Chapter 406: The Rambler Rose Forest [V5C113 – A Distance Within Reach]
Lingering blood energy aggregated around this vampire warrior’s body. Even Qianye dared not underestimate him although he hadn’t yet reached the first-rank viscount level. A viscount of the twelve ancient clans couldn’t be mentioned on the same terms as those on Evernight Continent. The combat strength of an ordinary rank-two viscount from the Monroe clan was likely superior to Count Stuka.
Should he ambush this vampire viscount? Qianye hesitated for a moment. The distance was still within range of the Twin Flowers. As long as he succeeded in the ambush, he was six parts confident that he could annihilate everyone at the scene. However, this viscount alone wasn’t capable of exterminating Li Pei’s squad no matter how much his fighting prowess surpa.s.sed his rank. There must be other Monroe clan experts lurking nearby.
In the end, Qianye decided to retreat quietly. At this moment, he was crawling on the ground like a gecko as he pulled backward.
But he hadn’t gone very far when a vampire warrior in the clearing suddenly sniffed hard and turned toward where Qianye was before. “Enemy!”
Qianye was astonished. This vampire warrior was only rank-five. How did the latter even find him? He had no time to think too much at the moment. He shot up from the ground like a bolt of lightning and charged forward instead of retreating. The twin guns rumbled as he fired a volley at the vampire viscount who was already beginning to move after hearing the warning.
The vampire reacted immediately as expected. The broadsword behind his back appeared in his hand as though by magic and drew out numerous sanguineous circles of light that actually dispersed the origin bullets blasting through the air.
Qianye soared into the air as he shot out from the forest. The Twin Flowers had been returned to their sheath by the time East Peak descended before the vampire viscount.
Half of the viscount’s face was hidden beneath the magnificent armor revealing only a pair of sharp, blood-colored eyes. With a wave of his hand, the werewolves and low-ranking vampire warriors in the clearing pulled back to form a perimeter.
The two at the scene confronted each other for a moment before the vampire viscount said in a deep voice, “Third-rank viscount of the Monroe clan, Durant. Dying under my blade is your honor.”
Qianye spoke not a single word and only raised East Peak.
“Taste my Rambler Rose Forest!”
The broadsword seemed to have lost all weight as it dragged out a garish red radiance which snaked through the air like the gently blooming petals of the rambler rose.
Qianye raised his blade and returned a horizontal blow. The two weapons intersected amidst a loud sound—the immense impact sent both warriors staggering backward. The colliding origin power suffused the area and formed a brief, miniature tempest which caught the nearby dark race warriors off-guard. Many were sent flying and two among them even starting coughing up blood, badly injured by the impact. Only at this point did they realize the ferocity of this battle and widened the perimeter somewhat.
Qianye took a couple of steps back before he managed to stabilize himself, his hands feeling somewhat numb. Durant took two more steps backward compared to Qianye and the hands on his blade were completely pale. He had come out somewhat short when they had crossed swords earlier.
“Human, state your name. I admit that you have the qualifications to make me remember you.”
“I make it a habit not to tell dead people my name,” Qianye replied.
“I’ll know once you die under my blade!”
Qianye’s eyes suddenly fell upon Durant’s hand, where a fine trickle of fresh blood was flowing out from his sleeves. Regardless of whether the injuries came from the Twin Flowers, the sword strike just now, or even his earlier battle with Li Pei’s squad, a small injury like this was enough to change the situation in an evenly matched battle.
Qianye’s sword stance s.h.i.+fted. His killing intent was retracted, and he became as steady as Mount Tai.
Although Durant’s expression was hidden beneath the armor, the gleam in his eyes immediately became concentrated. He charged toward Qianye with large strides and hacked down on Qianye’s head with the broadsword. The split second that his sword stance was established formed an illusion of rambler roses bursting into bloom by the thousands.
However, East Peak struck upward with a simple flick and pierced right through the thicket of rambler roses to block the broadsword. A small origin power explosion emerged where the two swords crossed one another, shattering all the phantom roses. This sword strike accompanied by myriad phenomena was fended off just like that.
Durant roared furiously as he performed a rotating step. The broadsword spun around and swung toward Qianye’s waist. At the same time, hundreds of rambler roses shot out and blasted toward him. The roses were formed of transformed blood energy and would inflict true damage once struck. Even though the damage caused by each flower was limited, being struck by hundreds of them at the same time was more or less equal to being blasted by an origin cannon.
The Rambler Fireflow was one of Monroe clan’s sword techniques. Countless human experts had fallen under this move throughout the centuries.
Qianye pressed down with East Peak, shooting out origin power in all directions and blowing away the flying roses. Meanwhile, East Peak’s sharp edge slapped accurately on the incoming broadsword, causing it to dip down and nearly plant itself into the ground.
Durant was greatly astonished and couldn’t help but take several steps back, drawing a deep gulch on the ground. There was deep apprehension within his gaze, and the hands with which he held his blade trembled ever so slightly.
That una.s.suming sword was heavy beyond expectation, and that human was also exceptionally strong. His sword stances were simple and plain, but he was able to pierce through the rambler forest’s blade intent every time and block his sword technique. “Just who are you? Are you from the Great Qin’s four major clans?” Durant inquired.
Qianye was in no mood to speak and simply strode forth with his sword raised. This vampire viscount was fairly young and would surely become a big threat to the humans once he had matured. It was best to kill off such enemies before they had risen to power—there was no room for mercy.
Durant’s eyes turned cold. “It’s fine even if you don’t say it. As long as you operate in this region, my master will catch you sooner or later. At that time, death is your only option!”
Qianye’s heart was shaken as he recalled the expert who had killed Li Pei and his uncle.
