Carol’s desired territory, though not large, held the same essence. Whether taken from the Evernight or the Empire, to gain recognition, one must conquer through battle. The small nations around the Empire, at the very least, needed a mid-rank Divine General to stand guard. Those acting more independently and paying scant attention to the Empire all had high-rank Divine Generals. If a nation’s Divine General fell, that small country would often vanish without a trace.
The covenant was set; the next step was to find the so-called Hall of Heroes.
The peak was not vast, only a central ridge with the rest being flat terrain. If the Hall of Heroes existed, it should be within this ridge.
Qian Ye and Carol exchanged glances, then flew towards the ridge. However, after searching the entire area, they found only soil and rocks. The massive stone columns, resembling bony spines, stood out prominently, but they were also covered in rock and earth.
But according to the words of the King of the North, the remains of the Earth Dragon should be here. Qian Ye thought for a moment, then lifted his sword, East Peak, and stabbed the peak. The sword pierced through the rock as if it were rotten earth, sending fragments flying. But the blade only penetrated less than half a meter before hitting something, emitting a metallic clang, unable to cut any further.
Qian Ye’s heart filled with joy. He swung East Peak, sweeping away the surface soil and rocks, revealing a silvery layer beneath. He tried cutting a few more times, exerting his full strength, leaving only a white mark on the silvery base. This material was neither metal nor wood, and he did not know what it was. Carol, however, had more experience in such matters. She tapped it and said, “It should be the remains of a Void Beast. This pillar is one of its vertebrae.”
Looking at the pillar, which resembled a mountain, Qian Ye was speechless. If the Earth Dragon were alive, its body would be over a thousand meters long. But compared to the chaos of the Void Beasts, the Earth Dragon was just a small creature.
Confirming that the remains were indeed here, Qian Ye thrust East Peak into the ground again. Origin power burst forth, sending soil and rocks flying like a dozen origin grenades exploding simultaneously. In an instant, a large pit, ten meters in diameter and several meters deep, appeared. But the bottom was still soil and rocks, no bones in sight.
Qian Ye rose, looking at the hundreds-of-meters-high ridge, and shook his head, knowing this path was blocked. There was too much soil and rock; it would take thousands of laborers a century to clear. Qian Ye’s small pit was nothing.
He turned his gaze to the stone hall, feeling that if there were any clues, they should be inside.
Carol also deemed clearing the soil and rocks impractical, so she and Qian Ye returned to the stone hall. Inside, the furnishings were simple: a stone platform and four ever-burning braziers. Carol, who had not figured it out earlier, squatted down to study one of the braziers. Qian Ye stood by another, scrutinizing it for a long time without discerning anything.
The brazier, about a meter high, was made of stone, with a mottled surface and some chipped and flaking parts. Even within the shelter of the stone hall, it could not avoid the erosion of void origin power. But the patterns on its surface did not resemble an origin array.
Qian Ye’s pupils glowed blue, activating his true vision. This time, he saw faint threads of void origin power continuously converging on the brazier, fueling the flame. The brazier indeed held a secret. Qian Ye flicked his finger, and the outer stone shell shattered, revealing a line of silver light.
Qian Ye peeled away more of the stone, revealing that the inside was entirely made of silver Earth Dragon bones. These four braziers were crafted from the bones of the Earth Dragon. Truly, the Void Beasts were the darlings of the world, their bones naturally able to absorb void origin power—a feat requiring both innate talent and long cultivation for either humans or dark races.
The four braziers aside, only the stone table and the walls remained.
On the stone table, a shallow mark, caused by the barrel of a gun placed there for years, was eroded by origin power. Qian Ye touched the mark and suddenly felt his origin power being drawn in. Instead of resisting, he channeled the Dawn of Light’s origin power continuously into the stone table.
The table absorbed Qian Ye’s origin power like a bottomless abyss, until it had consumed half. Suddenly, the world transformed, and the vast, indistinguishable sky and earth reappeared.
The King of the North stood in the center, lonely yet towering, his presence filling the heavens and earth. This time, he turned and looked at Qian Ye, instantly seeing through him, all secrets laid bare!
This sensation was like icy water drenching him, the cold seeping into his bones, unbearably uncomfortable, instilling a primal fear. Yet, this was merely a phantom, or perhaps a lingering thought of the King of the North.
