Easily overwhelming the beast army did not bring Qian Ye much joy. The six-armed leader never showed up from beginning to end. Moreover, behind “the Door” lay a vast world, the secrets hidden within still unknown. Additionally, the image of the six-armed leader always gave Qian Ye a strange, inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Once the battle ceased and while the battlefield was still being cleaned up, Qian Ye entered the fog zone alone to check on the Door’s condition. The fog wall in the central area still existed, as if nothing had changed since that day. But when Qian Ye entered, he clearly felt an obstructive sensation, like a thin membrane blocking his way. No matter how he tried, he could no longer find the existence of the Door.
After several attempts without success, Qian Ye finally concluded that the Door might be closed, rendering it impassable.
Helpless, he emerged from the fog zone and saw several high-ranking officers waiting outside.
An officer from the Great Qin Empire first handed him a document, saying, “Sir, this is the latest secret bulletin from the Empire.”
Qian Ye quickly read the first few lines of the opened document. The belated imperial bulletin reported the appearance of the Door on the Qin continent, with other continents still under observation.
This bulletin was specifically sent by Jun Du Zhao, reminding Qian Ye to pay attention to the environmental changes on the Yonng continent. After reading the bulletin, Qian Ye furrowed his brows. At the first sight of the Door, he had dispatched a messenger to the Qin continent, but now it seemed the messenger had not reached its destination. Was this a coincidence, or a certainty?
Qian Ye put away the bulletin. Song Hui then said, “Sir, the werewolf has been revived, and what he said might be very useful. He said that he was about to die in the fog zone, but he managed to kill a beast and accidentally swallowed a piece of its internal organ before passing out. When he woke up, he found himself in our hospital.”
Qian Ye glanced at the piles of beast corpses and said, “So, by eating a piece of an internal organ, he gained the ability to resist the white fog?”
“It seems so.”
“Does he remember which type of beast and which part of the beast?”
“He can’t remember.”
Qian Ye frowned, “This is somewhat troublesome.”
The army that broke through consisted of more than ten types of beasts, each with perhaps dozens or even hundreds of internal organs and flesh parts. Altogether, there were over a thousand possibilities. How could one distinguish among them?
Seeing Qian Ye’s worry, the great priest of the werewolves suggested, “This can be solved. Gather a few of each type of beast, dissect them, and use some slaves and prisoners for the trials. In a couple of days, we’ll have results.”
Xu Jingxuan added, “We can also get many prisoners from the Zheng country. It would take only a day or two to transport them. However, dealing with a thousand prisoners will take some time.” There are significant racial differences between humans and werewolves, and many medicines cannot be shared. This new type of beast further complicates the situation. With the urgency of the situation, there is no time for exploration and adjustment. Increasing the number of experimental subjects is undoubtedly the most direct and effective way.
Using prisoners for such trials isn’t even a matter of kindness. After a moment’s thought, Qian Ye said, “Then let’s proceed that way.”
Song Hui wanted to say something but held back, only asking, “I can handle this, and we will have results within three days.”
The werewolves were collecting the beast corpses, categorizing and stacking them. Many werewolves were smiling, which puzzled Qian Ye.
The great priest laughed, “With these prey, we can at least have an easy winter. Many cubs will grow up, and old guys like me can live a little longer.”
Song Hui, who had no good impression of the werewolves, retorted, “Surviving this winter doesn’t mean you’ll survive the next. What’s the difference?”
The great priest didn’t get angry; instead, he chuckled, “After this winter, it will be different. With the seeds and technology provided by your human race, we can support more werewolves.”
The great priest paused, “With enough food, we won’t need to force our growth and can develop normally. A sufficiently long growth period means we won’t have to deplete our innate talents and lifespans. We, the werewolves of Beryl Sea, are no worse than those on the upper continents!”
This topic hinted at a heavy background. The past reproductive experiences of the werewolves of the Yonng continent and the Beryl Sea almost made them unrecognizable as long-lived species. When the environmental pressure becomes unbearable, even racial inheritance gets twisted. The demonic offspring of the Frost and Thunder Temple share the same fate.
Song Hui, however, found the great priest’s words disagreeable, “So, do you want to prove yourselves on the Eternal Night battlefield? Do you want to fight against the Great Qin Empire?”
The great priest replied, “If necessary, we don’t mind fighting the Great Qin Empire.”
Song Hui’s brows knitted in anger, “We spared you, and now you want to become our enemy?”
The great priest remained calm, “We don’t mind becoming enemies of the human race or the Eternal Night Council. It all depends on Sir Qian Ye. We are loyal to him and his descendants or successors. We are not vassals of the Great Qin or the Eternal Night. The Great Qin is not equal to Sir Qian Ye.”
Song Hui suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
Qian Ye interrupted, “Both of you, go back to your duties!”
