In the endless night, Dauer and Tieg stood side by side, watching the fierce Bai Ao Tu battle nearby. Though they appeared unscathed, Tieg’s aura had noticeably weakened, his spirit subdued.
The two dukes, with few followers, seemed desolate. Their most capable warriors were dispatched to intercept Bai Ao Tu, yet she continued to advance relentlessly.
Dauer’s expression was grave, and he remained silent.
Tieg, however, let out a cold laugh. “This woman is truly foolish. The feigned attack has gone on long enough. If it continues, it will be too much. Lord Dauer, can you still watch? Why not stop her and make her retreat?”
Dauer spoke calmly, “My injuries are severe. It is already difficult for me to stand here and maintain morale. If I intervene, it might backfire. Perhaps we should…”
Before Dauer could finish, Tieg interrupted, “No need for us to act. She will surely retreat when she realizes the futility.” But as he spoke, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise, noticing Bai Ao Tu had already reached the center of the formation.
Inside Bai City, Song Zining looked shocked, Zhao Jundu grunted with a grim face, and Qian Ye rushed out with Dongyue in hand.
At this point, it was clear that Bai Ao Tu was not feigning an attack but determined to break through the formation and enter Bai City. Though the reason was unknown, they couldn’t let her die. They had to support her.
Zhao Jundu drew his sword and moved gracefully, just a step behind Qian Ye. Song Zining quickly issued a series of orders, injected himself with a stimulant, and then grabbed a battle gun, rushing out.
Though the Eternal Night formation was in disarray, the dark warriors who had just withdrawn from the front line were still focused on Bai City. When they saw Qian Ye, their first instinct was to fire, as if their original force didn’t have any cost.
Instantly, a barrage of bullets faced Qian Ye. He flickered and vanished, reappearing amidst the dark warriors. With a flash of bloodlines, hundreds of them froze, as if in a dream.
Tieg, watching from a distance, couldn’t help but breathe heavily. The combination of void flashing and life draining was too lethal, almost unbeatable in group combat. Though he had heard of Qian Ye’s invincible battlefield skills, seeing it in person still left him in awe.
Meanwhile, Zhao Jundu, who was initially behind Qian Ye, naturally dodged the initial wave of gunfire. As Qian Ye cleared the frontline, he accelerated, passing Qian Ye. His longsword transformed into a green rainbow, weaving through the dark warriors, cutting down each one it touched.
Whether facing cannon fodder or barons, Zhao Jundu swiftly advanced, matching Qian Ye’s speed. In a blink, he was deep in the Eternal Night formation.
Ahead, Bai Ao Tu roared, smacking a werewolf count into the ground with a single palm. The werewolf, though strong, spat out blood but did not die. Bai Ao Tu stepped over him, stomping on his shoulder, instantly crushing it.
She advanced with immense power, charging straight to Zhao Jundu.
Zhao Jundu’s sword flashed, killing two vampire viscounts who lunged at Bai Ao Tu. He then grabbed her, pulling both of them towards Bai City.
Seeing their prey about to escape, the dark warriors swarmed after them, knowing they couldn’t catch up but still trying. Suddenly, Qian Ye appeared before them, followed by a burst of bloodlines!
The second life drain instantly cleared the area, sparing only the viscounts and above, who were left wobbling, severely injured.
Qian Ye’s face was flushed, as if drunk. Two consecutive life drains took a toll on his body. Still, he managed to deliver a final blow to the nearest viscounts before retreating.
As he stepped back, he vanished. Not because of another void flash, but because Song Zining used his domain to hide him. Simultaneously, gunfire from Bai City rained down, separating Qian Ye from the pursuers.
Finally, Bai Ao Tu was safely brought into Bai City.
In the Eternal Night formation, Tieg’s face was as dark as rain. Beyond the damage to morale, the heavy losses of the core forces made him wonder how to explain it.
Dauer remained calm, which frustrated Tieg, but after witnessing Dauer’s true strength, he no longer dared to oppose him.
Dauer, meanwhile, issued a series of commands, including setting up a new defense line behind the inner perimeter, clearly aimed at the imperial reinforcements.
Tieg, surprised, asked, “The Empire will still attack? Weren’t we supposed to hold them back?”
