From the style of the sealed box, it was clear at a glance that it came from the legion currently led by Zhao Jundu. Qian Ye opened the box and took out the documents inside, reading them carefully.
The first part was a report on the battles in Qinlu and the “Gate” zones across the other continents. Although not much ink was spilled, the ferocity of the battles in Qinlu could be inferred from the words. With two full legions under his command, fortified strongholds, and defensive bases prepared in advance, Zhao Jundu still suffered over thirty thousand casualties in two major engagements.
With one hundred thousand troops, they managed to wipe out three hundred thousand beasts while only losing thirty thousand, which could be considered a great victory. But with Zhao Jundu and Song Zining leading, and months of preparation, to have such a high casualty rate, it made one wonder how dire the situation was in other areas.
Flipping to the latter part, there were brief reports on the battles in Xilu and Yuelu. Xilu fared better, with the Langyan and Beifu legions holding the line, and the opposing Eternal Night forces taking on more than half the pressure. Ultimately, they managed to annihilate the beast army with less than fifty thousand losses. However, Yuelu was a complete disaster, with the beast army pinning down several major clans’ private armies within the core area while sending smaller units to raid and destroy various defenses.
Now, the situation in Yuelu had completely collapsed. Several major clans, including the Nan Gong family, could barely hold their own, and the traditional territory of the Nan Gong family was almost entirely lost. No one knew what was happening in the regions overrun by the beasts, or if any life remained.
The various clans were contracting their defenses and recalling their private armies. The Empire could not stand idly by and let Yuelu fall; it had dispatched two full legions to provide support. Given the intensity of the battles in Qinlu and Xilu, these two legions, along with the clans’ private armies, should be sufficient to defeat the beast army. It could only be hoped that it wasn’t too late.
The floating land also had a gate, but the number of beasts appearing there was far fewer than on other continents. Having just finished a battle, most of the military facilities were operational, and heavy troops were stationed there. They quickly swept away the beast army.
The final analysis in the report stated that during the initial appearance of the gates, communication between the Empire’s various continents was cut off for several days, and information loss far exceeded normal conditions. The Empire’s internal response was extremely sluggish, likely due to interference from the dark races.
In those few days, critical intelligence about the beast army in Qinlu did not reach Xilu and Yuelu. The warning document sent by Qian Ye also disappeared en route. This led to insufficient preparation in Yuelu, where they initially failed to concentrate their forces and later abandoned key locations too quickly, resulting in a disastrous defeat against the beast army.
At this point, Qian Ye paused and pondered.
Timing-wise, the dark races’ strike was incredibly precise and deadly. As a result, one of the Empire’s heartlands, Yuelu, was severely damaged, and it might take decades to recover.
The dark races’ ability to orchestrate such a plot suggested that they had a much deeper understanding of the gates and the new world beyond. They exploited the beast army to deal a heavy blow to the Empire.
In Yonglu, Qian Ye unexpectedly tamed the werewolves, adding hundreds of thousands of troops to his side. To deal with the beast army, he needed a numerical advantage, and with minimal casualties, he eliminated two beast armies.
This was something the dark races and the Empire could not have anticipated, and even Qian Ye felt lucky. If the gate hadn’t appeared in the Gifted Land, tied to the werewolves’ winter rations, Qian Ye might never have received the information so quickly and conducted an in-depth exploration. If the gate had opened in some remote corner, the danger might only have been discovered when the beast army was already upon them.
After the report, the latest analysis of the gates by the Imperial Research Institute was presented. The analysis was conducted in Qinlu, with the Institute moving almost all its resources to Zhao Jundu’s stronghold. While the battle raged, they analyzed the structure of the beasts and the composition of the white fog. When Zhao Jundu and Song Zining eradicated the beast army, the old researchers disregarded their safety and dove into the white fog to analyze the gates.
Many of the elderly experts at the Institute were masters in their fields, and many had high cultivation levels. Working together, they made significant progress in a few days.
The final conclusion was that the gates were becoming more stable. Even if they were not permanent passages to the new world, they could not be closed in the short term. Warriors who consumed the blood glands and other blood-producing organs of the beasts gained temporary adaptability to the new world, without a significant reduction in their strength. As an emergency measure, drinking the blood of the beasts could produce similar effects.
The Imperial Research Institute was further analyzing the components of the beast blood, trying to find a way to navigate the new world.
Zhao Jundu had selected a group of warriors to consume the beast blood glands and prepare for an expedition into the new world. He specifically mentioned that the team would be led by Song Zining.
Qian Ye closed the documents, arranged for the transfer of weapons and equipment, and boarded a floating ship to return to the frontline in the Gifted Land.
Sitting in the floating ship, looking out at the passing scenery, Qian Ye continued to ponder.