Durant’s expression was proud as he continued, “My master is from an ancient clan, the most renowned genius in the world of Evernight! You won’t last a single move before my master.”
Qianye’s eyes narrowed. “All the more reason for me to kill you.”
East Peak whistled as it slashed down at the man’s head.
With a furious shout, Durant drew some runes in the air with his left hand, whereupon lingering blood energy emerged around him, accompanied by a progressive growth in momentum. The viscount blocked East Peak with a swing of his sword.
Qianye’s hands went numb as East Peak shot upward uncontrollably. The power behind Durant’s defensive strike had actually grown by 30% all of a sudden. This made it difficult for Qianye to suppress the opponent with pure strength.
Qianye sensed his surrounding s.h.i.+ft during that brief moment of bewilderment—there was faint blood energy everywhere, and countless rambler roses had broken through the ground to sprout, bud, and burst into bloom. In the blink of an eye, he found himself standing in a sea of rambler roses.
Qianye frowned and took a step back, stepping on a number of plants that had reached his feet. However, the gently swaying sprigs scratched his calf. The petals were unexpectedly as sharp as blades and managed to cut through Qiane’s trousers and combat boots, leaving numerous fine wounds.
“A domain?” Qianye’s brows were locked together, and he no longer moved. These unremarkable flower petals were able to cut his skin despite the toughness of his physique. It was obvious that everything within this domain was a materialization of the other party’s origin power.
“Die within the sea of rambler roses! A top-grade domain like this is surely worthy of your ident.i.ty.” Durant walked toward Qianye with his blade raised. The flowers would part and make way for him wherever his steps fell.
Qianye evaded the incoming blade edge with a sidestep, sustaining a number of new injuries on his legs. Additionally, a slight tingling sensation was felt from the cuts—it would seem that the rambler roses formed of blood energy were poisonous. Qianye frowned ever so slightly upon realizing that Durant’s domain not only strengthened himself but also restricted the opponent’s movements. It was truly th.o.r.n.y in every sense of the word.
Durant took two more steps before coming to a sudden halt and gazing at Qianye in bewilderment. The East Peak in Qianye’s hand was pointed toward the ground, and its sharp edge was shrouded in black mist—this aura actually made Durant’s heart beat wildly. He instinctively wanted to escape.
While Durant was hesitating, East Peak swung upward in a diagonal swing!
Nirvanic Rend!
In that instant, the central region of the rambler rose sea was shattered as a faint sword intent immediately arrived before Durant. The latter once again displayed his powerful capabilities at this moment of danger. Countless rambler roses flew up and a.s.sembled over his body, forming a s.h.i.+eld which protected him within.
But the rosy armor was shattered in a single strike. The sword intent fell upon Durant’s body after a mere moment and proceeded to cut open his protective blood energy and heavy armor. Finally, it left a deep cut on his body before dispersing.
The domain was shattered with a boom, and the sea of rambler roses vanished without a trace. Durant staggered backward and only managed to remain standing by planting his broadsword into the ground. His entire body was trembling as he glanced down at the wound on his chest. His chest would’ve been split open if only that sword strike had been slightly more powerful or if his armor were slightly inferior.
Qianye’s face immediately turned bloodless and pale after swinging out that Nirvanic Rend. The technique was incredibly powerful, but its consumption was also significant. Even at this point, he would reach exhaustion after three strikes.
Qianye regained his breath in the blink of an eye and was just about to release a second strike when a sudden premonition arose in his heart. He turned his head slightly and, through the corner of his eyes, saw a flash of light in the distance. It was actually an origin bullet tearing through the air!
The ambusher was clearly an expert sniper seeing as how this shot came without any warning at all. Qianye no longer had the time to evade. He forcefully twisted his body and faced the sniper round with his chest. At the same time, a vampire sniper rifle appeared in his hand with which he blasted toward the gunman’s location.
Qianye fell to the ground as though he had been struck by lightning but soon clambered up nonchalantly. This immediately stunned the dark race warriors nearby who had been eying him with dangerous gazes. How was this person completely fine after taking a sniper round to the chest? Such a situation could only appear on major characters at or above the level of a count.
Qianye’s scanned everyone at the scene with a gaze as cold as ice. After seeing that no one was approaching, he let out a snort and walked into the forest.
After running through the forest for a short while, Qianye’s body swayed abruptly and almost fell to the ground. He held onto a large tree to prevent himself from collapsing, but he could no longer endure the pressure in his chest as he coughed out a large mouthful of fresh blood.
He could no longer care about his extreme exhaustion as he fled rapidly into the distance.
Meanwhile, Durant suddenly came to and shouted loudly, “He’s injured. Give chase!”
The group of vampire warriors, as though woken up from their reverie, began charging into the forest amidst rallying cries.
Just as Durant was about to chase after Qianye, a cold voice rang out beside his ears, “A group of tras.h.!.+”
Durant trembled all over as he glanced back at the tall and graceful figure. He bowed hastily and greeted, “Master! You’ve come.”
Twilight walked out from the forest and arrived where Qianye was shot. She bent down to pick something up and raised it to her eyes with an interested gaze.
Durant arrived beside Twilight. “Master, we’ll chase him down now. I shan’t return without seeing his corpse!”
“The chances are slim at best, and you’re not his match either,” Twilight said indifferently.
Durant’s expression appeared unresigned, but he didn’t dare retort. He could only clench his teeth and say, “Yes, master!”
But in the end, he couldn’t resist asking, “Master, why didn’t you seize that brat since you’ve arrived? It’s impossible for him to resist you.”
“I wasn’t the one who shot him.” Twilight tossed the item in her hand and caught it once more.