Dauer shook his head. “The main army might not, but a few strong individuals can still infiltrate. Didn’t we just see one?”
“And the Council’s orders?”
“Proceed as planned.”
Dauer’s calm voice made Tieg shudder. “Lord Dauer, my injuries are becoming unmanageable. I fear I won’t be much help.”
Dauer responded coolly, “Lord Tieg, the blow you took seems less severe than mine. I’ve heard of a Wolf King in the Neutral Lands, also a vice-duke, who survived multiple hits and still pursued. You shouldn’t be much different.”
Tieg, angry, replied, “We vampires are not as resilient as werewolves.”
“Is that so? Good to know.” Dauer ignored Tieg’s embarrassment, gazing at Bai City. “Let them rest for fifteen minutes. We’ll resume the attack soon.”
Upon entering Bai City, Bai Ao Tu’s energy plummeted, and she spat blood. Zhao Jundu, prepared, handed her a recovery potion. She had forcibly pushed her original force, breaking through the formation, exhausting herself and unknowingly suffering internal injuries. If not for Qian Ye, Zhao Jundu, and Song Zining, she would have died even if she escaped.
Bai Ao Tu injected the recovery potion, regaining some color. “Thank you.”
“Truthfully, I’m surprised you came, but your method isn’t very wise,” Zhao Jundu said politely.
“I knew the army couldn’t come, but I could. I wanted to show the black-blooded scum that they can’t stop us.”
“But your actions seem futile,” Zhao Jundu shook his head.
“Even wounded, I still have the strength for a final blow. Even a duke would pay a price to kill me,” Bai Ao Tu said with pride and confidence.
Zhao Jundu sighed. “This is clearly a trap. Why come?”
“I owe you a duel. If you died, wouldn’t others think I gained an unfair advantage? I won’t have such talk. Let our agreement be judged by the number of enemies we kill here, how about it?”
“Agreed.”
As Zhao Jundu spoke, a whistling sound filled the air, signaling the start of a heavy artillery bombardment and another assault by the dark races.
Bai City, like an isolated island, was besieged by a sea of dark warriors, wave after wave crashing against it. Its resistance was weakening, and the dark warriors quickly breached the city, engaging in a deadly fight.
Qian Ye’s companions dwindled, familiar faces falling. The enemies increased, and every swing of his sword felled several. Warning signs filled his mind, indicating hidden snipers or assassins.
Dongyue grew heavier, and Qian Ye felt stinging pain, with wounds appearing on his body. Driven by the Bloodlust Horn, the dark warriors attacked madly, and the hidden strong ones became real threats.
Under the relentless assault, even Qian Ye’s ancient vampire constitution was struggling. He worried about Song Zining, who, along with the other two, covered different areas, relying on each other. Abandoning his sector would collapse the entire line. But Bai Ao Tu, in Song Zining’s sector, should alleviate his burden.
Qian Ye suppressed his worries, focusing on slaying the enemy, especially those with noble ranks, even if it meant getting hurt. He could only bleed the Eternal Night until they retreated.
Not just Bai City, but the entire floating land was in fierce combat. The Eternal Night threw massive forces, stubbornly blocking the three imperial armies approaching Bai City.
In the central route, Duke Wei Guo, hair disheveled and eyes bloodshot, personally oversaw the battle. For a day and night, he had launched over ten assaults, breaching nine defenses, only for the Eternal Night to deploy more forces and create new lines, stubbornly resisting.
On the eastern front, Princess Haimi’s fingers bled, her bow soaked in blood. Her quiver was empty, all arrows spent.
She scanned the battlefield, where both sides fought fiercely, the imperial army advancing while the dark warriors resisted, fearless. In the air, around her, seven or eight dark race strong ones, each with formidable auras, surrounded her.
Haimi looked toward the Invincible City, seeing nothing but empty sky.
Turning her gaze back, she smiled at the Eternal Night warriors. “So, I’m the real target, am I?”
Among the dark warriors were magi, vampires, werewolves, and spider-demons, a well-organized alliance, not a haphazard coalition.
A vampiric elder in the center said, “Since Your Highness knows, let’s end this. We can return to our master.”
“Your master?”
“Your Highness knows him,” the elder replied.
Haimi nodded, slowly. “An old foe. I admit I underestimated him, but he underestimates me too. You really think you can kill me?”
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