Considering the current situation and the intelligence from Zhao Jundu, Qian Ye decided to accelerate the exploration of the new world. The gate in Yonglu was also becoming more stable, and the barrier behind it had completely vanished. During the second exploration, Qian Ye noticed that the environment of the new world was becoming less hostile. It seemed that the two worlds were beginning to assimilate.
The new world and the Eternal Night world likely had dozens of connection points, or even more. The gates were opened by the Eternal Night Council, and the dark races were clearly well-prepared. According to the reports from Xilu, the dark races had amassed a large number of troops, almost double the usual, indicating a long-term strategy.
Reflecting on the events, the internal mobilization of the dark races when the new world was first reported was not for rotation or reinforcement of traditional territories, but to deal with the beast army behind the gates.
After eliminating the beast army, the dark race armies had likely entered the new world, exploring, conquering, and occupying. In this phase, the Empire was again lagging behind.
After the victory in the floating land, the exhausted army needed rest. The Empire rotated large numbers of troops and allowed many veterans and injured officers to retire. Now, the veterans had returned home, and reassembling them would require not only a substantial recruitment fee but also time.
With the addition of the floating land, the Empire’s defense perimeter increased significantly, but the recent adjustments to the marshals’ deployments showed no major expansion of the army, meaning the total force size had not increased. It was clear that the mobile forces were severely lacking.
Even if new recruits could be enlisted in the short term, training would take several months or even half a year, making it too late. The only way to quickly form an effective fighting force seemed to be calling on the private armies of the clans. However, using private armies came at a high cost, requiring significant military merit rewards, similar to mercenaries.
The prohibition on arbitrary conscription of private armies was a strict rule established by the clans and the founding Emperor to prevent the imperial family from infringing on the interests of the clans and to preserve the Great Qin clan system.
Currently, the situation in Yuelu was a mess, with nearly half of the major clans unable to withdraw in time, resulting in their private armies being defeated separately. Fortunately, the upper-tier Nan Gong family reacted promptly, immediately abandoning their territory and retreating their people and private army to the central area, joining forces with other clans, thus preserving a considerable amount of their strength.
After this analysis, the Empire’s available mobile forces capable of exploring the new world were few. Even Zhao Weihuang in Xilu could not move. Though he had two legions, the opposing dark race forces had also grown, putting him at a disadvantage. Zhao Weihuang could not explore the new world under the watchful eyes of the Eternal Night faction, as the dark races could easily block the gate and trap him inside.
The situation in the floating land was similar. It was located between the upper and middle continents, serving as both a ladder to the sky and the front line facing the traditional core territories of the four major races of the Eternal Night. It had been a hard-fought victory, and development had yet to begin. Diverting forces to explore the new world would weaken the defenses, making it vulnerable to a surprise attack by the dark races.
Calculating all this, the only ones who could immediately explore the new world were Zhao Jundu’s legion and Qian Ye in Yonglu.
Dozens of gates meant dozens of entry points to the new world. From the current data, each gate appeared in a different location in the new world, though the distances between them were unknown. Statistically, entering through the gates in Qinlu and Yonglu, the most likely encounter would be with the dark race armies.
Perhaps a piece of good news was that the exotic origin power in the new world had a significant impact on the origin power of the strong. The purer the bloodline, the less the impact. After the werewolf ritual, Qian Ye’s blood quality had improved, making him one of the few with the purest blood among all the vampires in the Eternal Night. This meant that his combat power in the new world would not be greatly affected, unlike other strong figures.
As he pondered, the floating ship vibrated slightly and began to descend. Through the porthole, he could see the distant fog. Unconsciously, they had arrived at their destination.
The floating ship landed steadily, and as Qian Ye stepped out, a large shadow passed overhead. Looking up, he saw the massive body of the dragon ship slowly drifting through the air. The Earth Dragon moved lazily, occasionally swishing its tail to propel its massive body forward, circling above the defensive line.
Qian Ye didn’t wait for his land vehicle, instructing his adjutant before taking off and boarding the Hall of Heroes.
Carol was already waiting for him inside the ship. She greeted, “You’re here? Take a look at the results of the modifications!”
Although Qian Ye had already learned about the internal and external modifications through the Earth Dragon’s will, seeing it with his own eyes was still a shock. The Hall of Heroes was now like a small city, with hundreds of crew members, artisans, and warriors scattered throughout, barely visible.
It took the two divine generals a considerable amount of time to make a single circuit around the ship.
Qian Ye was very satisfied with the modifications to the Hall of Heroes. It was now equivalent to a full divisional fleet. With such a weapon, there was nothing to fear in Yonglu.
After inspecting the warship, Qian Ye and Carol went to the ground command center, summoning all the generals to discuss the invasion of the new world.
After the meeting, the entire night was spent in busy preparations, troop movements, and reorganization. Of course, consuming the beast blood glands was an essential part of the process. By the next morning, over thirty thousand mixed troops were lined up, stepping into the white fog, and taking the first step into the new world.
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