“Roar of the Wolf King! How can you use the Roar of the Wolf King!” The Duke of Gale’s face was etched with shock. A sudden gust of wind arose around him, and he turned to flee. But just as he turned, he saw William, in his giant wolf form, blocking his path.
At this moment, the Duke of Gale’s aura fluctuated wildly, extremely unstable, and his movements were as sluggish as if his limbs were filled with lead, not at all like a seasoned duke. As William’s howl continued, the Duke of Gale’s aura dropped again and again, finally stabilizing below the level of a vice-duke.
Seizing this perfect opportunity, Qian Ye wouldn’t let it slip. With a flicker, he appeared less than ten meters behind the Duke of Gale. His light wings spread out, and the four black feathers on the tips shimmered with an intimidating luster, fully restored.
The Duke of Gale slowly lowered his hands, smiling bitterly, “The beginning is also the end. The ultimate form of a werewolf is indeed that of a giant wolf. Surrendering to the future Wolf King is not a disgrace. However, the Upper Continent has vast spaces and countless geniuses; why go to such lengths to suppress an old wolf like me with no prospects?”
William ceased his howling, standing coldly. However, the Duke of Gale’s aura did not immediately recover. After a while, it began to rise slowly, but the recovery was extremely slow. It seemed that without half a day’s effort, he could not return to the level of a duke.
Qian Ye watched with a cold eye, secretly startled. The Roar of the Wolf King was extremely overbearing. Even Qian Ye’s blood core resonated with the sound. But as an ancient vampire, Qian Ye’s blood energy was equally strong and wasn’t affected by any negative states. However, as a werewolf, the Duke of Gale was even more sensitive and direct to the howl, and his original force was forcibly reduced by a whole level.
This was not merely a simple reduction in rank. The Duke of Gale, accustomed to the power of a duke, had his cultivation suddenly forced down a notch, distorting his combat skills. Many powerful secret techniques might not be usable, and his actual combat strength might only be at the level of a Glorious Marquis.
But William was no ordinary Glorious Marquis; even a typical vice-duke would not be his match, not to mention with Qian Ye, who stood firmly above the vice-dukes. The current Duke of Gale had lost his speed advantage, and couldn’t even escape.
The hierarchy of the Evernight was deeply ingrained in their blood and bones. The higher-ranking blood races and demon descendants naturally suppressed the lower ones. For the spider demons, the higher-ranking bloodlines had significantly larger bodies and greater strength.
Originally, Qian Ye thought the werewolves would be the most egalitarian among the races, but he never expected something like the Roar of the Wolf King, which could ignore rank differences and suppress even a duke. This meant that those who inherited the Roar of the Wolf King naturally had the power to dominate their kind, perhaps a divine skill left by the first ancestor Wolf King to secure his position.
The Duke of Gale’s face was pale, “Since you have received such a great inheritance, one day your name will be inscribed in the history of our race. But, esteemed Prince William, why do you help the outsiders to suppress me?”
“Because under Qian Ye’s rule, the werewolves live better. They will become truly strong, not driven into self-exile by hunger, not sacrificing their future for mere survival. You have ruled for centuries, yet I see no change on your land.”
“Since ancient times, the werewolves have lived like this on this land!”
“Enough, I don’t want to hear the old ancestors’ nonsense! If you are unwilling to submit, then I will have no choice but to send you back to the embrace of your ancestors. At least, the werewolves living in the Gale Territory will live with true dignity.”
The Duke of Gale laughed loudly, “You say that werewolves can live with dignity under the vampires?”
“I have seen it in the Emerald Sea.”
“Neither the vampires nor the humans can be trusted; they are all liars!”
“I trust Qian Ye.”
The Duke of Gale gradually calmed down, “Do you also plan to treat Blazing Fire this way?”
William hesitated slightly, turning to Qian Ye, “That’s a problem. Blazing Fire has the bloodline of the seven original tribes of our clan. My Roar of the Wolf King has limited power, and it might not be enough to steadily suppress him to the level of a vice-duke. Without sufficient suppression, he may not listen to me. Qian Ye, what do you think?”
Qian Ye replied, “If Blazing Fire’s combat strength is on par with the Duke of Gale, we can kill him together without needing the Roar of the Wolf King. But, perhaps you don’t really want to kill him.”
William didn’t beat around the bush, nodding, “Every duke is a precious asset to the werewolves. If it weren’t for the sake of millions of our people, I wouldn’t do this. Duke of Gale, make your decision: submit now or force me to kill you.”
The Duke of Gale clanged his short blades, speaking slowly, “I am, after all, a duke, and I have ruled this vast land for centuries. I have my dignity. If it’s just a matter of life and death, I see no reason to submit. I would rather die fighting.”
William was not angry, but his eyes lit up, “Very well, then I will give you a reason. The first reason, Qian Ye, show your true strength, and let the Duke of Gale see it.”
Qian Ye extended his hand, and a ball of blood fire ignited in his palm. The flame started deep purple, then turned golden, and finally dark gold.
When the blood energy turned golden, the Duke of Gale’s face changed, and fear finally appeared in his eyes. It was an instinctive fear of a higher-level dark bloodline. Although William already knew Qian Ye’s bloodline strength had surpassed the purebreds, he still found it hard to suppress the shock each time he saw it.
Suddenly, the dark gold blood fire changed again, the color becoming deeper, and deep within the flames, a few strands of pure blackness emerged faintly.
