.

Defeating Yu Mingkang was just an appetizer. The real, arduous battle was about to begin. Qian Ye must always be at his peak to ensure he can escape after seriously injuring his opponent. Only after this battle would he have enough leverage to force the other side to release the captive.

After standing in silence for a moment, Qian Ye suddenly felt as if someone was watching him from the side. He quickly turned his head, but saw nothing but an empty sky, cloudless and devoid of life. Not even a bird could be seen.