Chapter 37: The Mystery of the White Bones

Qian Ye acted as if nothing had happened, “I’m a bit tired, I need to rest here for a while.”

“Is it serious? Go down and take a rest.”

“That’s not an option. The moment I touch the ground, my glorious image will be shattered,” Qian Ye replied.

Carol was both amused and annoyed, but then she noticed the vast sea of emerald sea werewolves below and suddenly understood. Qian Ye, having struck down the White Bone Duke with one blow, intimidated the hundreds of thousands of werewolves below into inaction. If he showed any sign of weakness, the werewolves might immediately turn against him. Even if they didn’t dare to counterattack, their scattered flight would cause endless trouble in the future.

Realizing this, Carol said, “Then I’ll go over and check.”

Their conversation took place high in the sky, far from prying ears. Carol raised her thunder whip, and once again, the sky filled with thunder and fire. She flew slowly and steadily to the corpse of the White Bone Duke, waved her hand to summon his body, picked it up, and returned to Qian Ye’s side.

Seeing this, all the werewolves lost hope, realizing that the White Bone Duke could never come back to life.

Qian Ye swept his gaze over the emerald sea werewolves, his face turning stern. He shouted, “Kneel!”

This shout was accompanied by a wave of primordial power, instantly enveloping the entire battlefield. Everyone felt as if they were in a scorching hell, unable to bear the heat and the heavy pressure, like being immersed in molten lava. In the shout, there was a faint hint of the ancient bloodline of the Blood Race, an aura close to the source of darkness, which made every werewolf tremble from the very roots of their bloodlines.

The werewolves from the Great Corridor, already under the accumulated fear of Qian Ye, subconsciously knelt. Among the emerald sea werewolves, the weak and those with weak wills also knelt in large numbers. Once someone started, more and more followed, leaving only a few truly strong ones standing.

Qian Ye’s eyes flashed like lightning, scanning over these strong ones, their images reflecting in his pupils.

The strong ones, with their keen senses, reacted immediately when their images appeared in Qian Ye’s eyes. Some turned pale, others began to shake, and many noble-ranked strong ones surrendered and knelt. However, there were also those who gritted their teeth and refused to yield.

Qian Ye did not waste time with them, merely glancing at each one before moving on. Regardless of whether they submitted or resisted, regardless of their rank, from Earl to Knight, none of them received more than a brief look from him.

After one round, only a handful of seven or eight stood.

Qian Ye’s expression turned cold, “Kill them all.”

These werewolf strong ones, jolted awake, screamed and scattered in all directions. But how could they compare to Carol’s speed, powered by the blue thunder? In a flash, she caught up with them one by one, cutting down several. No matter how powerful the werewolves were, once her thunder whip coiled around them, they were instantly reduced to charcoal.

The two werewolf strong ones who had fled the farthest thought they had a chance to escape, but their movements suddenly slowed, and the thunder whip swiftly caught up, extinguishing their last hope.

In a moment, the last resistance of the emerald sea werewolves vanished. As for those already kneeling, once they had fallen, they could no longer stand.

Carol didn’t bother with the corpses, returning directly to Qian Ye’s side, watching him intently, “Are you okay?”

Qian Ye smiled, “Not really.”

Her words were at odds with his sunny smile. Carol knew that the domain and the mysterious power he used to suppress the werewolf strong ones must have been extremely taxing.

Qian Ye pointed to Eska and ordered, “Clean up the battlefield.”

As the werewolves from the Great Corridor moved, and the emerald sea werewolves, though restless, remained on the ground, Qian Ye nodded and extended his hand to Carol.

Carol was taken aback, not understanding his intention.

Qian Ye’s smile remained unchanged, “Help me back.”

Carol finally understood, smiled sweetly, and looped her arm around Qian Ye’s, dragging him back to the warship, ignoring his intentions. Of course, to the countless eyes on the ground, Qian Ye appeared perfectly fine, even romantic in his posture.

Back on the cruiser, after dismissing everyone, Qian Ye let out a groan, no longer caring about his glorious image, collapsing into the seat.

Carol was startled, “Are you alright?”

Qian Ye’s eyes barely opened, mumbling, “How could I not be… just… tired…”

Before he could finish, his head lolled to the side, and he fell into a deep sleep.

