Chapter 90: Await Thee on the Holy Mountain

Having spoken, Ye Tong extended her finger and gently poked Qian Ye’s chest. The force was not great, but it was more than what the present Qian Ye could withstand. With a thud, he fell to the ground once again. The impact caused all of Qian Ye’s suppressed wounds to burst open, spewing blood that formed a crimson silhouette on the floor.

With new injuries added to his existing ones, it was an enormous struggle for Qian Ye to even get up. Yet, he struggled, inch by inch, moving his body, leaning against the wall, and finally managed to stand. He then slowly shuffled to the doorway, nearly falling several times before he finally blocked the entrance.

From the wall to the door, the trail of blood left by Qian Ye was a horrifying sight.

“If you wish to die, I will grant your wish.” There was no trace of pain or concern in Ye Tong’s eyes, only coldness.

“Where is Nighteye?”

A flicker of emotion appeared in Ye Tong’s eyes. After a moment, she pointed to her blood core, “She is here. If you insist that she is Nighteye.”

The image of Ye Tong reflected in Qian Ye’s pupils, and this time, Ye Tong allowed her figure to become clear. However, the result left Qian Ye speechless. The figure of Ye Tong in front of him remained unchanged, as did her blood energy. She was still the woman he deeply loved. But where was her soul? Was she still the same person?

“What is going on?”

“I have awakened. The Nighteye you knew was merely the instinct of this body while I was in slumber. Do you understand?” Having explained so much, Ye Tong was becoming quite impatient. A chill entered her eyes as she said, “I have been very lenient with you. If you dare to entangle further, do you truly believe I won’t kill you?”

Qian Ye showed no fear. “What about our past, are we just going to forget it all?”

Ye Tong responded coolly, “Given your lineage, the past entanglements haven’t put me at too much of a disadvantage. Let’s leave it at that.”

“Who are you, really?”

This question seemed to awaken some dormant memories within Ye Tong. Her aura suddenly became lofty and mysterious, deep and unfathomable. The mere hint of her oppressive power already made it difficult for Qian Ye to move.

“You only need to know that my rightful place is on the Holy Mountain.”

“Wherever you go, I will find you!!” Qian Ye roared with all his might.

But Ye Tong waved her hand lightly, and an invisible force moved Qian Ye away from the door and set him aside.

Just as she was about to leave, she paused and said slowly, “I’ll be waiting for you on the Holy Mountain.”

Then, Ye Tong pushed the door open and vanished instantly.

Qian Ye sat alone in the empty room, suddenly feeling that the entire world was desolate and chilling.

The sky grew darker.

It was only when footsteps were heard outside the courtyard that Qian Ye snapped out of his daze. He tried to stand up guardedly, but his legs felt weak, and he almost stumbled. He had been severely injured, even his internal organs were damaged. If not for the partial crystallization of his blood core and the origin vortex, both far sturdier than usual, the injuries could have been fatal.

Nanjingcheng was not safe. Knowing someone was approaching, Qian Ye steadied himself, took out a piece of treasured blood crystal, crushed it, and absorbed the source blood inside. The pulse of the blood core immediately strengthened, converting the energy of the source blood into golden-burning blood, which was delivered throughout his body. Wherever the golden-burning blood flowed, the tissue and muscles rapidly healed. However, since Qian Ye’s entire body was riddled with injuries, the golden-burning blood soon exhausted its energy and turned back into ordinary blood after traveling a short distance from the blood core.

However, the slight healing stabilized Qian Ye’s condition. He changed into another set of clothes, activated his lineage concealment, and hid all his presence. He went to the courtyard gate and waited quietly.

Sure enough, a knock sounded at the door.

Qian Ye pulled open the gate, causing a low gasp from the other side. Several people stood there, led by a young girl in a black robe—Qing Yue, whom he had fought alongside in Linggang City. She had not sensed anyone behind the door and was about to knock again when the gate suddenly opened, startling her greatly.

Behind Qing Yue were four others, including two old men with profound auras, each faintly showing six origin vortices, indicating considerable strength. The other two were also battle commanders. The fighting prowess of the Gao Hu people far exceeded that of humans at the same level, and this group was strong enough to dominate in Nanjingcheng.

However, the two old men were also startled; they had not sensed Qian Ye’s presence at all.

“Qing Yue? It’s a rare visit. Please come in.” Qian Ye stepped aside.

Qing Yue left two guards at the gate and entered the courtyard with the two old men. At a glance, she saw the bloodstains on the floor through the open door and immediately became alert.

“It’s nothing, just a minor issue, already dealt with,” Qian Ye said calmly.

In the neutral territories, blood was a common sight, so Qing Yue didn’t give it much thought. She gestured, and the two old men placed four steel barrels at the corners of the courtyard. From each barrel, a metal rod rose, and as the origin arrays activated, light curtains appeared between the rods, isolating the courtyard from the outside.

“This setup is quite interesting.”

“Just a small device to block sound and perception, preventing eavesdropping. Of course, it has its limits; it’s ineffective against those above the level of divine general.” Qing Yue explained, partly to ease Qian Ye’s mind. Seeing that Qian Ye remained impassive and allowed them to set up without interference, Qing Yue’s estimation of his danger increased. She had no idea that Qian Ye was actually in a state of severe injury and lacked the strength to stop them.

