Qianye knew that divulging this information would bring endless trouble. As for the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, it also seemed like something that shouldn’t be publicized. These two ancient scrolls were mysterious and probably of extraordinary origins. It was only left to gather dust in the Song clan’s depository because no one had ever managed to cultivate it throughout the years.
Qianye headed back to his place after cleaning himself up. Most of the construction site was empty at night as the mercenaries had gone back to rest. Normally, Qianye would either grab Song Zining out for a drink or get some food and sit quietly in his room until dawn.
He had just arrived at his residence when he saw a guard from the city lord manor waiting for him at the door. The man stepped forward upon seeing Qianye and said, “Sire, the City Lord invites you to his residence. He has something to discuss!”
This was the first time Ji Rui had invited Qianye since the forming of Dark Flame. Without any preparation, he simply followed the guard back to the city lord’s manor.
Ji Rui was pacing about worriedly inside his study. Seeing Qianye, he said with a wry smile, “There’s trouble.”
“What sort of trouble?”
Ji Rui pa.s.sed Qianye a letter.
This was a secret missive detailing how the Wolf King had reappeared in the totemic castle and was gathering troops to march on Southern Blue.
Qianye narrowed his eyes, knowing that the Wolf King had finally managed to suppress his injuries and was getting ready to get back at him. It was just that Southern Blue was in a special position where Ji Rui had led the major powers to keep each other in check.
“City Lord Ji, are the Spider Emperor and Mask going to watch as the Wolf King devours Southern Blue?” Qianye inquired.
Ji Rui smiled ruefully. “I’m perplexed as well. The other two sides surely know of the Wolf King’s clamorous movements, but neither of them has reacted. There’s no telling what they’re planning in secret. I’ve already dispatched emissaries to them, but we can’t pin our hopes on them. General Qianye, it looks like the Wolf King is intent on winning this battle, so it’s time to use your hidden aces if you have any!”
“I need to discuss this with Song Zining, but City Lord Ji, how far are you prepared to go when the Wolf King comes?” Qianye’s question cut straight to the point. This old fox Ji Rui was a cla.s.sic case of swaying gra.s.s. He might just surrender to the Wolf King depending on how the scales tip.
Ji Rui had never imagined Qianye would be so direct. “Southern Blue is my foundation, built with my sweat and blood. I won’t be satisfied without a fierce fight. However, I’ve also pa.s.sed the hot-blooded age, I’m not about to die with the city. I’ll flee if things don’t look good.”
“Very well, I understand.” Qianye nodded. Ji Rui’s words were honest. He might not be the Wolf King’s match, but he could still run away.
“What of Tidehark?” Qianye inquired. Last time he had gone to raid the city with Ji Tianqing, he had gotten a taste of Luo Bingfeng’s terrifying power. The man’s visual attack was mysterious and unfathomable. Although he was far less powerful than the ent.i.ty in the ocean, that kind of power wasn’t something an ordinary divine champion could grasp. That was why Qianye had asked about it.
Ji Rui replied, “Luo Bingfeng has never left Tidehark since Heavenly Monarch Zhang’s isolated cultivation. He simply ignores everything unless it affects the city directly, so there’s no need to worry about his interference during the Wolf King’s skirmish. Naturally, we won’t receive any help, either.”
Relieved after hearing this, Qianye soon excused himself.
After leaving the manor, Qianye went to discuss this matter with Song Zining and Ji Tianqing.
“We fight!” Ji Tianqing struck while it was hot.
“This battle won’t be easy.” Song Zining looked serious.
Qianye nodded. Dark Flame was just a band of rag tags at the moment, pieced together from many small corps. It couldn’t be compared at all to a mercenary corps like Stormwind Fury.
Meanwhile, the Wolf King’s army was made up of experienced veterans and powerful generals. The Wolf King himself was already a vice-duke.
Qianye asked Ji Tianqing, “How many useful tricks do you have up your sleeve for dealing with a divine champion?”
Unexpectedly, Ji Tianqing replied with a shrug, “Just that command token, we’ve already used it.”
“That command token…” Qianye had long since tossed that piece of sc.r.a.p metal, and there was no telling how effective Zhang Buzhou’s command token would be against the Wolf King.
“Wasn’t it super effective? We might not have escaped with our lives if it wasn’t for it!” Ji Tianqing stoppered Qianye with great confidence.
Song Zining stopped the two with a serious face. “We can still rely on the fortifications in Southern Blue to stave off the army, the problem is the Wolf King.”
Ji Tianqing said, “I can block a couple of moves, but I can’t do much beyond that.”
“We’ll have a better chance if Ji Rui takes action,” Qianye said.
Song Zining shook his head. “It’s already good enough if that old fox doesn’t stab us in the back. In fact, we still have to take precautions against him.”
After some discussion, it was decided that Song Zining would restrain the Wolf King’s movements and Ji Tianqing would launch suppressive attacks. Qianye, on the other hand, would deliver the lethal blow. This was just the general plan. There were a great number of variables involved in fighting an expert of this level, so they would have to adapt to the situation. Fortunately, all three of them were at the top among the younger generation of the empire, so they shouldn’t fare too badly against the Wolf King.
