Expanding his vision to the utmost, a clear trajectory gradually came into view. Around the altar of the Duke of White Bones, an underground river formed a complete circle. The scale of this subterranean river was so vast that its existence must have had a significant impact on the surrounding environment, fundamentally altering it over thousands of years.
From this perspective, the Duke of White Bones’ choice to establish his altar here was not without reason. However, Qian Ye’s knowledge of geography only extended so far, and he had no specialized talent in this area. To understand the function of the underground river, he would need to summon experts from the Empire.
Returning to the City of Azure Waves, Qian Ye found answers to several lingering questions, and the plans he had long been contemplating could finally be put into action.
Firstly, he cleared areas both outside and within the city for the expansion of the airship landing fields. There was already a small landing field inside the city, primarily for the private use of the Duke of White Bones. It barely accommodated the escorts of Qian Ye’s fleet, let alone the battle cruisers. Now, this area and its surroundings were designated for expansion, along with the addition of defensive facilities. The external landing field needed to be enlarged to accommodate large cargo fleets.
Although the City of Azure Waves was located at the heart of the Emerald Sea, the weather conditions were not particularly unique. With the use of airships, travel and transport times could be significantly reduced. Relying on these extensive cargo fleets, Qian Ye could easily redeploy his troops as needed, without any fear of retaliation from the werewolf tribes. In ruling a vast territory, control and response speed were crucial.
After understanding the deeper reasons for the werewolves’ swift submission, Qian Ye officially incorporated the Emerald Sea’s priests and chieftains into his system, revealing his comprehensive strategy to everyone.
The next focus was on stabilization and consolidation.
From the Great Corridor to the Emerald Sea, this new force, composed of humans and werewolves, had expanded too rapidly. The nominal territorial area and population under his rule had reached staggering numbers. The entire Emerald Sea needed to be stabilized, the new troops reorganized, hundreds of thousands of captives dealt with, and resources explored and developed. Each of these tasks would take a considerable amount of time to resolve.
Therefore, in a situation where internal stability was needed, external expansion temporarily lost its significance. Qian Ye planned to pacify the surrounding tribes of the Emerald Sea and send envoys to the nearby human kingdoms, demanding their submission. These kingdoms, combined, had nearly ten million citizens and tens of thousands of troops. Whether through conquest or negotiation, it would take a lot of time to integrate them.
With all matters arranged, Qian Ye stayed in the Duke’s manor, dedicating himself to cultivation and consolidating his origin crystal.
Half a month passed in a blink. On this early morning, as the first rays of dawn appeared, most of the werewolves were still asleep. Suddenly, a blinding light emanated from the top of the main building of the Duke’s manor. A red sun rose slowly, instantly turning the entire City of Azure Waves as bright as daylight!
The sunlight was extremely penetrating, even stone walls and tiled roofs could not block it. Many sleeping werewolves felt a burning sensation, as if it were midday in the height of summer. They could no longer sleep, shouting and sitting up in bed, gazing at the room filled with light, uncertain if they were dreaming.
In no time, many werewolves rushed to the streets, staring at the sun that should not have been there, dumbfounded.
Not only the werewolves but even the human mercenaries, generals, and powerful individuals like Xu Jingxuan, kept rubbing their eyes, unable to believe that there was indeed an additional sun in the sky.
In the eyes of true powerhouses, this sun emitted the ultimate light and heat, almost like the source of dawn reincarnated. Yet, it was not blinding, which was incredible. A sun that could illuminate the entire city could be looked at directly without causing pain.
When some reckless powerhouses tried to sense the sun, they immediately showed extreme pain. Several werewolf chieftains fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Upon contact with the sun, their senses were instantly incinerated, with no time to react, followed by unbearable pain. This pain was akin to having an insect’s antennae crushed.
Fortunately, the sun’s radiance gradually faded and then disappeared. Everyone looked at each other, puzzled, as the sky darkened again. Some who had come out early turned to look at the main building, from which the sun had risen.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning lit up the sky. Carol rode her thunder dragon, descending from the heavens, straight to the main building of the Duke’s manor.
On the top floor, in what was once the Duke of White Bones’ bedroom, Qian Ye slowly opened his eyes, smiling. “You came very quickly.”
“With such a commotion, I could feel it even in the void. Of course, I had to come and see. Has your origin crystal stabilized?”
“Yes. I didn’t expect it to take so long. I thought that for a general god-commander, the origin crystal naturally stabilizes after ascension.”
Carol rolled her eyes. “It’s easy for them, but they have no room for improvement!”
She then turned curious. “By the way, what abilities did you gain? Tell me!”
A god-commander’s abilities are usually a closely guarded secret, kept as long as possible to maintain an advantage in future battles.
Carol, intrigued by the huge commotion, couldn’t contain her curiosity, but as soon as she asked, she realized it was inappropriate. “Never mind, forget I asked.”
Qian Ye, however, smiled. “It’s okay, it’s not a big deal.”
Carol felt a twinge of annoyance. Qian Ye’s willingness to share his abilities was a sign of trust, but why did his words make her want to hit him?
Qian Ye, oblivious to the issue, stretched out his hand. “I gained two new abilities, one related to my domain and one to my personal combat power. Let me show you my new domain.”
