Qian Ye raised his voice and repeated, “Who wishes to return with me to the Empire? The journey may be fraught with peril, but I have already eradicated all the vampires in this castle. Staying here will not guarantee your survival. You only have three minutes to decide!”
“I want to go back to the Empire!” A young girl suddenly darted out from the crowd.
“What are you doing? Come back!” The young man beside her reached out to grab her, but she slapped him and ran towards Qian Ye.
The young man’s face twisted with malevolence as he lunged at the girl, but he was immediately disoriented, as if he had collided with a mountain, and staggered back dizzily.
Unbeknownst to him, Qian Ye had appeared before him, staring coldly. It was into Qian Ye that the young man had crashed.
“Are you seeking death?” Qian Ye’s voice was soft and icy.
The young man stared directly at Qian Ye, who showed no emotion. Summoning an inexplicable courage, he suddenly screamed, “She is my fiancée! The noble elders of the Holy Clan have promised to give her to me after they exercise their first night rights. You cannot take her away!”
Qian Ye lowered his gaze slightly, then lifted it, smiling faintly, “Holy Clan?”
The young man shouted, “If we perform well, every so often, the noble elders of the Holy Clan select one person for the first embrace, transforming them into a member of the Holy Clan!”
No longer willing to listen, Qian Ye waved his hand, delivering a slap that sent the young man spinning and spitting blood and broken teeth.
The young man, though battered, yelled, “Even if you follow him, you won’t escape the Holy Clan’s pursuit! And what about when you reach the Empire? We were born and raised by the Holy Clan. Will the Qin Empire spare you? They will treat us as blood slaves and kill us all! Ah!!”
The young man let out a long, agonizing scream. Qian Ye had approached and methodically crushed each of his limbs. “A wretch like you deserves a swifter death. Wait for your noble elders to see how they treat a crippled beast!”
Only then did the young man think of his future, trembling and twisting, screaming at Qian Ye, “You devil! I’ll never forgive you, even in death!”
Ignoring the young man, Qian Ye asked again. This time, nearly a hundred people were willing to follow him back to the Empire.
“This journey will be treacherous, and we must move at top speed. We will not slow down for anyone. Those who lack confidence in making the entire journey can step back now.”
None of those who stood up wanted to remain, so Qian Ye led the group of over a hundred humans on the road back.
There were still a few carriages in the castle, which Qian Ye took to provide rest for the fleeing humans. In a day and a night, the escapees had covered nearly two hundred kilometers.
By then, all the horses were dead, and almost half of the group had perished—some from exhaustion, others from falling behind. Alone, ordinary humans in the dark races’ territory faced the same fate as livestock.
Regardless of how many in the group fell behind, Qian Ye never slowed, and everyone silently followed, without complaint or moan, until they could no longer move.
As they were about to leave the dark races’ territory, Qian Ye suddenly stopped and said to the first girl who had stepped forward, “You lead them in this direction. Do not slow down, understand?”
The girl nodded vigorously and asked, “What about you?”
Qian Ye glanced back, “A squad of black-blooded mongrels is following us. I will deal with them first, then rejoin you.”
The group continued on, while Qian Ye turned back to confront the dark race patrol.
Rescuing the enslaved humans was a secondary goal. Qian Ye’s real aim was to lure out another patrol. After hours of pursuit and hundreds of kilometers, the patrol was exhausted and vulnerable.
This was a ruthless retaliation against the Blood Feast. Killing a few dark races piecemeal was far less satisfying than destroying a settlement and wiping out a regular patrol.
Less than half an hour later, a dozen dark warriors appeared in Qian Ye’s scope, led by a Blood Knight—his favorite type. After a day, Qian Ye had reloaded a round of origin power ammunition, ready for him.
The thunderous roar of the eagle shattered the night. The Blood Knight was hit by an invisible hammer, flying sideways. Qian Ye drew his short knife, launching a rapid assault, leaving afterimages as he pounced on the dark warriors.
Blood soon stained the night!
Moments later, Qian Ye left the battlefield, his body riddled with wounds, and a third-grade vampire origin power gun. Behind him, the entire patrol lay dead, stacked in a pile, each with their throats and arteries slit. This was the human vengeance for the Blood Feast.
While Qian Ye infiltrated the dark races’ domain, the expeditionary camp welcomed a revered and feared figure, Bai Longjia.
Bai Longjia disembarked from the airship, skipping formalities, and said to the welcoming expeditionary general, “General Yang, I heard there was a Blood Feast here. Take me to see it.”
Although both held the rank of brigadier general, Bai Longjia’s rank was honorary, unlike the expeditionary general’s. However, Bai Longjia behaved as if he were the superior officer.
