Chapter 17: The Assault

Jialinan awaited outside the warship. It seemed he was trying to avoid suspicion, not wanting Ye Pupil and Qian Ye to think he intended to eavesdrop.

Upon seeing Qian Ye emerge, Jialinan appeared somewhat surprised, “You’re out so soon?”

“Three minutes.”

“Only three minutes…” Jialinan didn’t know what to say.

“Three minutes are enough. I will come again after some time.”

“Wait a moment.” Jialinan called out to Qian Ye, lowering his voice, “After you went in, did you notice that our master’s condition was different from usual?”

Qian Ye nodded.

At this moment, Ye Pupil seemed to be in deep sleep, her body functions nearly frozen, yet she remained conscious. The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat eerie, similar to an ancient blood pool, but it was clearly not one.

“My sense is that the master is trying to re-master the use of the power of blood. Moreover, it seems the current body is somewhat restraining her, and needs to be improved.”

Jialinan’s insight made Qian Ye look at him with newfound respect. Qian Ye only had vague speculations due to his inheritance of the River of Blood, while although Jialinan was a marquis with a blood aura grade higher than Qian Ye’s, bloodline races could not perceive the River of Blood or acquire its knowledge. For Jialinan to know such things, he either perceived the River of Blood in his youth or read ancient texts, making him highly knowledgeable.

“What you mean is…”

“Once the master breaks through, no matter in which aspect, her strength will soar. Her intention is likely to return to the Twilight Continent and make the King of Lightless pay for his rudeness. When that time comes, you should stand by her side. But to be blunt, your current strength is far from sufficient. So, your time is running out.”

Qian Ye looked deeply at Jialinan and said, “Why are you telling me this? There must be many in the bloodline race who are fond of her, maybe including you.”

Jialinan smiled wryly, “I know a bit about your legendary past, but you may not fully understand our internal structure. The master’s bloodline is too powerful; perhaps very few in the entire bloodline race qualify as her companion. In front of her, we can only feel awe and reverence, nothing else. This is determined by the order in the River of Blood. You, however, are different. From you, I also sense a power that makes me tremble, only such an ancient bloodline deserves the master. But your current strength is still too weak. If the King of Lightless knew of your existence, he would surely do everything to eliminate you.”

Qian Ye nodded, keeping these words in mind, and bade Jialinan farewell.

Due to his extraordinary connection with Ye Pupil, Qian Ye knew her condition was not as optimistic as Jialinan thought. In the hall, facing her, Qian Ye caught a fleeting glimpse of her weakness.

Ye Pupil was injured, and seriously so. While re-mastering her power, she was also recovering from her wounds. Qian Ye did not know the extent of her injuries, but the fact that they had not healed for so long spoke volumes.

Moreover, being wounded by Medanzo’s subordinates and forced to hide in the neutral lands to recover was a tremendous humiliation for her. For high-ranking bloodlines, such enmity would require a thousand years of vengeance.

Qian Ye sighed inwardly. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to enhance his blood aura; the Dawn side required gradual accumulation of strength, without rushing.

Without a body reinforced by the Evernight side, Dawn Origin Power would be like a tower built on sand, easily collapsing once it grew too tall. And without Dawn Origin Power to balance, the Evernight side would develop unchecked, ultimately turning Qian Ye into a true bloodline and returning to the River of Blood.

Qian Ye bid Jialinan farewell, kept the Hall of Valor hovering at the edge of the landmass, and headed towards Nanqing City.

On the way, Qian Ye made a detour to see Lingang City.

Lingang City had been reduced to ruins in the war, but now a fortress-like building stood in the center, with black iron spikes lining the walls and corners. This brutal and rugged style was characteristic of the Spider Demons.

During the battle for Lingang City, the main forces were Moonlight White Devil and Wolf King, with the Spider Emperor not contributing much. But looking at the fortress, it seemed the Spider Emperor was now in charge.

After some thought, Qian Ye decided to enter. The guards at the city gate were dark races, and when Qian Ye released a bit of blood aura, the two low-level bloodlines turned pale and trembled. They dared not stop Qian Ye, letting him pass immediately.

The fortress was filled with dark races, and occasionally, iron cages lined the streets, containing some human captives. Most cages were empty, but dark bloodstains hinted at what had happened.

