Chapter 641: Picturesque Vista
[V6C171 – Sorrow of a Silent Parting]
With the leader dead, the remaining warriors became less of a match. The first-rank viscount fleeing Song Zining’s domain didn’t mean that the others could extricate themselves as easily. In the short moment that they were thrashing about like headless flies, Qianye had already charged into Song Zining’s domain. He brandished his blade like the wind and cleaved vampire and werewolf alike with a single slash each. In the blink of an eye, he had killed off all the viscounts Wei Potian had been holding off.
“Qianye, you…” Song Zining was just about to speak with a stunned expression when Wei Potian cut him short, “Stop blabbering and start saving people.”
The battle was still ongoing both within the domain and outside.
Many of the lower-ranked dark race warriors couldn’t see the situation inside the domain and were still surrounding and attacking the humans. Song Zining immediately expanded his domain and isolated the battlefield. Following which, Qianye and Wei Potian killed off all the remaining enemies, not leaving a single one behind. But their kills added together couldn’t catch up to Song Zining. His Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art Domain was extremely effective at killing cannon fodder. Those flying leaves were akin to butcher’s knives, capable of drawing life with a mere brush.
The subordinates naturally took over after the general situation was settled. Only then did Qianye find the time to ask, “How come you two are here?”
Song Zining glared at him angrily and said, “What? Are you the only one allowed to come?”
Wei Potian glared furiously at him and said, “Damn his grandma! If not for this damned strategist’s lies, why would this daddy run over here to suffer?”
Qianye was startled. It would seem that these two fellows were still at odds, but Song Zining wasn’t too happy with him, either, and he had no idea why. Qianye wasn’t too reserved in front of these two brothers. “What I meant is, why are you two together? And, Zining, what did I do to offend you?”
Wei Potian spat loudly and stomped the ground. “Qianye, don’t pay him any attention. This fellow is just jealous! He couldn’t kill that viscount after fighting for half a day, but you lopped off his head immediately. It’d be odd if this narrow-minded bastard doesn’t feel depressed! Working with him is the last thing I’d do if he hadn’t tricked me.”
Wei Potian was clearly furious. He would’ve attacked immediately if it were any other day, but he only glared at Song Zining for now. The Wei Potian of today already possessed the calm bearing of a great general and was no longer the impatient brat from before.
Qianye was still unclear why these two were together, but he soon figured it out after asking a couple more questions.
It turned out that Song Zining had called upon Wei Potian on the very day the Zhang clan’s defeat was announced. After an extravagantly embellished analysis of the situation, he pointed out that the Zhang clan’s successful retreat to the Zhao clan warzone was extremely important for the war as a whole and stated that he just had to take part in this crucial point in the war. It was just that, despite the spirit, he was too weak to carry it out. He was willing to let go of all past enmity at this important juncture and work together with Wei Potian to snipe down the dark race pursuers, hence protecting the Zhang clan’s retreating army.
Wei Potian had led troops for many years and immediately realized that Song Zining’s words made sense. Although he wasn’t that happy with the latter, he had to admit that this little pimp was great at strategy and that the two of them would complement each other’s weaknesses in battle. As such, he finally agreed.
Wei Potian always acted with great decisiveness. He immediately transferred two hundred elites and drove a high-speed airship right into the middle of the battlefield. They came at just the right time and ran straight into the pursuit parties. They had started fighting immediately upon landing and had gone through several battles in a row.
From Wei Potian’s badly damaged armor, the wounds of all sizes all over his body, and the group of less than a hundred Wei clan warriors, Qianye could tell just now fierce the battles had been. Over half of the Wei clan’s soldiers had died in less than a day. No wonder Wei Potian’s mood was so sour.
Wei Potian seemed to have guessed Qianye’s thoughts. He snorted coldly and said, “People die in battle. I came here fully aware that I might not ever return, and my brothers aren’t afraid of dying, either. But if this fellow had explained things clearly and given me half a day’s time to prepare, far fewer of my men would’ve died. Just ask him what the hell is wrong with his accursed domain!”
Song Zining was mumbling beside them, “Speed is a crucial asset in war, how can we wait for half a day?” But after hearing the words “domain”, he immediately looked away with an awkward expression. Then, he began waving his fan as though he were enjoying the scenery.
Qianye immediately realized that something was wrong. “Zining, what’s wrong with your domain?”
Qianye hadn’t discovered anything wrong with Song Zining’s domain. He only felt that it had become increasingly lifelike, and it was even capable of insulating perception. He simply couldn’t understand why Wei Potian was so angry because the domain was almost miraculous.
Wei Potian snorted, “Ask that gigolo!”
At this point, Song Zining could no longer pretend to be gazing at the scenery. He let out a dry cough and said nonchalantly, “It’s nothing big. It’s just that, umm, I needed a decorative mountain in my domain so I had him fill in temporarily. Afterward, I complained a bit because that rock looks so worn-out.”
Wei Potian turned back in abrupt fury. “What the hell do you expect? This daddy won’t bicker with you on the battlefield, but your accursed domain didn’t even do a fart’s worth of damage back then. How many of my brothers died because of you?!”
