Chapter 65: No Longer Alone (Part III)

The heavy machine gun spewed flames desperately, hundreds of rounds of ammunition rapidly depleted, shells splashing like rain!

The guards and aristocrats were driven into a frenzy, scattering in all directions. In truth, the bullets from the heavy machine gun posed no real threat to these experts of levels six and seven. But since the leading Song clan and Kong family did not retaliate, the rest simply dodged and retreated.

On Prince Wei’s side, only a few people had combat power. If a melee broke out, Wei Po Tian would become an awkward and troublesome figure. Excessive fighting would certainly attract the attention of the Spring Hunt overseers, but if he showed mercy to this prince, judging by his aggressive demeanor, he wouldn’t spare anyone. It would be like taking a beating for nothing.

Though reluctant, Kong Yanian considered this a way out. He snorted, activated his origin power to set up a barrier, blocking all incoming bullets, and continuously retreated. Finally, he turned and left, casting a venomous glare at Ji Yuanjia before departing.

Ji Yuanjia, however, returned a smile, his demeanor calm. The small sword in his hand hummed softly, with the light of origin power flickering. This made Kong Yanian sigh, regretting that such a talented individual wasn’t under his command.

But for the rest of the Spring Hunt, Kong Yanian would face major headaches. With only three guards left and their supply lines cut off, returning to the base for supplies would take too much time, practically rendering the final stages of the hunt a waste.

As Kong Yanian hurriedly departed, a fierce thought crossed his mind: if there was no time to fetch supplies, then he would just have to steal them! There were plenty of other noble families’ supply points!

Wei Po Tian fired the entire box of ammunition. Although he didn’t kill or seriously injure anyone, seeing Kong Yanian and the others, including the pretentious Ye Mulan, scatter, he felt a great sense of satisfaction.

He threw down the heavy machine gun, drew a short blade from Ji Yuanjia’s waist, and pointed at the Wei and Yin family guards. “You go and keep an eye on those guys. Drive them out of this area. Anyone who disobeys will be noted, and I’ll deal with them after the hunt.”

“Prince Wei, you…” Ji Yuanjia couldn’t help but smile bitterly, pressing his fingers to his temples, as he heard Wei Po Tian brazenly proclaim his bullying tactics so openly.

Wei Po Tian waved his hand impatiently. “Enough! That’s settled!”

With that, he held the blade and strode towards the depths of the Tianxuan Mountains. From behind, Wei Po Tian’s steps were firm and imposing, truly extraordinary, especially the air of invincibility slowly forming. However, his tattered clothes, usually a sign of a true man, revealed half of his pale buttocks, ruining all the grandeur.

Ji Yuanjia opened his mouth, deciding it was best not to remind him. The guards of the Yin and Wei families exchanged glances, including Wei Huai, who coughed and averted his gaze, clearly showing they were all wise.

Ji Yuanjia pondered, “Prince Wei is quite something, isn’t he?”

Wei Po Tian, seemingly trapped in this situation, had actually tied down the hunters. Call him a bully or whatever, but Wei Po Tian made it clear he was forcing everyone to withdraw from the hunt. As long as he was present, if the others didn’t want to offend him, they couldn’t leave to pursue Qianye. This was more effective than direct confrontation, given that Wei Po Tian’s side was significantly weaker.

In the depths of the forest, Qiqi’s short hair flew as she dashed forward.

Just then, Nangong Wanyun led her guards out from the woods ahead, smiling and asking, “Sister, where are you going?”

But her smile froze instantly. Qiqi said nothing, unslung the monstrous gun from her back, and a large ball of origin power, the size of a washbasin, blasted towards her!

Nangong Wanyun screamed and fell to the ground, not daring to block such a large origin bullet—it was more like a cannonball!

The powerful explosion pushed her several meters away. By the time Nangong Wanyun stood up, Qiqi had already passed through the blast and disappeared.

Staring at Qiqi’s retreating figure, Nangong Wanyun’s expression shifted uneasily.

A guard asked, “Miss, should we pursue her?”

Nangong Wanyun gritted her teeth. “Forget it! This woman has gone mad; it’s best not to provoke her. Let’s go!”

The Nangong group changed direction, preparing to return to their hunting zone to continue accumulating points.

On a small hill, Danny Hutton let out an unconscious growl, fangs extending involuntarily. His eyes were fixed on the blood seeping from Qianye’s wound, unable to look away. He inhaled deeply, as if trying to absorb all the sweet, fragrant blood into his lungs.