Most residents of Lingang City were captured to serve as materials for the flesh altar. Now, with the Hall of Valor, Qian Ye finally understood that the altar, though appearing to bewitch the Earth Dragon’s will, actually suppressed the thoughts of the Polaris King. Yet, Elder Wei and others had not expected the Polaris King’s thoughts to become independently sentient, almost a second Polaris King.

For such independent thoughts, the flesh altar was useless. He allowed Elder Wei and others to climb because of Qian Ye. If Qian Ye failed the test, it would all be in vain, and the Polaris King, having laid his heart to rest, never intended for the Hall of Valor or the gun barrels to see the light of day.

Roaming around Lingang City, Qian Ye found only a few hundred captive humans, destined to become food or slaves.

Under Su Dingqian, life in Lingang City was hard, but the people retained their dignity. Now, only a few of the 20,000 were left, devoid of vitality.

In his heart, Qian Ye felt a profound dislike for Zhang Buzhou. With his cultivation and claim as a human guardian, he should have protected the people within his domain. Instead, he let Wolf King act, showing no concern for the humans, focusing only on transcending the realm of the Heavenly King.

Anger rose in Qian Ye. What was the point of such a Heavenly King?

A coarse voice suddenly sounded behind him, “What are you standing here for?”

Qian Ye turned to see a robust spider demon, at the knight level, several eyes fixed on him, scrutinizing.

In a foul mood, Qian Ye’s face turned cold. A strand of blood aura shot towards the spider demon, “Get lost!!”

The knight spider demon, hit by the blood aura, became dizzy and disoriented, collapsing to the ground.

Qian Ye’s ancient bloodline matched that of a spider marshal, and even across species, his presence overpowered the lesser demon. Not content, Qian Ye stepped forward, crushing one of the spider demon’s legs underfoot, causing a sickening crack.

The spider knight screamed but dared not fight back.

Hearing the scream, hundreds of spider demon soldiers and other dark race troops rushed over.

Qian Ye stayed, coldly addressing the spider knight, “Next time, polish your eyes before picking a fight.”

Still stunned by the blood aura, the knight realized any wrong move meant death. Most dark races, despite their ferocity, feared death, and their internal relationships were harsh, with higher-ups often killing subordinates for the slightest offense.

Seeing the knight silent, the other troops exchanged glances, unsure how to proceed.

Qian Ye’s expression turned colder, and dark gold blood aura flared, “Surrounding me, what do you intend? All seeking death?”

The ancient and deep aura caused lower-level dark races to tremble.

Stronger ones retreated, weaker ones collapsed, losing the ability to move.

Not interested in these small fry, Qian Ye strode through the crowd towards the fortress gate.

No one dared to block him, and the dark races watched as Qian Ye left.

On the ramparts, a man in heavy armor, with a fierce face, observed Qian Ye’s departure, his expression grim. The dark-green markings on his face indicated a high-level spider demon capable of humanoid form.

A wolf viscount beside him said, “Baron, are you just going to let him go? If word gets out, the Spider Emperor’s face will be damaged!”

The baron snorted, “He is indeed suspicious. Why don’t you capture him? I noticed he looks like Zhao Ye, who Wolf King wanted dead. Perhaps it is him!”

The wolf viscount’s face turned awkward, “How could that be? Clearly, it’s not the same person! I think he’s a high-ranking bloodline, possibly from the Crimson Throne.”

The baron sneered, “Zhao Ye might also be from the Crimson Throne, no contradiction there.”

The viscount quickly added, “No, Zhao Ye is clearly human.”

The baron drawled, “Oh, I see.”

“Exactly,” the viscount repeated.

The baron snorted, “Let’s go. This place is irksome.”

Leading his men down, he left the wolf alone.

The wolf stood for a moment, his face turning vicious, glancing in the direction Qian Ye had gone, then hurried off.

By dusk, Qian Ye arrived at the outskirts of Nanqing City, heading straight for the governor’s mansion. The city guard recognized Qian Ye and eagerly approached, “Lord Qian Ye, why have you come? Where are you headed? I’ll lead the way.”

“To the governor’s mansion.”

“Right away.” The guard summoned a carriage, inviting Qian Ye inside, and set off.

Midway, Qian Ye’s ears twitched, catching the sound of rapidly spinning gears.

It was the preheating sound of a multi-barrel machine gun!

Immediately, a terrifying stream of fire streaked across the street, aimed at Qian Ye’s carriage.