Carol watched him for a long while, sighing. As a demonic descendant, she was very skilled at observing physical conditions and knew exactly what Qian Ye was going through. He was truly exhausted, and his body was utterly drained. If not for the final domain and the use of the Controlling Eye to subdue the werewolf strong ones, the emerald sea werewolves would not have been so compliant.

Qian Ye did not sleep for long. He suddenly opened his eyes, covering his nose and mouth, “What is that stench!”

At his words, Carol noticed the faint odor permeating the room. At first, it was barely noticeable, but upon closer inspection, the putrid, complex smell became apparent.

Carol’s heart sank, but it was too late. Her senses, extremely sharp, discerned dozens of basic odors, and when combined, they produced hundreds of more complex smells. The impact was as shocking as a slap from the White Bone Duke.

Carol’s vision darkened, and she nearly fainted. As a god general and a mid-level one at that, the stench was unbearable. Even Qian Ye, exhausted, was awakened by the foul smell.

Carol quickly used primordial power to shield herself, isolating all internal and external odors, and found the source: the corpse of the White Bone Duke.

The corpse was rotting at a visible rate, with a pool of deep green pus forming on the ground. The stench was intensifying rapidly.

Carol, at a loss, called out, “Qian Ye!”

Without hesitation, Qian Ye cast a beam of Dawn’s Enlightenment, searing the rotten flesh until it was incinerated, then condensed into a thin layer of ice, covering the White Bone Duke’s bones. The ice sealed the corpse, halting further decay.

Qian Ye had not expected the Dawn’s Enlightenment to create such an icy effect. Subconsciously, he had channeled the primordial power, thinking to preserve the corpse, and it worked.

Carol carefully turned the White Bone Duke’s corpse over, inspecting it for a long time, removing his equipment piece by piece, and setting aside the contents of his pouch. Finally, the badly corroded corpse lay in the center of the room.

Carol took out a dagger, cut open the corpse, and inspected the organs. After a long breath, she said, “I understand now. You can remove the stench now.”

The room was filled with an unbearable stench, and both Qian Ye and Carol had long since held their breaths, communicating through primordial power. At Carol’s words, Qian Ye felt relieved, and a layer of Dawn’s Enlightenment emerged around him, burning away the stench.

When the primordial light faded, a faint, pleasant aroma filled the room, like sun-dried quilts. This was the scent left by the Dawn’s Enlightenment on the room’s objects.

Carol took a deep breath, “I never thought the Dawn’s Enlightenment could have such a nice smell.”

Qian Ye replied, “Spend more time with Zining. His World of Splendor can simulate all things in the world, and blending various fragrances is just a basic application. Then you’ll know what truly pleasant smells are.”

“But that’s just ordinary fragrance. I mean the primordial power scent.”

Qian Ye looked at Carol in surprise, “Shouldn’t it?”

Carol shook her head, puzzled, “Perhaps when primordial power reaches its peak, it feels pleasant. But this monstrosity only makes one feel nauseous.”

Qian Ye walked over, looking at the chaotic corpse, “What happened to him?”

“He should have died long ago, using all sorts of methods to prolong his life. Clearly, he absorbed too much corrupted primordial power, even using the Dawn’s Enlightenment to stimulate it.”

Qian Ye’s mind stirred, “Dawn’s Enlightenment? You mean…?”

“Offerings, or something else. The traces show that the Dawn’s Enlightenment came from humans. Only your race knows how to cultivate it.”

“That’s not necessarily true. Your Frost Thunder Temple is more inclined towards the Dawn. It’s something I’ve always wondered about.”

Carol said, “We don’t understand either. Our ancestors were demonic, exiled to the Neutral Zone. You know what the Neutral Zone means to the demonic. The first few generations suffered greatly and died young. But in recent centuries, we discovered Frost Cold and Blue Thunder. These powers lean towards the Dawn, and we can absorb and use them. Yet, no matter how much our ancestors studied, they couldn’t figure out why, and attributed it to divine compensation for our suffering.”

Qian Ye looked at the White Bone Duke, frowning, “What did he do to himself to end up like this?”

Carol snorted, “He was so afraid of death that he tried transplanting bloodlines, specifically from young, promising werewolves.”

Qian Ye, who had never heard of such a thing, asked, “Can that work?”

“Of course not! If it could, wouldn’t all the great lords be immortal? And the Night Queen wouldn’t need to sleep for most of the year.”