The Emperor’s strike sent the wind swirling and the clouds roiling, with countless specks of light cascading down like a river of radiance. Where it passed, only the strongest warriors could still struggle; the rest fell silently.
With just one blow, over a thousand dark warriors collapsed, leaving a gaping hole at a crucial point in their formation.
The commander of the dark races seemed very concerned about this gap and immediately mobilized troops from all around to fill it. After a frantic operation, the density of warriors in this area was much greater than in others, but their formation was chaotic, pushing and shoving, a complete mess.
“Perfect opportunity!” The Fourteenth Prince’s eyes lit up. The captain, understanding his intent, maneuvered the flagship in a circle, once again passing over the front lines of the dark races.
The Fourteenth Prince rushed to the side, gazing at the mass of Evernight warriors below, and took a deep breath, flipping a switch on the Emperor. The force arrays on the gun’s body immediately turned a dim red glow.
He aimed at the densest cluster below and fired!
Countless beams of red force crisscrossed, forming a vast net that descended upon the Evernight warriors.
This shot struck the elite forces of Evernight, and the Fourteenth Prince quickly calculated that his force cultivation had improved, allowing him to fire another shot. With three shots, he could eliminate thousands of Evernight warriors, a significant casualty count in the current stalemate, enough to turn the tide of the battle.
Achieving such a feat single-handedly would surely make him stand out among the many princes and princesses.
The Emperor’s strike made all life bow, and this red net was one of its finishing moves. The Deep Red Bind, the Heavenly Net, the Emperor’s might, no one could escape. But the greater the power, the deeper the force required to sustain it.
For the Fourteenth Prince, this Heavenly Net shot was a heavy burden. He felt his force draining like a tide, and after a few moments, he realized the consumption rate was far beyond his expectations.
But the shot had already been fired, and starting it was already difficult, with no room to retract. He could only grit his teeth and bear it.
At that moment, he heard a shout: “Stop!”
The voice was familiar, perhaps the Duke of Wei, but maybe not. The Fourteenth Prince, already showing signs of exhaustion, was momentarily disoriented and couldn’t hear clearly.
But this was a battlefield, where disorientation could be fatal.
The Fourteenth Prince suddenly became alert, feeling his force pour into the Emperor like a broken dam. The Emperor, like an endless abyss, absorbed all the force without any sign of saturation, as if it would never be filled.
The Emperor continued to spew red beams at the Evernight positions, covering hundreds of meters with a large, dark red net. Thousands of Evernight warriors inside were struggling, their vitality rapidly fading.
The results of this shot exceeded expectations, but the Fourteenth Prince felt a chill in his heart.
Each Evernight warrior within the net was covered in an unusual dark red glow, like flames, burning their vitality to unleash power far beyond their usual capacity. These dark red flames, highly adhesive, clung to the Heavenly Net, sapping the Emperor’s power.
Among the Evernight warriors, there were many powerful ones also burning their vitality. Their dark red flames were far more potent than those of ordinary warriors, but clearly caused them more pain. Even some pain-resistant spider demons and werewolves writhed on the ground, howling in agony.
Each of these powerhouses could match dozens of ordinary warriors, and their presence forced the Emperor’s force arrays to run at maximum speed, continuously demanding the Fourteenth Prince’s force.
Yet, the proportion of such elites among the ordinary warriors was abnormally high!
The Fourteenth Prince suddenly understood, his heart filled with dread. This was a trap!
No matter how long the Emperor’s Heavenly Net lasted, the dark race warriors caught in the net were finished. Even if some survived, they would lose most, if not all, of their force after such intense vitality burn. In the force-obsessed world of Evernight, they would live in misery.
The Fourteenth Prince wanted to stop, but the Emperor was like an extension of his hand, impossible to shake off, continuously siphoning his force. He didn’t think about how the dark races knew the characteristics of the Emperor’s finishing move and set this trap.
The reason no longer mattered; the result was that the Fourteenth Prince had fallen into the trap and lacked the strength to break free.
The dark race commander continued to drive waves of warriors into the Heavenly Net. As soon as they touched the net, dark red flames engulfed them, adhering to the net and further anchoring the Emperor.
In a flash, the Fourteenth Prince’s vision began to blur. The Emperor was a renowned gun, with great power and great consumption. For someone of the Fourteenth Prince’s age, even firing one of its finishing moves was impressive, let alone sustaining such a drain.
His force was now depleted, and drawing more would harm his foundation. Yet, the Emperor continued to drain him. Just as the Fourteenth Prince was in despair, a strong hand clapped his shoulder, and a torrent of force surged into his body, instantly lightening his burden. He turned to see the Duke of Wei coming to his aid.
The Fourteenth Prince almost cried with joy, but his smile vanished in an instant.
The Emperor and the dark races below continued to confront each other, with waves of warriors being driven into the Heavenly Net, using their lives to deplete the Emperor’s power. Even nobles of considerable cultivation joined the fray, firmly holding onto the Emperor in a death grip.