Realizing their painstaking setup, Qian Ye knew they must have something important to discuss and waited quietly for them to explain their purpose.

Once the barrier was in place, Qing Yue said, “I am here to ask Mr. Zhao for help in exploring the underground labyrinth beneath Linggang City.”

“The labyrinth beneath Linggang City? Isn’t that the nest of Earth Dragons? You want to risk venturing into the den of void behemoths?”

Qing Yue replied, “I know Mr. Zhao must think I’m crazy. In the past, the Earth Dragon’s nest was indeed a forbidden zone. Even Su Dingqian returned empty-handed, so who would dare enter? But this time is different. Emperor Spider and the Moonlight White Demon have found a way to pacify the Earth Dragons, making them ignore the weaker beings in the nest. However, divine generals can still attract their attention and be attacked.”

Qian Ye immediately understood the opportunity. If divine generals like Emperor Spider, the Masked One, and Wolf King could not enter the Earth Dragon’s nest, it presented a chance for opportunistic ventures. However, even if the divine generals couldn’t enter, the three factions’ underlings were still numerous and powerful, making it anything but easy to snatch something from their mouths.

“What is in the Earth Dragon’s nest that makes it so valuable to you?”

“Earth Dragon’s Blood.”

Upon hearing this, Qian Ye almost laughed.

So-called Earth Dragon’s Blood, Su Dingqian had just mentioned, was merely a rumor he spread. He had never even seen an Earth Dragon, let alone known what the blood was for. Qing Yue had been present during that conversation. Had she forgotten the story?

Qing Yue, however, did not laugh. Instead, she said seriously, “What seems false is true, and what seems true is false. Su Dingqian is a cunning old fox, using such methods to make people believe the Earth Dragon’s Blood does not exist. In reality, acquiring the blood doesn’t require facing the Earth Dragons directly. The uses of the blood are also kept secret.”

“How do you know this?”

Qing Yue smiled faintly, “We Gao Hu people are naturally skilled in battle and uphold our honor, making us the best mercenaries. Centuries ago, our ancestors aided a mysterious expert in delving into the Earth Dragon’s nest, uncovering many secrets and obtaining a drop of Earth Dragon’s Blood.”

At this point, Qing Yue paused. Qian Ye knew she was deliberately withholding information, waiting for him to inquire and possibly use the secret as a bargaining chip.

But Qian Ye remained silent, showing no intention of asking. Helplessly, Qing Yue continued, “The main use of the Earth Dragon’s Blood is to significantly enhance the user’s lineage power, improve one’s potential, and overcome previous bottlenecks. With good fortune, it may even replace the user’s original lineage, elevating them to new heights.”

“Truly a priceless treasure.”

Seeing Qian Ye’s calm expression, Qing Yue couldn’t help but say, “The Earth Dragon’s Blood also aids in breaking through to the divine general realm. Our ancestor used it to achieve divine general status. Under his guidance, we established seven secret bases, the benefits of which continue to this day.”

“What is the success rate?” Qian Ye asked.

While treasures that aid in breaking through to the divine general realm were not unique, their value primarily depended on how much they increased the chances of success. Many were stuck at this threshold, and for them, any item that improved their chances, no matter how small, was invaluable.

“At least thirty percent!”

“Thirty percent! Are you sure?” Qian Ye was finally moved. An increase of thirty percent was very rare, even more valuable than primal crystals. A primal crystal only granted a single divine general ability, not a genuine breakthrough.

“Don’t forget, our ancestor used the Earth Dragon’s Blood. This is his testimony.”

“Indeed, it’s tempting. But such a treasure is far beyond my reach. I still have a long way to go before reaching the divine general realm.” Qian Ye regained his composure and smiled, “Moreover, even if I obtained it, it wouldn’t belong to me. Am I right?”

“True, the Earth Dragon’s Blood is crucial to us Gao Hu people. But if we obtain it, we will offer you adequate compensation.”

“Tell me more.”

Seeing Qian Ye’s calm demeanor, Qing Yue couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you tempted by the Earth Dragon’s Blood?”

“Too far out of my reach, better not to think about it,” Qian Ye smiled faintly.

In truth, the Earth Dragon’s Blood wasn’t out of Qian Ye’s reach but rather of no use to him. In terms of lineage power, his ancient vampire blood was no less potent than the Earth Dragon’s Blood. Furthermore, he had cultivated it himself and could control it freely, making it more powerful than the external Earth Dragon’s Blood.

As for the divine general threshold, many were stuck due to impure origin power with too many impurities, unable to complete the process of liquefaction and crystallization. Some had taken too many drugs, while most simply practiced inadequate cultivation methods, resulting in impure origin power. To purify origin power required efforts tenfold greater than normal cultivation.

But Qian Ye’s Dawn Origin Power was already incredibly pure, almost reaching its peak. As one of the top three Dawn Origin Powers, Aurora’s Dawn was a symbol of purity. Now, his origin vortices were partially crystallized, making the future liquefaction and crystallization a natural progression.

Since it was useless, Qian Ye, of course, was not tempted.