Chapter 706

Chapter 706: Fierce and Bloody Battle

“Lord, please calm down.”

Although Li Yincheng had sensed something unusual about this woman when he first met her, he was also startled by the sudden surge of dragon might. His heart skipped a beat, but his long experience on the border fighting demons and monsters helped him quickly adapt.

“You mentioned the Condensed Purple Night Illumination Palace. I have heard of it; it’s one of the top sects on Murmuring Hills in the Sunset Region,” he asked carefully.

“Yes,” the woman replied after her initial anger subsided, quickly regaining her composure.

“If those people are involved, I did indeed see them a few years ago,” Li Yincheng recalled his early days with the night patrol team.

During their patrols, they often encountered a few people carrying lanterns. They wore purple and white robes, wielded long swords, and adorned themselves with crowns and jade rings, exuding great elegance.

But as he rose through the ranks of the night patrol team, these people gradually disappeared, and no one talked much about them anymore. Even he eventually forgot about their existence.

Listening to Li Yincheng recount his past, the woman furrowed her brows, her voice filled with confusion.

“These disciples of the Condensed Purple Night Illumination Palace have vanished? How is that possible? Although their ranking isn’t high, they are still one of the top sects. With hundreds of individuals at fifth rank or above, and numerous affiliated factions under their control, their influence spans several regions. How could they vanish without a trace?”

“I don’t know,” Li Yincheng shook his head. He was just a captain of the night patrol team, not someone significant with extensive knowledge.

“Perhaps we should ask the local military commanders. They might know some insider information.”

“Let’s forget it. Going back would delay us further. We should go straight to the shrine. Regardless, it’s the hub of the dragon veins in the Sunset Range, and we will surely find some clues there,” the woman said, urging Li Yincheng to lead the way.

“This esteemed lord,” Li Yincheng thought to himself, adding silently what he didn’t say aloud.

This lady is likely a special envoy sent by the Luo Capital, or at least has some royal bloodline. The dragon might she displayed couldn’t belong to an ordinary person.

As a dragon-revering nation, the royal family and noble clans of the House of Plantagenet specialize in the Dragon Sequence (one of the ability hierarchies). Many of them intermarry, sharing similar bloodlines and possessing unique talents and abilities.

After his inner reflection, Li Yincheng felt that this journey would be filled with significant events. Despite his worries, he felt a surge of excitement. He had always been discontent with the routine of border military life, and now he saw an opportunity to break free and realize his ambitions, which filled him with joy.

“Miss, stay close. I’m going to speed up.” With that, Li Yincheng nudged his horse, increasing its pace as they galloped toward the sunset.

—

In the Sunset Range.

Lolan Hill, wearing a ghoul mask, led a group of black-clad figures through the mountainous terrain. When they encountered deep ravines, they leaped and glided through the air like black birds with spread wings.

Though they hadn’t arrived yet, distant sounds already echoed.

A group of Chui Clan members, dressed in rough hemp black clothes, pushed carts and carried various items, struggling up the mountain path. Some were out of breath, some leaned on walking sticks, and some comforted children crying along the way.

At the rear of the group, twenty or so howling beasts pursued them. These creatures resembled vicious dogs but were entirely black, with sharp bone spines lining their backs, looking quite terrifying.

**Bang—**

A giant hammer swept across, smashing the skull of a black dog, splattering blood onto the dry, dark soil, staining it a deep black-red.

Facing these beasts chasing the migrating group, a fat man wielding two hammers held the rear. Standing three meters tall, his pale skin tinged with green, and his body painted with ghostly patterns, he looked quite imposing.

“You fiends, get lost!” After swinging his hammers and scattering several black dogs, he panted heavily, shouting hoarsely, his face showing concern and anxiety.

But these undead sequence dogs couldn’t understand human speech. Emerging from pitch-black crevices, they sought out living beings. To them, the souls of intelligent beings were delectable treats, enhancing their own intelligence and making advancement easier. They wouldn’t abandon their meal just because of this fat man’s obstruction.

**Hiss—**

Several black dogs pawed the ground uneasily, exhaling cold, black smoke, surrounding the fat man and waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Despite having Sequence 4 power, the fat man, alone, found it difficult to deal with the dozen or so Sequence 3 undead dogs. Whenever he advanced, several dogs attacked him from behind, forcing him to turn and defend. This made the situation quite dangerous. If not handled properly, he might die here.

Just as he turned again and knocked away two black dogs, five more charged from the side, two biting his shoulders, one his arm, and two more on his stomach and thigh.

Piercing pain surged through him, and he roared in anger, smashing one black dog into pulp with his hand. He tried to dislodge the others, but other black dogs took advantage, biting his calves, thighs, and waist, soon covering him in black fur.

Torn flesh, menacing fangs, bloodshot eyes—despite his desperate struggle, he felt warmth leaving him, a bone-chilling cold slowly engulfing his heart, as if he were falling into an ice pit.

Am I dying?

The world in his eyes was a sea of blood and pain, driving him to frantic struggles and screams, but unable to change the approaching end.

**Ah, ah, ah—**

He angrily grabbed one of the dogs, tearing its jaw apart, then thrust his thumb into another dog’s eye socket, pulling out an eyeball and flesh.

Now, he only wanted to take down as many black dogs as possible before his death. This way, even if he perished here, his fellow countrymen behind him would be safer.

Despite countless injuries and a chilling numbness spreading through his stomach, he fought fiercely against the few remaining dogs, using every means to injure them—tearing jaws, crushing bones, gouging out eyes, and stabbing brains.

Finally—

Cold light flashed, blood sprayed, piercing the heads of the dogs and bringing out red and white matter. Soon after, several blue lights pierced the dark night, finishing off the remaining black dogs.

The noisy mountain path suddenly fell silent, with only the corpses and large patches of black blood telling the tale of the fierce battle.

A teenage girl in a black coat and dress gracefully descended from the sky. Her hair flowed like silver snow, and her face was covered by a wooden mask.

Though this mask was grotesque and terrifying, to the dying fat man, it was the most beautiful face in the world.

Now, I don’t need to worry about my fellow countrymen anymore.

With such thoughts, he sat dazedly on the ground, letting the warmth within him fade away. His body and surroundings were covered in blurred, thick blood. Slowly, he collapsed, the sunset sky with a few stars fading into a blurry haze.

(End of Chapter)