Not long after, QIan Ye spotted two figures stealthily progressing across the wilderness. Although their hiding abilities were top-notch, their power fluctuations could not escape QIan Ye’s field of vision.
The Vice Commandant, unaware his movements had already been noticed by QIan Ye, made a gesture and led his subordinate to hide behind a hill, waiting for a scout patrol to approach. By their uniforms, these scouts were a part of the Wolf King’s forces—three young werewolves radiated a bold, savage aura and remained on guard.
The vice commandant’s power significantly outranked these werewolves’. Indeed, with merely one of his subordinates, the small squad was eliminated swiftly before starting an interrogation. At a distance, QIan Ye could not make out their findings, yet even from afar, the Vice Commandant’s capricious expression conveyed no happy tidings.
Suddenly at this time, the Vice Commandant seemingly sensed unseen scrutiny, turned his face swiftly, and cast gaze toward where QIan Ye was located. Remaining absolutely still and concealing his breathing, there was no way for the former to notice QIan Ye’s existence, for the distance exceeded what ordinary powerful ones perceived. With Qian Ye’s extraordinary visual acuteness, he was like a grain of sand in the furthest distance—incomprehensible detail if the former didn’t move.
Detecting nothing unusual, the subcommandant pondered for a moment before fetching out a telescope for a re-sweep of the landscape. The optical surface exuding gloomy violet glints was no common tool.
These types of devices functioned uniquely—homing in reflected lens glimmers used to capture marksmen or scouts during warfare; a single miscalculation risked swift detection. Yet Qian Ye needed no scope at the moment, merely relying on his superior innate sharp sight made him unperturbed by the device’s scanning attempts. Any prior scope use served merely to feign scouting against someone tailing stealthily from behind, meant solely to mislead them away through a ruse.
Despite another fruitless survey, the officer reluctantly stored the telescope after disposing of all werewolves, setting traps before withdrawing with the remaining comrade.
By this juncture, QIan Ye identified him clearly now—command of the city defenders’ Vice Commander and, judging from operations, inspecting this battlefield section himself. His presence as an outside power being monitored was completely natural.
Just while pondering if to follow further, an instantaneous jolt in Qian Ye’s soul triggered an urgent side dive—a sharp evasive twist. Moments following relocalizing, a bullet infused with force crashed silently down exactly where he had stood, drilling an inky miniature cavity endlessly downwards.
This assault startled Qian Ye—the strike’s silence left not the faintest auditory trail. It was practically on impact until his intuition registered its approach, yet it had formidable destructive potential; landing upon his frame assured injuries.
Within the blink, QIan Ye pivoted sharply towards where this assault originated. Yet, all that appeared on the horizon was a wisp of pale ashen silhouette. Merely like a writhing smear of blurred colors, even its race indistinguishable, more yet, detailing features of his physical visage was fruitless. Having missing his shot, the figure retreated far away. Then suddenly, a shrill whisper reverberated around: “You’re quite capable, young one. Let’s play… slowly.”
The grey blur contorted one moment longer then evaporated entirely from QIan Ye’s senses—as though vanished into thin air—employing secretive sorcery to sever all presence from recognition.
Rather than giving chase, QIan Ye returned instead to examine the bullet’s landing spot.
This cavity was bottomless, the hole’s walls sleek polished, but touching it radiated a chilly moisture instead of heated remnants—the attacker wielding power attributes oddly warped. An ability to silently approach undetected combined with targeting capabilities to ambush QIan Ye…The last individual capable of such was Aiden—at least that version amidst Mistwood fog enshrouding him.
Thus, clearly those rivals such as Wolf Regent and Spider Emperor wouldn’t yield. Secretively they sent forth elites. Qian deduced were such a scenario repeated replacing another for Qian, injuries would be inevitable.
Deciding against pursuing the Vice Commander further or departing immediately, QIan Ye remained in-situ, concealed presence as he awaited deepening of nightfall. Likely, this mysterious assassin didn’t foresee QIan staying in place; the likelihood he might return to investigate the scene presented an opportunity—reciprocated with a ‘counter surprise’ not unwelcomed.
Midnight descended without an appearance from the killer. Then only after dusk QIan Ye stood up, heading to a direction chosen arbitrarily as stealthy as ever.
Suddenly arose in distance, a violent energy flare—an unmistakably battle involving powerhouses erupting beyond horizon. Without delay Qian hastened forth approaching the battle’s direction. Should comrades of theirs participate, they wouldn’t hesitate joining to offer assistance—Linhai’s City forces clearly disadvantaged here; all their resources merited safeguarding carefully.
Upon cresting a high hill crest, QIan Ye discovered combat exceeding expectations in ferocity; multiple powerhouses commanding squads engaged one another to brutal consequences.
To Qian’s surprise resided amidst battle’s tumult—previously having stalked himself, the Sub-Commander valiant in the thick, engaged furiously battling a Baron opponent supported with dual Viccounts harrying him continuously; while in clear defensive, his tenacity in struggle remained impressive. Simultaneously, one of SubCommandants loyal under-commanders crushed under relentless attack his foe – facing off against a Tier-Three Viscount, having his foe’s resistance entirely nullified. Meanwhile, peripherally, massed squads clashing—dozens of high-ranked frontline martial champions battled fiercely, desperate for a pivotal outcome assisting their leaders decisively.
Analyzing battlefield balance, Linhai held advantage margin; Should the subordinate prevail, allowing reinforcement against SubCommaner, overwhelming their foe became plausible – though enemy forces no fools expected to disengage early.