Above his open palm, a small space began to distort, a phenomenon only occurring under extreme pressure. The shape and origin force fluctuations indicated that this was his previous Ocean Vortex Domain, but now it could be summoned in the palm of his hand, showing his mastery had reached an astonishing level.
Next, a red sun rose above the ocean vortex! The intense light and heat illuminated the entire hall, the vortex turning into a sea of origin force fire, yet the pressure remained.
If Qian Ye’s original Ocean Vortex Domain focused more on control, the current Sun Over the Sea had completely transformed into a killing domain. No lower-ranking dark race could survive within it.
Qian Ye clenched his fingers, retracting the Sun Over the Sea, and said, “And there’s another ability.”
His body suddenly emitted a series of bone-cracking sounds, one after another, and his aura surged to an unbelievable level.
Carol, with her keen insight and long acquaintance with Qian Ye, gasped. “Mountain Cleaving Strength!”
In an instant, the Mountain Cleaving Strength layered and intensified to its peak. Qian Ye then exhaled, emitting a loud “Hey,” and punched forward with a seemingly ordinary fist. As he punched, Carol’s hair stood on end, and she shouted, retreating backward!
Qian Ye’s punch landed in empty space. Though there was nothing there, dark lines appeared where the punch landed, spreading outward and splitting everything in their path.
These were spatial fissures. In that moment, Qian Ye’s punch had nearly shattered the fabric of space, causing this strange phenomenon.
The dark lines spread for over ten meters before disappearing.
Carol looked at Qian Ye, still shaken. After a moment, she asked, “What just happened? Why was that punch so powerful? And I felt that the burst of origin force you just released was much stronger than mine. Are you already an upper god-commander?”
Qian Ye shook his head. “No. I can now instantly release the accumulated origin force, amplifying its power. But this reduces my endurance. For now, let’s call it the Blazing Impact.”
Touched by Qian Ye’s honesty, Carol carefully recalled his punch, still feeling a sense of dread. Suddenly, she thought of something. “Wait, even if it’s a sudden burst of origin force, it shouldn’t have been that powerful! My brother is an upper god-commander, and he couldn’t throw a punch like that.”
“Maybe I’m just stronger.”
“… What kind of explanation is that!”
Carol thought Qian Ye was unaware, but in fact, he was telling the truth. Without the support of the ancient and honorable Marquis bloodline, he wouldn’t have been able to deliver such a punch. For anyone else, the backlash from the Blazing Impact would shatter their bones.
As they chatted, Qian Ye suddenly looked out the window. “It seems someone is coming.”
An escort ship flew in at high speed, hovering outside the main building. A tall female mercenary general leaped out, approaching Qian Ye. “Sir, urgent news. A fleet from the Empire has arrived at the Island of Dawn, requesting to see you specifically.”
“To see me? Did they state their identity?”
“No, they only said their surname is Li. You’ll know when you hear it.”
This female general didn’t know much about the Empire. The Li family of the Empire could only be the venerated Li Clan, and those who could accurately find the Island of Dawn might be connected to the Empress Li.
“Surname Li…” Qian Ye thought for a moment and stood up. “Anyway, there’s nothing pressing now. Song Lun, Aska, and Jingxuan can handle things here. Let’s go to the Island of Dawn.”
Carol agreed, and Qian Ye didn’t need to pack anything. They boarded the battle cruiser and set off for the Island of Dawn.
The battle cruiser’s speed was incomparable to ordinary airships. In half a day, they reached the Far Horizon City on the Island of Dawn.
The visitors were already settled in the city lord’s mansion. Upon arrival, Qian Ye instructed that they be brought to the reception hall. Entering the hall was an elderly man with a kind face, always smiling, slightly plump, with a smooth, clean-shaven face. Behind him were a young man and woman, both handsome and graceful, exuding a natural arrogance.
Though Qian Ye had never met this old man, his appearance suggested he was a palace eunuch, with a sharp, hidden origin force. If not for Qian Ye’s heightened senses after advancing to god-commander, he might not have detected his true strength.
Seeing Qian Ye, the old man smiled. “You must be Sir Qian Ye. My master often speaks of you! Xiao Qing, Pan Yu, come and greet Sir Qian Ye. At your age, sir, you had already accomplished great deeds.”
The young man and woman stepped forward, bowing together. The man said, “I am Li Pan Yu, greetings to Sir Qian Ye.”
The woman said, “I am Li Wan Qing, greetings to Sir Qian Ye.”
Li Pan Yu, though polite, still carried a hint of arrogance, not fully concealed. Li Wan Qing, however, sparkled with wonder, like a child seeing the bustling city for the first time, her gaze constantly drawn to Qian Ye.
The old man continued, “My name is Liu, and I’m sure you know where I come from, Sir Qian Ye. These two are the younger generation of our family. The Empress was pleased to hear of your achievements in the Yon Continent and sent them to assist you and broaden their horizons. The Empress said that these two have been quite free-spirited at home and might cause trouble. If they do, you are free to punish them without hesitation.”
“Well…” Qian Ye hadn’t expected such a challenge from the Empress. Expanding his territory in the Yon Continent was already risky, and he didn’t want to add two potential problems to his side.
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