Chapter 297: The Battle of Totems

When Qian Ye first arrived at the end of the River of Blood, he saw twelve imprints arranged in a circle, and then there was a shadow beast prowling around the periphery, almost causing Qian Ye to be injured by it.

Now, the imprint of the Morveth clan had left the source of the River of Blood and seemed to be moving further away. What did this mean?

Could it be, as the Demon Emperor said, that some of the bloodlines of the blood races had been contaminated by the power of dawn? But the King of Blue was a long-standing great lord who had been in a deep slumber for years; how could he have been tainted by the power of dawn?

Pondering this, Qian Ye found no answer, so he continued upstream.

The River of Blood narrowed even more, and in an instant, Qian Ye faintly saw the source of the river.

A stream of water flowed from the void, continuously pouring into a pool, and from this pool, the water rushed out, forming the River of Blood.

As Qian Ye approached the source, he suddenly felt a sharp, stabbing pain. A shifting shadow emerged from the void, transforming into a nameless, ferocious beast, leaping towards him!

With Qian Ye’s current strength, he was still filled with dread, gripping the Manjushaka tightly and focusing his mind on the battle. Using the Flower of the Other Shore to confront this shadow beast was fitting for the occasion.

If this shadow beast appeared in the Netherworld or Evernight, it would likely be on par with the Void Beasts. The former Sky Demon might have been on a similar level to it.

As soon as the shadow beast appeared, Qian Ye slowly retreated, creating distance. However, when Qian Ye moved away from the source, the shadow beast ceased its attack, as if bound by an invisible boundary.

This shadow beast seemed to be the guardian of the source of the River of Blood, attacking anyone who came close, and returning to its position if they moved away.

This made Qian Ye feel rather vexed.

To investigate the source of the River of Blood, he would likely have to face this shadow beast. Given its strength, killing it might be even harder than taking down a Holy Mountain.

In the unique environment of the River of Blood, the shadow beast might have specific weaknesses. However, Qian Ye was also affected by the environment, his body becoming enormous. If he could return to his original size in the Netherworld, his combat power would increase.

But now, with his enlarged body, his weaknesses were magnified, and areas that were not previously weak spots became vulnerable.

Frowning, Qian Ye wanted to make a move to test the waters but hesitated. He was like a person with unchanged attack power but a larger, weaker body. If the shadow beast was in the same situation, a single round could determine life or death.

Qian Ye had just become a king, and Ye Pang’s fate was uncertain. In the River of Blood, he dared not take unnecessary risks. Falling here would be too irresponsible.

Thus, man and beast began to stand off at the source of the River of Blood.

In the stalemate, Qian Ye suddenly wondered why he had entered the River of Blood and why he was going upstream. It all seemed natural, but was it truly so?

What was calling him from the source of the River of Blood? Was it an opportunity, a temptation, or a trap?

These questions had never occurred to Qian Ye before, or he hadn’t considered them as problems. After all, as a member of the blood race, their source of power lay in the River of Blood, a fact proven over countless years.

But, upon reflection, the River of Blood had existed for an unknown period, and its power had extended to the Netherworld, giving rise to the Artuva tribe. And how long had the blood race existed?

The blood race relied on the River of Blood, but the River of Blood was not necessarily tied to the blood race.

Moreover, Qian Ye was only half-blood, and now with the cultivation of the primordial force, like Anduya, he belonged to a higher form of life. His connection to the blood race was minimal, insufficient to define his nature.

So, why did he still feel such a strong bond with the River of Blood?

Was it a real bond, or a distorted illusion?

As he pondered, Qian Ye found that many previously clear facts now seemed shrouded in a fog. He frowned, trying to sort out his thoughts.

At that moment, the sky split, and a curving sword light appeared, crossing through millennia, carrying the enduring flame, and landing on the shadow beast.

The sword light ignited the shadow beast instantly, and the blazing fire rose tens of thousands of meters into the sky!

In the flames, a wingless flying snake shot up, emitting a roar that shook the entire River of Blood, and then coiled around the shadow beast.

Compared to the flying snake, the shadow beast was much smaller, now tightly entangled and burned by the fierce flames, screaming in agony.