Qianye was surprised at this point. Song Zining’s Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art Domain was mysterious, unfathomable, and filled with myriad transformations. Every leaf in the domain was known to be able to kill—how could it be so weak? Solely in terms of domains, the Song seventh young master was at the peak of the empire’s younger generation; it wasn’t that much weaker than Zhao Jundu’s Omniscient Seal.
Song Zining said in an embarrassed manner, “This… is a long story.”
He pulled Qianye over to the side and explained in a whisper. Only then did Qianye realize that Song Zining’s ambitions were too great, planning to forge an illusory world of myriad visual phenomena. If he had succeeded in this path, a boundless, vivid realm would appear around him at a single thought, and further advancement would allow for these illusions to become reality. At that point, the domain would be filled with mysterious principles—drowning enemies with a glass of water or setting them ablaze—he would be able to transform heaven and earth with a single thought. It was a near heaven-defying method.
It was just that this path was too difficult. Qianye could imagine that there was no way to produce such a level of domain without reaching the heavenly monarch level. Even at that level, the chances weren’t that great. Succeeding in such a domain was probably even harder than becoming a heavenly monarch.
As expected of someone who had claimed to be an “observer of the great dao and the future” since back at the Yellow Springs, his ambitions were at the very end of the road, way beyond a heavenly monarch. This kind of aspiration made Qianye, who had to calculate every bit of essence blood and origin power, feel ashamed.
At this point, Wei Potian, who was eavesdropping from the side, could no longer hold back. “Dog shit illusory world and myriad changes! All of this is just a backdrop to impress girls and set up his grandeur. This gigolo only has women in his eyes, how can there be any bullshit great dao and mysterious principles!”
Qianye was startled as Song Zining stamped his feet and said, “Ahhh! Brother Wei, you and I can be considered comrades who have fought side by side. Is there a need to bare everything?”
“What nerve! If you hadn’t been doing all those weird things, your domain wouldn’t have been this weak and fewer of my brothers would’ve died!”
Qianye finally realized what was going on as the quarrel continued. Song Zining’s cultivation had soared rapidly in the recent period, reaching rank-twelve and obtaining a new level of comprehension in his Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art. However, the seventh young master didn’t choose to increase the destructive potential of his domain and instead chose to derive the true world. As Wei Potian saw it, this kind of fancy illusory effect was entirely useless.
During the half a day of battles, it was indeed true that Song Zining could trap the enemy easily but had no power to kill them. For instance, he had trapped the strongest enemy—the first-rank viscount—during this battle but was powerless to do anything more. All the actual killing was left to Wei Potian’s subordinates. Wei Potian, on the other hand, felt that Song Zining should’ve been able to defeat a first-rank viscount immediately. Yet, they were in a prolonged deadlock after the deployment of their individual domains. If Qianye hadn’t arrived when he did, Wei Potian would probably have succumbed under the beleaguerment. At that point, Song Zining’s fate wouldn’t be any better.
After figuring things out, Qianye still couldn’t tell who was right or wrong. He could only pat Wei Potian’s shoulder and say, “Let it be, Zining has also tried his best. Besides, his domain can interfere with enemy perception and will probably prove useful in the future. We’re still on the battlefield right now, let’s continue this discussion after the war.”
Wei Potian had nothing left to say after Qianye consoled him so. All he did was glare hard at Song Zining.
Seeing that the current storm had passed by, Song Zining came over and sized Qianye up from head to toe, from left to right.
Qianye was suspicious after being looked all over. “What are you doing?”
Song Zining flapped his fan a couple of times. “Qianye, if I didn’t see wrong, you just knocked that viscount back, right?
“Yes, what’s the matter?”
Song Zining retrieved his fan. “What’s the matter? What’s the matter?!?! That’s a first-rank viscount we’re talking about! And you just sent him flying?”
Vampires boasted a much stronger constitution than humans of the same level. Be it in strength or speed, they were far above the human race. However, Qianye’s blood energy had also reached the level of a first-rank viscount. Moreover, it was according to ancient standards. How could an ordinary first-rank viscount be his match? Hence, a direct collision had sent the opponent flying immediately.
That vampire viscount had never imagined he would fail to bump Qianye away. In the end, he was caught unprepared and beheaded.
Song Zining knew Qianye was a vampire, but his constitution which came from the purple blood energy was a deeper secret. Qianye made no further explanation and only said, “Isn’t it normal to send him flying?”
“How can that be normal?” It was Wei Potian who joined the conversation. He had also clashed with this viscount before but was almost sent flying instead. Naturally, he knew how powerful this opponent was. Comparatively, Qianye’s strength was simply inhuman.
The latter felt somewhat troubled and was just about to find an excuse when he heard a sharp whistle above him. He looked up only to find a small airship rush out of the clouds and drop unsteadily toward the ground.
Song Zining’s eyes were sharp. He observed the airship model and cried out, “Not good! That’s a Zhao clan airship!”