Though the Duke of Wei’s force was robust, it did not harmonize with the Emperor, and only a fraction could be utilized. The Emperor continued to draw the Fourteenth Prince’s force, and the Duke of Wei’s support only slowed the drain, protecting the prince.
Clearly, as long as the dark warriors kept charging into the Heavenly Net, the Emperor would not stop.
The Duke of Wei saw this and bellowed, “Your Highness, stop now!”
“I can’t!” The words churned in the Fourteenth Prince’s mind, but he couldn’t utter a single word.
The Duke of Wei sensed the crisis and decisively struck the Emperor’s body. Not only did it fail to dislodge, but the gun vibrated, scales opening in a swirling vortex, nearly pulling the Duke of Wei in.
Stunned, the Duke of Wei realized the gun could retaliate. Fortunately, he hadn’t underestimated the Emperor and used all his strength to repel the gun, avoiding being pulled in. His face paled; the Emperor was beyond his control.
Now, even he was at a loss.
If he didn’t save the Fourteenth Prince, the prince would soon be drained of force and die. But saving him would likely mean sacrificing himself, with no guarantee of success.
Below, the dark warriors charged into the Heavenly Net like moths to a flame. The Duke of Wei saw clearly that these weren’t mere cannon fodder, but elite forces, with a high proportion of advanced warriors and nobles. Only by burning their vitality could they hold onto the Emperor.
Even the Duke of Wei thought, “They’re mad, all mad!”
While the Fourteenth Prince was a rare talent capable of using the Emperor, it wasn’t as picky as the Manjushaka. Others in the imperial bloodline could use it, though not as adeptly as the Fourteenth Prince.
Moreover, the imperial family had a secret: the most suitable person for the Emperor was actually the late emperor’s youngest brother, the Prince of Linjiang. The Emperor had once left the empire with the Prince of Linjiang, unnoticed by anyone, including the King of Longevity. The Prince of Linjiang was later punished and forbidden from approaching the Emperor.
Regardless, the Evernight race was trading thousands of elites, hundreds of advanced warriors, and dozens of nobles for just the Fourteenth Prince. This was madness. With these core forces, supported by enough ordinary warriors, they could establish a new province on the frontier.
Such an exchange would be irrational for anyone with a modicum of sense.
The Fourteenth Prince was not Zhao Jundu, a unique genius, but there were many others at his level.
As the Duke of Wei deliberated, a soft voice interrupted, “Duke, let go.”
“What?” The Duke of Wei turned to Duan Gonggong, surprised.
Duan Gonggong, a confidant of the Fourteenth Prince, should be loyal. Yet, he was advising the Duke of Wei to let go?
The Fourteenth Prince was shocked, looking at Duan Gonggong in terror.
Duan Gonggong, unperturbed, said, “Your Highness is already severely injured, and even if saved, will likely lose his force. Moreover, princes can be many, but the Emperor is unique. If you exhaust yourself, who will protect the Emperor? I’m an old man, no match for the duke above.”
The Duke of Wei’s thoughts raced, and he broke out in a cold sweat. “Are the dark races targeting the Emperor?”
“Old slave dares not say, Your Excellency must decide.”
The Fourteenth Prince, pleading, mouthed “Save me,” but could produce no sound.
The Duke of Wei finally made a decision, sighed, and withdrew his hand, stepping back.
Without support, the Fourteenth Prince couldn’t last. Instantly, his vital energy faded, and his body withered, becoming a husk.
With the Fourteenth Prince dead, the Emperor stopped, ending the Heavenly Net attack.
As the Fourteenth Prince’s body fell, the Duke of Wei swiftly seized the Emperor.
Duan Gonggong, slightly embarrassed, withdrew his hand. “It’s good that the Duke has the Emperor, at least it won’t fall into the hands of those black-blooded mongrels.”
The Duke of Wei said, “Rest assured, the first thing I’ll do upon return is present the Emperor to His Majesty.”
Duan Gonggong nodded, “Very well.”
The Duke of Wei, standing on the flagship’s deck, ordered, “Escort Duan Gonggong to rest.”
The attendants escorted Duan Gonggong to the cabin, while the Duke of Wei instructed his guards to quietly place the Fourteenth Prince’s body in his quarters and restrain the retinue from spreading rumors.
Once everything was settled, the surrounding officers exhaled, their faces pale.
The Fourteenth Prince’s death was a significant event. The generals, witnessing this, were shaken, and if the lower ranks found out, there would be more unrest.
A confidant asked, “Duke, is Duan Gonggong a problem?”
The Duke of Wei, grim-faced, replied, “Whether he is or not, as long as I live, no one takes the Emperor from me!”
“Sir, what should we do now? Retreat?”
All eyes were on the Duke of Wei, awaiting orders.
Scanning the fleet still engaged, the Duke of Wei’s face hardened, and he said, “Full assault! Push to White City, and these black-blooded bastards will be annihilated!”
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