“Ah, General Bai, it seems…”
Before the expeditionary general could finish, Bai Longjia interrupted coldly, “No ‘seems’! Take me to the site, now! If you don’t want to, I’ll find someone else. But you’ll never lead again!”
The expeditionary general quickly smiled, “No, no, I’ll arrange it immediately! Please wait a few minutes.”
“Also, bring City Lord Luo and General Du.”
General Yang hesitated, “They are very busy…”
Bai Longjia was uninterested in excuses, “I want to see them on the airship in half an hour!”
City Lord Luo Jianyi, and Generals Yang and Du, were the three warlord-level powerhouses in Darkblood City. This was a significant allocation, with most cities having only one warlord.
General Yang’s smile froze, and he called for his aide, “Fetch the city lord and General Du, by any means, get them here in half an hour! Say it’s General Bai’s order, understood?”
Bai Longjia looked at him, calmly saying, “Trying to pass the blame to me is useless. I can handle the impeachment of three generals in a forsaken place.”
General Yang, nearing sixty, bowed and flattered, “I wouldn’t dare! But without your name, they won’t come. They won’t show me such respect.”
Bai Longjia nodded noncommittally and walked back to the airship, resting his eyes, leaving General Yang outside.
This was treating General Yang like a messenger. The other officers were stunned, but General Yang remained unperturbed, accustomed to such treatment.
The night Deacon Geshitu visited, it was General Yang who advocated staying put, inadvertently offending Bai Longjia. Now was a chance for redemption.
Despite their similar ranks, Bai Longjia, a rising star in the White family, had a bright future. The expeditionary force was a single main division in the empire, and Darkblood City’s garrison was second-rate. Their ranks were the same, but their status vastly differed.
Darkblood City, however, was lucrative, and the military balanced it with two generals. Normally, Yang and Du operated independently, neither deferring to the other. Sending an aide to fetch General Du was usually met with hostility.
But Bai Longjia was different. His reckless behavior and potential consequences made even seasoned generals wary. Enraging him could invite imperial scrutiny, and few frontier commanders could withstand such scrutiny.
In less than twenty minutes, City Lord Luo and General Du arrived. Bai Longjia commanded the airship to depart, heading to the Blood Feast site.
An hour later, the airship landed, and Bai Longjia, accompanied by the three officials, entered the meeting hall.
The hall retained its ghastly appearance. The stench of rotting corpses filled the air, but the brutality of the Blood Feast was still evident.
Luo and Generals Yang and Du grimaced, but Bai Longjia, standing quietly, seemed unaffected, his gaze sweeping the hall.
After ten minutes, Bai Longjia spoke, “I heard a demon warlord set this trap to catch some big fish? You were wise not to fall for it!”
This sounded more like a rebuke. The three warlords, perhaps feeling shame and anger, simply looked ashamed.
Bai Longjia, standing with his hands behind his back, facing the hall, said, “Since the enemy has set the stage, it would be unwise to not respond. I shall go, to see if the demons are as fearsome as rumored!”
“No!”
“Please don’t!”
“Think again, General Bai!”
The three warlords, alarmed, tried to dissuade him. Bai Longjia’s importance was immense; if he died, it would implicate them. At best, they would be accused of incompetence, and at worst, their families would suffer.
“You can go to your death, but don’t drag us down!” Their thoughts were aligned.
Demon warlords were not ordinary; they were known as the Children of Darkness, far more powerful than their peers. Bai Longjia could likely defeat any two of the present generals.
Seeing their fear, Bai Longjia snorted, “A mere demon scares you? He wants to fish, but I’ll see if I end up on the hook or pull him down!”
“But it’s a clear trap, rushing in is foolish!” Luo Jianyi, seeing Bai Longjia move, hurried to stop him.
Bai Longjia exhaled heavily, “You’ve been in the Eternal Night too long, forgetting the Empire’s history. Blood Feasts have always been traps, but the Empire always responds, no matter the cost. Are you suggesting our great generals were fools, unable to see through such simple traps?”
“The words of Emperor Xingzu, ‘Those who harm the people of the Qin Empire, no matter how far, will be punished!’ This is the true meaning of our iron-willed response!”
His words were like thunder, shaking the three. But these seasoned officials, though nodding in agreement, didn’t move, exchanging glances, hoping to stop Bai Longjia.
Just then, a voice, calm and unannounced, echoed, “Well said!”
It was as if whispered directly into their ears, yet no one else was nearby!
The three warlords turned, startled, searching. Even Bai Longjia’s face changed, recognizing the voice all too well, a voice that made him tremble.
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