The sudden change shocked Qian Ye, and his gaze fell on the flying snake’s back. There were two fleshy protrusions, moving constantly, as if they once had wings, but for some reason, they were cut off. The surface of the protrusions was smooth and flat, as if severed by a sharp blade.

The flying snake bit down mercilessly on the shadow beast, tearing off a large piece of flesh, and then spewed flames filled with the power of dawn, burning the shadow flesh.

After the shadow flesh in its mouth was burnt, it bit down again, tearing off another chunk.

The shadow beast howled in despair, struggling, but in the face of the flying snake, it had no chance to retaliate.

Qian Ye suddenly remembered that the imperial symbol was the flying snake. When did the empire manage to manifest the symbol into a physical, sentient form? Even the werewolves, who had venerated their ancestors for thousands of years, had not reached this level.

With the flying snake, the empire was equivalent to having another Celestial, no, a Holy Mountain-level Celestial.

The sword light was also familiar. Though the power of the sword light far exceeded what a Finger Peak King should possess, its essence was undoubtedly that of a Finger Peak King.

If a Finger Peak King could unleash such a strike, which great lord could stand a chance against him?

Recalling the last moments of the Sealed Mystery King, who shattered his origin crystal and dealt a severe blow to Sossa, binding the Wolf Ancestor and frightening Palochia, Qian Ye understood where this sword came from.

Now, the flying snake bit down on the shadow beast a third time, exhaling flames that turned the flesh to ash. Although it seemed dominant, Qian Ye sensed its decline.

The flying snake relied on the burning sword light, overpowering the shadow beast, but the light was burning too quickly and was about to run out. The shadow beast, however, was on its home ground, drawing endless shadows from the void to replenish itself. As one waned and the other waxed, the flying snake would disappear before the shadow beast was defeated.

The flying snake suddenly turned and called out to Qian Ye, its voice filled with urgency and impatience.

Qian Ye finally saw its eyes.

“The flying snake glides through mist, flying without feet.”

This was the limited description of the flying snake in imperial records, very abstract and vague, basically serving as a totem symbol.

At this moment, Qian Ye finally saw the flying snake clearly. Its head resembled a dragon, its mouth an eagle’s beak, with long whiskers swaying, generating mist and fire. On its head, there were over a dozen eyes.

In these eyes, Qian Ye saw different versions of himself!

There was the infant Qian Ye, bleeding from the chest; the Qian Ye carried by a mysterious figure, fleeing across vast distances; the Qian Ye lying on the ground, watching a little girl struggle to lift a stone and smash it down; the Qian Ye fighting in a bloodbath, the Qian Ye facing the demoness’s attack, and the Qian Ye planting the flag on the lone peak in the Black Sun Valley, facing the entirety of Evernight alone.

In an instant, the scene changed.

In each eye, different people appeared: Lin Xitang, Song Zining, Zhao Jundu, Zhao Ruoxi, Ji Tianqing, Li Kuanglan, even Zhao Weihuang and Princess Gaoyi, and strangely, two infants in swaddling clothes, unfamiliar yet somehow deeply concerning to Qian Ye.

There were also many others, all those who had left a mark in Qian Ye’s life, those he wanted to protect.

Even the people from the Lighthouse Town.

Suddenly, it seemed as if all his concerns were laid bare before him, heavy and suffocating.

What about Ye Pang?

Qian Ye suddenly realized that among all these concerns, there was no Ye Pang, no Anduya, none from the Evernight side.

This realization woke Qian Ye from his reverie, bringing him back to reality.

He found himself holding the Manjushaka, having already fired a shot. The shadow beast was divided into countless pieces, each trapped in mirror-like fragments. The true form of the shadow beast was finally revealed. Its massive head, cut into dozens of pieces, with dozens of eyes staring at Qian Ye in pain and despair.

Qian Ye felt something was amiss, but the flying snake, with a swift motion, shattered all the mirrors.

The shadow beast vanished, and the flying snake slowly dissipated. The source of the River of Blood, unobstructed, appeared before Qian Ye.

Taking one last look at the now-empty battlefield, Qian Ye couldn’t believe that such a titanic battle had just taken place between the shadow beast and the imperial flying snake.

In the void, only the River of Blood flowed silently, eternal and unceasing.