He dismissed the generals and returned to his private room to cultivate and replenish his original force. The new war had just begun, and greater battles lay ahead. Such a world-shaking event would not occur without signs, so the answer might be clear: the other side of the Door likely leads to the rumored new world of the upper Eternal Night. If this hypothesis holds, another major battle with the dark races is likely imminent.
On the Twilight continent, the ancient castle of Dideus had transformed into a massive military base. The castle, perched on a high ground, overlooked a vast fog area. Outside the fog, over 200,000 Eternal Night troops had gathered. The battlefield had just seen a major clash, and countless beast corpses were piled up beyond the Eternal Night’s defenses. These beasts had clearly failed to breach the line and were completely wiped out.
On the top floor of the castle, two dukes stood side by side, looking down at the battlefield below.
The duke on the left said, “These monsters’ combat power is truly frightening. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would hardly believe they could form an army.”
The other duke nodded, “If not for the early warning, the losses would have been significant.”
“Is the human race now in a state of chaos?”
“At the very least, they won’t have the capacity to trouble us.”
As the two dukes chatted, a strange sensation suddenly enveloped them. Startled, they looked down to see a luxurious floating ship landing in the castle courtyard. Night Pupil emerged from the ship, walked straight into the main building, and returned to her residence.
The two dukes watched Night Pupil disappear behind the door and simultaneously sighed in relief.
“The Princess has returned.”
“The Door has opened, so she naturally should return.”
“Is the Princess injured? She seems a bit weak.”
“Not just weak, her blood aura cultivation seems to have declined. The Princess is now at the level of a Glory Marquis, right?”
“About that, she doesn’t feel like a Duke. I heard opening the Door comes at the cost of reducing bloodline power.”
“Doesn’t that make us somewhat stronger than her?”
“But why, when facing the Princess, do I feel a deeper fear? If I were to fight her, I doubt I could use my full strength.”
“I feel the same.”
On the square below, a group of Eternal Night soldiers had just pushed the floating ship into storage when another ship hurriedly flew in and landed.
Several mysterious bloodline vampires, fully shrouded in black robes, emerged from the ship and entered Night Pupil’s residence in a line.
In the hall, Night Pupil slowly removed her armor, handing her weapons to the attendant. The mysterious bloodline vampires stood motionless at the door.
Night Pupil wrote a few names on a piece of paper and handed it to the leading black-robed vampire, “Investigate these people thoroughly.”
The leading black-robed vampire took the paper, recognizing Tianqing Ji, Kuanglan Li, and Zining Song. He bowed and silently retreated.
After the black-robed vampires left, Night Pupil suddenly looked weary, sinking into the sofa and gently massaging her forehead.
A door on the side of the living room opened, and Dusk emerged, smiling, “You ultimately still want to investigate, don’t you?”
Night Pupil neither spoke nor moved.
Dusk sat beside her, “The latest news is that he has become a Divine General, causing a stir throughout the Empire. How could they let someone like him fall into our hands?”
Night Pupil remained still, merely saying, “Stand up.”
Dusk, surprised, asked, “What?”
“Get up and stand properly.”
Dusk, flustered, stammered, “I…”
Night Pupil lightly tapped her forehead, somewhat impatiently, “Did I say you could sit beside me?”
Dusk, taken aback, reluctantly stood up.
Night Pupil finally looked up, glancing at her with a faint sneer, “Do you think I am Night Pupil?”
“You aren’t…?” Dusk, quick to react, noticing the coldness in Night Pupil’s eyes, hastily swallowed the rest of her words.
Night Pupil said indifferently, “I am not her, and I am not interested in her affairs, nor do I want to know. As for investigating those people, the reason is simple: if those humans dare to offend me, I will make them pay a price they cannot afford!”
Dusk bit her lip, her face growing increasingly unnatural. Though Night Pupil did not move, Dusk gradually felt a prickling, chilling sensation. The chill was not intense but penetrated deep into her blood, numbing her body.
That was Night Pupil’s aura, no longer deliberately concealed or suppressed. In the face of this pressure, Dusk’s blood nearly stopped flowing. Only then did she realize the vast distance between her and Night Pupil, as wide as the gap between two continents.
Night Pupil glanced at Dusk, “Not just humans, anyone who dares to offend my dignity will pay a price. Understand?”
Dusk forced a smile, “Understood.”
“Understood, then leave. Also, this place is not where you should be. If you enter again without permission, you won’t leave. My realm does not welcome low-bloodline creatures.”
Dusk, her face pale, partly from humiliation and partly from the oppressive pressure, gritted her teeth and said, “I am also a pureblood.”
Night Pupil snorted, “By your standards, maybe.”
Dusk, clenching her teeth, deeply bowed to Night Pupil and retreated, closing the door behind her.
As the door closed, a cold light flickered in Night Pupil’s eyes, and she gazed in the direction Dusk had left, murmuring, “I will see what you are really up to.”
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