Qianye seemed unaware, too weak even to lift his hand, never thinking to stop the bleeding, the crimson flow continuing to spill out.

Despite his strong will, Danny managed to retain some semblance of rationality. He murmured, “Maybe turning you into a blood slave is a good idea. No, why not give you the Embrace? Perhaps I can create a very powerful descendant.”

Qianye laughed bitterly, “Give me the Embrace? Marquis Rose would kill you.”

Danny forced himself to look away from the blood, reaching out to Qianye, saying, “Marquis Rose might also turn you into one of his descendants. This might be your only chance to survive.”

Qianye sighed, “I can’t resist.”

“Indeed.”

Danny knelt beside Qianye, leaning forward, pushing aside his tattered collar to expose his neck. He took a deep breath, ready to bite down.

But just then, a gentle breeze blew, soft and warm like a lover’s caress. Leaves fluttered like rain, swirling down from the sky, like dancers’ skirts at a grand celebration.

Qianye felt a chill. This hill was covered in shrubs, far from the forest, and it was spring—where were these leaves coming from?

Danny, entirely focused on Qianye, didn’t notice, only wanting to taste the delicious blood he dreamed of.

But a leaf floated right in front of him.

Instinctively, Danny reached out to push it away, but as his hand moved, the leaf continued on its original path. It was an illusion!

Danny was startled, feeling a sudden chill in his heart, numbness spreading quickly. In one breath, an unprecedented cold and darkness enveloped his consciousness, draining his last strength.

“It’s you,” Qianye looked at the figure slowly emerging behind Danny.

Leaves continued to fall endlessly from the void, now mixed with pale pink and white petals, swaying gently in the warm breeze. The figure seemed to step out from a forest edge.

“It’s me,” Song Zining smiled, slowly pulling a long sword from the Blood Knight’s back.

“Actually, this isn’t a bad way to end. Dying at your hands is better than dying by that vampire,” Qianye said calmly.

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Song Zining shook his head, chuckling. He pulled the sword without pausing, in a unique technique, rotating as he drew. Tiny bursts of origin power flickered along the blade, like small blood flowers blooming.

No flesh or blood splattered. Everything the sword touched turned to ash. When the sword was fully pulled out, the Blood Knight’s heart and veins were completely destroyed. Song Zining tossed Danny Hutton’s corpse aside.

Around them, leaves and petals still danced, some winding around Song Zining’s icy blade, erasing any traces of blood and ash as they passed. The sword, clean as if newly forged, was casually thrown aside.

He lifted his hand, and the leaves and petals above Qianye flickered, dissolving into a mist, then descended, sinking into Qianye’s skin.

Qianye’s burning pain lessened. He looked up, curious, lifting his hand to catch a petal. It passed through his palm, continuing to float down, disappearing into the earth. But soon, another new petal appeared from some corner of the void.

“This is your ability, quite impressive.”

Warriors at the advanced level could manifest origin power, creating illusions that seemed real. Though Song Zining was only at the seventh level, he controlled a wide area of external origin power, each leaf and petal a manifestation of intricate origin power. Qianye had seen Ji Yuanjia’s sword techniques, which had a similar spatial sealing effect, but only in the immediate vicinity of the sword’s path.

Song Zining looked down at Qianye, still smiling warmly, “This is the Three Thousand Floating Leaves Technique, just some illusions and simple deception.” His gaze fell on the deepest wound on Qianye’s chest, a cloud of origin power almost completely absorbed into the skin.

Song Zining suddenly paused, “Your wound seems strange. Mind if I take a look?”

Qianye smiled bitterly, “Go ahead.”

He also sensed something was amiss. After Song Zining’s origin power entered his body, the blood energy in his heart, which had been dormant, suddenly surged, even the golden blood barrier trembling. But Qianye was too exhausted, having used up his remaining blood energy to set a trap for Danny Hutton. Leaning against a rock, he could barely sit, and no longer wanted to hide or struggle.

Song Zining touched the wound with a finger, drawing a bit of blood. A few leaves gathered, forming a small origin storm. His expression changed, “Blood force! A Blood race? No, that’s not it…”

“I was bitten, but not given the Embrace, and I’m not a blood slave. I don’t know why I’ve become like this,” Qianye admitted.

Song Zining nodded, his perpetually calm expression fading, brow furrowing in thought. After a moment, he sighed, smiling wryly, “Qianye, you always seem to find trouble, don’t you?”