QIan Ye cautiously narrowed the gap toward battlefield suppressing all sense of energy emanation—but at sudden intervals, detecting minor ripples from near proximity within general chaos; these minor fluctuations often overlooked in war. However, he remembered such traces intimately—it was none other than this elusive marksman whose ambush almost found him success mere time before.
The assassin’s conceal abilities exceptional—Qian discerning his trace due to his unavoidable revealing just before firing the previous trigger.
In the instant decisive to battle momentum—QIan took decisive motion! Launching himself with full force toward his killer.
The charge released without hesitation, lighting bolt speed closed a distance spanning hundreds of meters—coinciding with this unseen foe ejecting one more bullet trailing deep grey swirls, hurling back toward battlefield carnage.
Here it revealed minimal shape—a roughly humanoid outline, distorted like spilled monochrome pigment.
However, precisely at point of impact—before Qian could grasp victory; A new silhouette erupted forth between assassin and pursuer!
The new figure bore semblance of knights described in ancient fables from eras long vanished—armored encasement pitch black heavy metal, slits only carved for piercing eyes behind—blocking Qian’s strike with a bold yell— “Invul Shield!”
Arms spread out; A force field emerged—branded complex runes densely imprinted upon—visibly dense in solidity, exuding defensive promise beyond compare against lesser shields.
Acting upon impulse, QIan Ye raised an energy firearm gifted from Cui Yuanhai, unleashing pointblank, its tremendous feedback halting momentum instantly. The rifle belching out roaring fiery explosion slammed into the knight’s force defense.
A booming sound echoed. The Heavy Knight, though pushed back a step, stood unfallen—but upon their defense, cracks of luminance wavered dangerously, verging on collapse. Yet—against QIan’s full powered attack—it still remained, intact shield.
Eyes slightly narrowed, QIan recognized the similarity between knight vs Wei Patian—their martial styles focused primarily on protection. While Wei demonstrated moderate offensiveness, this armored stranger concentrated exclusively in pure defensive mastery—boasting named shield: Invul. Perhaps boasting slightly exaggerated—but still true not fully shattered by QIan’s charge.
Clearly impressed at attacker’s strength, the masked knight studied the flickering state left lingering upon his legendary shield, perhaps wondering his options further in conflict now drawn with the dangerous foe.
Meanwhile, the gray mist reassembled fully, even through an obscured form radiated undetected eyes locking QIan in. Invisible yet piercing stares sent quivery discomfort through QIan’s flesh and spirit.
War was raging inside Qian’s heart at this juncture. The pair possessed abilities that complemented one another—one being a master assassin, while the second wielded an impressive defensive talent. Their strength as one exceeded expectations. QIan gauged they must approach twelve power-grade equivalences, though their specialties posed an especially formidable combination—impossible to easily subdue unless pulling out all stops. But now with eyes from all quarters bearing upon his presence, he refrained himself from exhibiting too great of strength; his current mission was akin to mercenary earnings rather than national vengeance and hatred—a battle too young to claim that depth at all.
Across way, the twin deadly strangers similarly hesitated wary against the difficulty this rival represented, advancing ceased as well.
Yet on front’s melee fray still locked into struggle; the gray entity missed when firing as Qian crashed upon him, causing his bullet off course harmlessly.
Silent exchange occurring via fleeting glances between assassin pairings—one motioned slightly behind QIan’s direction, QIan caught the motion nodded and stepped gradually back; agreement forged. In a moment enemies vanished; space between widening until none could tell whether friend or foe once more from haze that remained.
Meanwhile carnage continued upon battlefield; soldiers were slain, although higher-ranked participants merely bruised. Having sensed this outer conflict, all warriors mutually agreed on disengagement without further quarrelling or losses and took fallen brethren remaining alive away from the grim site while those lost remained unmoving.
QIan Ye stood afar in distance solemn in silence reflecting on events. Whereas imperial military tradition held that fallen soldiers—comrades-in-arms must be recovered regardless. Even among Night realms, each tribal lineage preserved ancestral body respectfully from corruption’s reach and ensured honored rites.
But currently here? Transport reserves didn’t abound nor effective countermeasures preserved corpses in the wild. Corpses rotting and attracting foes made transporting them a hazardous risk instead. Such considerations occupied Qians mind.
Then on distant plain silhouettes emerged—races of figures advancing quick. Among this new party, a werewolf raised his snoot scent testing the wind before roaring commands, prompting the entire faction onward while remaining individuals took defensive line formations cautiously advancing.
Their banners bore the Wolf Emperor crest—roughly around hundred numbers, including no lesser than three viscounts, evidently an elite hunting pack.
The vanguard werewolf, after surveying piles of fallen bodies at battleground, signaled to his flanks and instantly dispatched units on scout perimeter patrol.
The werewolf leader wandered battle terrain occasionally sniffing air, searching something amidst chaos. After sometime howled deep guttural command, followed swiftly by thirty strong—bearing multiple cadavers apiece and departed in speed—while the leader took ten elite sentry troops securing perimeter vigilance carefully around.
Within Mistswood, consuming such party might seem plausible but here, while undulating hills rose occasionally—open plains defined this area’s battlefield more accurately. Considering hidden lethal shadows—entangled risk loomed large without proper concealment.
Thus, QIan Ye, concealed and silent, became the lone stone within an ancient wasteland; unmoving yet ever watchful, as shadows danced across a battlefield that was now quiet once again…
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