Qianye hadn’t replied when Yin Qiqi loosened her grip on his collar and placed a hand on his chest. She gazed up at Qianye’s face, saying, “You look just like before, not the slightest change.”

“I… I guess I age slower because I’m half a vampire.”

“I see, you’re truly a bad companion to have. Look, I’m starting to grow old.”

“No way, you look just as good.”

“Really?” Yin Qiqi’s expression cleared up into a beautiful smile.

Qianye secretly praised Song Zining’s methods for their effectiveness. A single word had turned gloom to sunshine. Seeing that Qiqi was no longer depressed, Qianye calmly removed her hand.

The glow in Yin Qiqi’s eyes dimmed down. She then asked casually, “Do you have a family now?”

Qianye was startled, not expecting to encounter such a question. “Since long ago.”

“Still Nighteye?”

“Yes.”

“Wasn’t she missing?” It was clear that Yin Qiqi wasn’t privy to certain secrets.

“She’s just at a faraway place right now.”

She was smart enough to guess the truth. “She has returned to Evernight?”

Qianye didn’t want to lie to an old friend, so he replied with a nod. Yin Qiqi, however, wasn’t about to let it be.

“Then why don’t you follow her? You’re a vampire, too. I know, you guys actually broke up, right?”

Qianye said with a smile, “You can say that.”

Yin Qiqi’s eyes lit up. “What will you do in the future?”

“Isn’t my current life pretty good? She’ll come looking for me after some time.”

“You need someone to take care of you, you shouldn’t keep that position empty all the time.”

Qianye looked straight into her eyes, saying, “What exactly are you trying to say?”

She suddenly started to panic. “N-Nothing. I’ve finished speaking.”

Qianye saw her out with a nod, allowing the other aristocratic family members to enter. Unlike the Yin and Kong family, they knew their position very well and quickly drowned him in enthusiasm.

“Sire Qianye’s leadership skills are unrivaled!”

“Please bring us along when you pioneer the new world. We’re willing to do menial tasks!”

“Sire, please allow me to kneel…”

…

The mad overflow caused Qianye’s head to spin. It took a good while for the toadying to die down and the main topic to arrive.

Without further ado, the families began adding to their “sincerity.” This time, they weren’t just contributing money and soldiers, but also men and women. The men were fine—they were talents in various fields who could take on important technical roles, even if they couldn’t join the battlefield. The fight to give him women, however, was simply too fierce. These aristocratic families almost broke into a fight regarding the selection of Qianye’s personal maid.

Even though few people understood the actual situation between Qianye and Nighteye, the aristocracy knew very well about how Qianye had clashed with the military at Indomitable. Observing his recent movements, most of them had come to the conclusion that his first wife position was impossible, but those unnamed concubines and maid positions became a popular topic. Everyone knew that intimacy with an influential person could only bring benefits. Even if he didn’t grow fond of the girl over the years, perhaps some mistakes might happen while intoxicated.

Qianye accepted all of the men but rejected the women.

The crowd naturally tried to persuade him with countless reasons, one of which everyone agreed on. How could a genius like him not leave more descendants? It would be best for him to propagate as much as possible and have an army of children.

Qianye felt distressed by the arguments, but he had no choice but to smile wryly and refuse. His expression was growing dark toward the end.

Seeing that they were overreaching themselves, the crowd could only give up in the end. Fortunately, Qianye not only promised them a share in the new world expedition but also assigned them a different mission.

Everyone’s eyes lit up at the mention of this mission, feeling that it was time for them to show their devotion. They began asking what this matter was?

After thinking for a moment, Qianye brought out the map and pointed at the borders of the Jade Sea. “There’s a different werewolf power there, the Storm Duke’s territory. I heard there have been some minor conflicts near the border, with the Storm Duke’s werewolves repeatedly harassing my territory. I don’t have the energy to spare for them, so I’ll leave that battlefield to everyone here. How does that sound?”

The crowd broke into a commotion.

“The Empire has stood for a thousand years, all of our families fought our way up the ladder.”

“Exactly, just leave small things like fighting to us!”

“Who cares about a storm or whatnot, we’ll beat them until they turn into a tornado!”

“Bro, isn’t a tornado a bit too big…”

At least someone was clear-headed amidst the ruckus. “Sire, how do we respond if the Storm Duke arrives?”

This was the most important part. To the aristocracy of the Great Qin, an empire founded on war, ordinary battles were no problem at all. The average fighting power of those on the Fort Continent was much lower than the core clans of the Evernight Council. The only obstruction here was divine champion opponents. Some aristocratic families might have their secret arts to deal with divine champions, but the price involved was too high to use on a lower continent like this.

Qianye drew a line on the map, saying, “There should be no problem as long as you don’t cross this line. You only need to stall for three months, I will deal with him if he really does attack after that time.”

Having calmed down, the crowd filed out of the room to discuss military affairs between themselves. These mid and low-ranking aristocratic families added together would make up a formidable, well-supplied fighting force. The only thing they were lacking was a peak expert to stabilize morale. Since Qianye had promised to fight the Storm Duke, there was no longer a problem.

According to convention, these families would get half of the land they conquered. As such, it was only natural that they would rack their brains to make sure they performed well.

Only Qianye remained in the parlor, recounting the day’s harvest in a daze.

At first, he had thought the many werewolves under his command would be the greatest obstacle. Who would’ve thought the Yin, Kong, and other minor families would readily accept this truth after the initial shock? They didn’t even mention this topic again. It was as though Qianye’s million subjects were humans and not werewolves.

Kong Yu even wanted Qianye to send troops to the Transcendent Continent.

Qianye’s main reason for refusing him was the potential backlash from sending such a large number of werewolves into the Empire. The Empire had always held a harsh stance against the dark races. It was surprising how easily they were able to cast aside the conflict during troubled times. It truly made one wonder whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

On the other hand, Qianye had no choice but to remain guarded against the Empire. Even though he had only encountered good intentions as of late, the internal affairs of the nation was never a solid plate of steel.

Regardless, Qianye had no intention of letting his werewolf army set foot in the Empire. He would only use this force on Fort Continent and the new world.

Having come to a conclusion with his plan, Qianye summoned all of his generals to arrange matters related to the training of new troops. He could now equip at least a hundred thousand additional werewolves with the help of the Yin and Kong families. The resources provided by the other smaller families could be used to develop infrastructure in the new world.

The forward base at the third forest was at a fair distance from the door, so Qianye decided to build a large supply and transit base there. He would then use that fortress as the foundation to explore and subdue other forests, gradually pushing forward.

…

Inside the new world, Zhao Jundu lowered the binoculars he was holding and tossed them to his aide. “It’s blurry again. This thing isn’t good, tell those elders from the academy to come up with something better.”

Behind him was a bustling construction yard, where a defensive fortress was growing at a visible speed. Tens of thousands of soldiers were working with all their might, expending great stamina in the process.

“When will the kinetic tower arrive?” Zhao Jundu asked.

“The second tower has been shipped into the new world and is on the way. Three more are being moved out right now, and they’ll arrive at the door the day after tomorrow at the latest.”

Zhao Jundu frowned. “Only five kinetic towers? That’s only enough for the next round of expansion. Is there no more?”

“Additional kinetic towers will need to draw on army reserves, we need approval from the military.”

“Approval?” Zhao Jundu sneered. “We’re already at this point, yet those old fogeys still cling to power. Whatever, let them take their time approving if they want. Order the fleet heading to Transcendent to turn back.”

“Sire, this…”

“Execute the order!”

“Yes, Sire.”

Zhao Jundu glanced at the time, saying, “How come Zining hasn’t returned? Any news of him?”

“No, I’ve already sent people to search for his squad.”

It was at this time that a messenger ran over. “Sire Zining reports that he has found another forest and is already attacking it!”

Zhao Jundu was surprised. “Already fighting? Is he in such a rush?”

He glanced at the officers around him and said after some thought, “Don’t stop. Hasten the construction and send reinforcements after we’re done here.”

One of the officers was a bit concerned. “Sire, every forest holds a beast lair. Sire Zining’s forces are fairly small, I don’t think he’ll be able to hold out on his own.”

Zhao Jundu shook his head. “He went ahead with the attack because he didn’t want me to interfere. Since that’s the case, I’ll have to see if that future strategist god of the Empire can catch up to Lin Xitang.”

The officers glanced at one another in silence, then headed out to rush the construction progress.

Zhao Jundu went up to higher ground and gazed into the distance.

One of his trusted aides asked, “Sire, what are you worried about?”

Zhao Jundu pointed in a certain direction. “I have a feeling that we’re going to run into the dark races in that direction.”

The aide wasn’t afraid, though. “Then we can take this opportunity to give them a good beating. Our Zhao clan has never been afraid of anyone!”

Zhao Jundu shook his head. “This fight won’t be easy.”

The aide was surprised. “You weren’t like this before.”

Zhao Jundu said, “Things are no longer the same. Most battles before could be settled on our own, but we cannot afford to lose this time. If I lose here, the Empire will never be able to make a comeback in the new world.”

The aide came to understand the gravity of the situation. His expression became more serious as he said, “What do we do then?”

“We fight the way we should, what’s so hard?”

Zhao Jundu hadn’t finished speaking when a certain aura shot into the clouds. Despite the distance, one could clearly see the pillar of energy connecting the earth and sky. Even more mysterious were the myriad images shifting within the pillar.

The soldiers of the Empire were dazed as they had never witnessed such a spectacle before.

Zhao Jundu was stunned, but soon, a smile appeared over his lips. “Good! That damn Song Seven actually dares breakthrough in battle! I’ve underestimated you!”

The people nearby were shocked after hearing this. “Could it be that Sire Zining…”

“Zining has passed the divine threshold. Our Great Qin Empire has another divine champion!”