Thankfully, the King of the North only glanced, his eyes dimming. He nodded at Qian Ye, saying, “You are good. Your origin power is so pure, almost reaching the pinnacle of Dawn origin power. In the Empire’s thousand-year history, few have achieved this. You are worthy to inherit what I have left behind.”
Qian Ye ventured to ask, “Senior Ji, do you mean the gun barrel? I already have it. Though my abilities are limited now, I will one day equip it with fitting parts, recreating the famous One Finger Gun.”
The King of the North smiled faintly, “At the moment of failure, her soul had already vanished; I just couldn’t let go. Without a soul, no matter how powerful, it can never become a legendary gun. Only the Primordial Wings within you hold the potential to reach the pinnacle. What I leave behind, no matter how powerful the components, is merely a vessel for the Primordial Wings.”
Qian Ye was stunned. The Primordial Wings were his greatest secret, the ace up his sleeve in countless victories. It was mysterious, lacking a physical form, and even now, Qian Ye could not understand its principles. If not for its daily absorption of dark origin power, Qian Ye sometimes doubted its existence.
To think the King of the North had uncovered this secret with a mere glance.
Qian Ye remembered meeting Zhang Boqian and Lin Xitan. No one knew the extent of his adoptive father’s origin power. Because of his mastery of the Great Transformation Secret, probing Lin Xitan’s strength was impossible. The only way to know his level was through battle.
But Zhang Boqian was a true king, with the potential to surpass the King of the North and become the first among humans. If the King of the North’s lingering thought could see through Qian Ye, why didn’t Zhang Boqian?
The King of the North sighed, “During my exploration of the void, I encountered a projection of the Black Wing King. Arrogant in my youth, I engaged him in a contest. Later, he spoke of the concept of the Primordial Wings. I never imagined I’d see the real thing. After the failure, I realized the brilliance of the idea.”
The King of the North’s expression grew somber, then his gaze pierced the illusion, landing on the engine. He smiled, “After so many years, I never expected those people to still be pursuing this. Did you come for the Hall of Heroes?”
Qian Ye replied honestly, “I don’t even know what the Hall of Heroes is. I took the engine from someone in the military.”
The King of the North nodded, “You are honest. Since this thing was created, it was fated to emerge. Why interfere? Better it be in your hands than in the military. But remember, when the time comes, use the Hall of Heroes to protect humanity.”
Qian Ye seized on a point, “Protect humanity, not the Empire?”
The King of the North pointed, as if encompassing the world, “The world is vast. Where are there no humans in the Neutral Lands, the Empire, or Evernight? The Empire holds only a tiny corner of the world. Empires may change, but humanity cannot perish. As long as humans remain, one empire may fall, but another will rise.”
These words, if spoken in the Empire, would be considered treason. Yet, the King of the North, a scion of the imperial bloodline, held this view.
“Time is short. Let me show you what the Hall of Heroes truly is.”
With a wave of his hand, the scene changed, revealing the stone hall. The King of the North led the way, and Qian Ye followed. Inside, Carol was still studying the brazier, oblivious to the King of the North and Qian Ye.
The King of the North walked straight to the wall, the stone table moving aside, revealing a door in the stone, leading to a dark passage.
They followed the passage, arriving in a vast space. The space was supported by a giant skeleton, covered in layers of rock. Basic structures and a few decks were built, but most were unfinished, as if the work had suddenly stopped.
This space, stretching a kilometer long and over a hundred meters high and wide, was grand. The basic structures hinted at a warship. Such a project was massive, even for the Empire. This floating warship far exceeded the Empire’s largest mother ship, perhaps only comparable to the ships of the Evernight Princes.
In the center of the front part of the ship, a giant silver heart pulsed slowly. This heart, ten meters tall, resembled a writhing mass of silver metal, causing Qian Ye a sense of suffocation.
Countless silver tendrils extended from the heart, spreading in all directions, weaving together the construction materials and rocks, forming the basic shape of the space.
On the heart, there was a clear indentation, obviously man-made, perfectly sized for the engine.
The King of the North, revisiting this place, sighed, “Back then, disheartened, I left the Empire and built this Hall of Heroes in the Neutral Lands. But I never expected so many changes…”
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