In the days that followed, Southern Blue continued to carry out large scale constructions, but they were building defensive structures this time. The mercenaries all understood that this undertaking was tied to their fate, so everyone put in their best efforts.
Soon, news of the Wolf King’s imminent attack spread within the city, leaving everyone in a state of apprehension. Even though Ji Rui had sealed the city, there was a steady stream of mercenaries and citizens escaping every day. Dark Flame lost several hundred mercenaries as well, reducing their total force by twenty percent.
With the approach of the Wolf King’s vanguard, more and more reports arrived in Southern Blue. This time, the king had mobilized tens of thousands of soldiers and all of the powerful experts from his tribe, prepared to wipe out Southern Blue in retaliation.
The Wolf King’s messengers arrived ahead of the army, ordering Ji Rui to surrender and hand over Qianye’s group. This envoy had suggested this in front of Song Zining and Ji Tianqing in a manner full of arrogance.
Despite the man’s arrogance, Ji Rui only refused and sent him out of the city.
Song Zining watched on with cold eyes, knowing that Ji Rui still wanted to leave a path of retreat. The city lord didn’t want to turn completely hostile, otherwise, he could’ve slaughtered this werewolf and thrown the body out.
Song Zining didn’t say anything at the time and simply left on his own after Ji Rui had sent the messenger out.
The emissary’s party hadn’t left very long when Song Zining led Dark Flame after him, chasing them down until they had reached the vanguard forces.
The Wolf King’s vanguard was just setting up camp at the moment. Things fell into chaos—never once did they think that the mercenaries of Southern Blue would launch a surprise attack on them.
The commander of the vanguard, a werewolf count, was already half-drunk in the main tent and only charged out when Dark Flame had fought their way into the encampment.
The moment he walked out, he ran into Qianye.
With the death of the werewolf count, the vanguard forces were deprived of a commander and the disarray reached an uncontrollable situation. Dark Flame’s casualties increased sharply when the officers formed their own squads to fight back in a messy battle.
The Wolf King’s warriors displayed great power in small-scale battles. Ten of them would hold their ground against several dozen mercenaries, inflicting a steady stream of casualties all the while. They would surely win in one-on-one battles.
Fortunately, Qianye was rampaging through the battlefield with a group of warriors, scattering the werewolves and gradually turning the tides.
Just as they had gained a slight advantage, Song Zining suddenly called back his forces and left the battlefield.
At this point, a viscount had taken over the position of the dead vanguard commander. Finding that their casualties were less than expected, he suddenly became emboldened and gave chase with a group of elites.
Turns out that Song Zining had set up a trap along the way with the Three Thousand Flying Leaves art. Almost all of the Wolf King’s elites charged into the ambush before realizing what was wrong. By that time, however, everything was too late—that first-rank viscount was slaughtered by Qianye, and the remaining elites were also wiped out. Only a handful managed to escape.
Hundreds of kilometers away, the Wolf King’s car was advancing slowly with the main army. The vehicle swayed constantly, but the king’s body remained ramrod straight, seemingly unaffected by the movement.
The great shaman was seated across from the Wolf King, the arm-sized totem in his hands spilling a scarlet light as he muttered incantations. The latter then absorbed the overflowing radiance, which covered him with a scarlet glow.
The Wolf King was resting with his eyes closed when a commotion occurred outside. A blood-drenched werewolf appeared outside the vehicle and cried, “Great Chief, the vanguard has fallen. Windbreaker and Lightningtail have fallen in battle!”
“What!?” The Wolf King’s angry eyes were bloodshot.
Seeing the Wolf King’s eyes, the surrounding werewolves couldn’t help but s.h.i.+ver and edge back involuntarily.
The Wolf King grabbed the soldier delivering the report and roared, “What happened? Speak!”
Hardly able to catch his breath, that soldier struggled to speak. “Windbreaker was in camp when Dark Flame launched a surprise attack. Our forces were defeated badly, and both of the sires fell in battle as well.”
“Useless tras.h.!.+” The Wolf King’s eyes became eerie. “How many people are left of the vanguard?”
“Only ten came back, including me.”
The Wolf King clawed at the soldier’s chest. “Fleeing in battle, what use are you?”
The Wolf King gouged the soldier’s heart out and tossed it onto the ground. Ony ten soldiers were left of a two-thousand-man vanguard, and most importantly, the leaders had all fallen in battle. How could the Wolf King not be angry?
The Wolf King suddenly looked back at the great shaman. “How long!?”
The new shaman’s forehead was drenched in sweat. “About five days, no, three days should be enough.”
“I can’t wait that long,” the Wolf King said coldly. Then, he suddenly picked up the totem from the great shaman’s hands and poured the dark red ancestral power into his body.
The great shaman’s face turned pale, his entire body trembling as he grew weaker and weaker.