William’s mouth gaped open, his jaw dropping, and he stuttered, “Y-you… you’re already close to the Dark Source Point?!”
Qian Ye himself was surprised by this change. Recalling carefully, it seemed the mysterious power from the werewolf prayer ritual had slightly purified and elevated his bloodline. At the time, it didn’t seem significant, but now it was clearly affecting the appearance of the blood fire.
The Duke of Gale was stunned, his hands trembling. For every dark race, seeing the Dark Source Point in their lifetime was a lifelong dream. But who, except those on the path of a Great Monarch, could achieve such a luxury? Qian Ye’s blood fire was not the Dark Source Point, but the hint of blackness in the depths of the flame was very close.
Seeing the situation turn, Qian Ye closed his hand, extinguishing the blood fire.
William finally came back to his senses, giving Qian Ye a deep look, and then said to the Duke of Gale, “Is this reason sufficient enough? Qian Ye’s future achievements are far beyond your imagination. By following him now, future generations will consider you wise.”
The Duke of Gale regained his composure, instantly reverting to his wily old self, “This reason is quite compelling, but it’s just one reason. I’d like to hear the second reason.”
“What second reason?” William clearly wanted to dodge, but unfortunately, his acting was so bad that even Qian Ye couldn’t bear to watch.
The Duke of Gale wasn’t fooled. He closed his eyes, “If there are no other reasons, then my dignity prevents me from making a choice. Go ahead, attack!”
William gnashed his teeth, “Dignity, my ass! You weren’t like this a moment ago.”
The Duke of Gale remained unmoved, his eyes tightly shut, silent.
William was truly helpless. Even though he was so angry that he wanted to howl again, he couldn’t act recklessly, given the Duke of Gale’s evident softening. “Though you don’t have the bloodline of the ancestral tribes, there is still a possibility for you to advance. At the Summit of Peaks, there is a method to cleanse the impurities in your bloodline and purify the accumulated impure primal force from your centuries of rule on Yong Land. With good luck, even you might be able to advance further.”
The Duke of Gale was greatly surprised, “This method must be very precious, right?”
“It requires a particularly precious resource, and only one person can use it every three years.”
“I don’t believe I’m worth the allocation of that resource.” The Duke of Gale left unsaid that he didn’t think William had the authority to decide such allocations either.
“The slot for three years from now is under my name. The possibility of making millions of werewolves part of our clan is worth that slot,” William dispelled the Duke of Gale’s doubts with a few words.
The Duke of Gale put away his sleeve blades, saying, “I can give up the Gale Territory, but Blazing Fire is not easy to deal with. Additionally, the Ancestral faction may have different opinions about your actions.”
The Duke of Gale spoke obliquely, but the meaning was clear.
“Are they so bold now?” William sneered.
“They have always been mad,” the Duke of Gale said meaningfully.
“You stay here and help Qian Ye take care of the werewolves. If you serve for three years, then the slot in three years will be yours.”
The Duke of Gale asked a crucial question, “If the Ancestral faction really acts, what should we do?”
A cold glint flashed in William’s eyes, “Then they are no longer our kin. You know how we should treat our enemies.”
“This is no small matter; it may not be just about the Gale Territory, or even Yong Land,” the Duke of Gale remained concerned, despite William’s assurance. The Upper Continent didn’t take Yong Land seriously, but Yong Land could not ignore the movements above. The Duke of Gale had some knowledge of the large tribes.
“The Summit of Peaks has considered this. Our entire clan’s situation is dire, and the new world’s exploration is blocked at every turn. If this continues, we will be like the three races, erased from the Sacred Mountain. This is a matter of life and death, and we cannot let the foolish Ancestral faction continue their nonsense.”
“But as far as I know, some elders and priests of the Summit of Peaks seem reluctant to use force, especially when provoked by the Ancestral faction.”
“That’s precisely why the Summit of Peaks was once called the Summit of Soft Eggs,” William said, his honesty tinged with a murderous intent.
“Summit of Soft Eggs?” Qian Ye was taken aback, looking at William, and inexplicably thinking of that bone. But his random thoughts were quickly silenced by William’s murderous gaze.
The Duke of Gale’s eyes flickered, “It’s surprising to hear that from you.”
“Because it will soon be history.”
“Those old fellows may be soft externally, but internally, they aren’t necessarily so,” the Duke of Gale reminded.
“We will be tougher. If they refuse to change, their era will pass.”
“Alright, I’m looking forward to it. But I don’t have much faith in you.”
“Yong Land will become our new stronghold.”
“Hold on!” Qian Ye interjected, “I don’t want to get involved in your werewolf internal strife.”
Seeing the conversation veering into an unexpected direction, Qian Ye felt things were getting out of control and needed to be stopped.
William shrugged, “You have no choice unless you don’t accept the werewolves of the Gale Territory.” He added, “Oh, and the ones in the Emerald Sea too.”
Qian Ye was momentarily speechless. No matter how he looked at it, abandoning millions of werewolves was not an option.
By this point, Qian Ye had a vague understanding of the fundamental reason for William’s presence in Yong Land. In truth, the issue had been lurking from the beginning, but Qian Ye’s astonishing growth and expansion had brought it to the forefront.
William stared at Qian Ye, making his words exceptionally clear, “Taking over the Gale Territory means the Ancestral faction will not let you go, and the old folks at the Summit of Peaks won’t allow millions of our kin to live under your rule.”
“Wait, you just said the werewolves of Yong Land don’t count as our kin.”
“If you nurture them well, they will.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage