Chapter 14: The Alliance Forged

Akefier showed no unusual reaction, merely nodding and saying, “Our ancestors were indeed a branch of the Demonkind. In that era, the distinctions among Demonkind tribes were much clearer, with each worshipping different forces. Our forebears, after being defeated in the Holy War, were exiled to the Neutral Lands. The so-called Neutral Lands are inclusive, but for our people, the environment was harshly unlivable. Eventually, our ancestors found this one piece of land where they could barely survive and settled down. Centuries later, the Frost Lightning Temple was established. After seeing those statues, you should understand that over time, we have changed greatly both in body and soul. If I did not tell you, no one would guess that we were once Demonkind.”

“Dark Races… you are no longer considered Dark Races now, right?”

“That’s correct.” Akefier’s expression was hard to read, a mix of melancholy and helplessness.

The Frost Cold power of the Frost Lightning Temple, within the spectrum of Origin Power, is located roughly in the middle between Evernight and Dawn, no longer fitting the traditional definition of a Dark Race. However, Demonkind are the favored ones of this world, known as the Children of Darkness. Akefier’s clan not only experienced a mutation in their force attributes, but also had difficulty maintaining pure bloodlines, making it hard to compare their current state with their past glory.

Akefier quickly shook off his emotions, fixing his gaze on Qian Ye and said, “In truth, my sister’s talent surpasses mine. She is not as powerful as I am because I inherited the entire power of the Frost Lightning Temple. But this power, though easily obtained, has a clear consequence: I will find it extremely difficult to advance further. My sister, on the other hand, still has the potential to grow, even if it’s just a little, which is more than I can say for myself.”

Qian Ye waited quietly for what was to come.

Akefier paused before finally saying, “Qian Ye, you have the qualifications to lead our clan forward. Although, from the human perspective, both my sister and I are quite old. However, by the standards of long-lived beings, my sister is still very young.”

Qian Ye was taken aback. Seeing that Akefier had more to say, he quickly interrupted, “I do not have the strength to take on such a responsibility.”

“No, your Origin Power is incredibly pure, and your future accomplishments will far surpass mine and those of our ancestors. As a future king, you have the right to lead us.”

“But you could kill me with a single strike,” Qian Ye humbly added.

“It’s not that simple. I could defeat you, but it wouldn’t be easy. Moreover, my intuition tells me that I might not even have the ability to kill you.” At this point, Akefier hesitated, “Hmm, the Frost Cold Temple is my home ground, and escaping wouldn’t be easy unless you have the ability to traverse the void. Yet, even if I can track someone traversing the demonic realm, why do I feel that I cannot kill you?”

Akefier began to think seriously.

Qian Ye realized that this guy was actually quite naive in some ways, and he was worried that if Akefier couldn’t figure it out, he might insist on testing it out himself. He hurriedly said, “It’s just intuition. Don’t take it too seriously. Let’s get back to business.”

Akefier snapped out of his thoughts, nodding, “I understand. You’ve declined my first proposal. So, let’s try another way. My sister can join your war, and I will send a few more of our people. In return, you must participate in our future territorial wars. And when the Frost Lightning Temple faces a crisis, you must help us once.”

Qian Ye was taken aback, “This condition seems… too generous. With my combat strength, what can I really do?”

The Frost Lightning Temple had Akefier and Carol, and the surrounding environment itself was a natural barrier. If they could not fend off an enemy, adding Qian Ye wouldn’t make much difference.

But Akefier replied, “You are the future king, and your promise is invaluable.”

Qian Ye suddenly felt a bit dishonest, like Akefier was a customer who believed a beautifully packaged advertisement, while he was the unscrupulous merchant. But the offer was too good to refuse, especially since he had come seeking support in the first place.

The door silently opened, and both Qian Ye and Akefier turned to see Carol, who looked pale.

“I’m going with you,” Carol stated.

Akefier was clearly surprised, rising to his feet, “Sister, we don’t even know what kind of battle we’re heading into…”

Carol shook her head, “It doesn’t matter.”

Qian Ye frowned, “I think it’s still necessary to discuss this first.”

Akefier quickly agreed.

Carol pointed at Qian Ye’s chest and said, “No matter what kind of battle, if you go, I’ll go. All I need is for you to help us expand our territory in the future. Where is your airship? Let’s go.”

Akefier wanted to say more, but seeing Carol’s determined expression, he swallowed his words, finally saying, “Wait a moment. I’ll send a few people with you. They can take care of some tasks as well.”

Carol raised an eyebrow and asked Qian Ye, “Is the battlefield in the Neutral Lands?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then it’s fine. Akefier, let them come. I want to leave now.”

Akefier sighed, “You’re always in such a hurry. Alright, wait a moment.”

Without any visible action, the door was pushed open again, and four tall, slender men walked in, standing in a line. Their skin was pale, tinged with a faint, eerie blue.

Qian Ye hesitated, glancing at Akefier, then decided to bring these four along with him to the Hall of Heroes.

Akefier led the way, guiding Qian Ye and the others to the roof of the Frost Lightning Temple, saying, “I can give you a hand.”

He slowly raised his hand, and a gentle breeze surged, carrying Qian Ye and the others upward. The wind, though gentle, was persistent, carrying them to the edge of the protective layer before dissipating. Without even trying, Akefier displayed his formidable strength, rivaling Luo Bingfeng. This might have been a subtle hint and warning.

Qian Ye leaped up, flying towards the Hall of Heroes hovering in the sky. Carol followed behind, her lightning whip coiling around the four followers. These followers lacked the ability to fly through the void on their own.

Although Qian Ye couldn’t carry anyone, his speed in the void was incredibly fast, causing the four followers to change their expressions.

Ahead, the massive Hall of Heroes gradually appeared, its hull like a small mountain, exerting a daunting pressure from a distance.

As the Hall of Heroes approached, the four followers, who had been trying to remain calm, gaped, unable to close their mouths.

Qian Ye flew into the side near the tail of the Hall of Heroes, with Carol and the followers following closely. The external structure of the Hall of Heroes was mostly complete, with most of the gaps in the tail area. The mantis’s tail was a formidable weapon, and anyone wanting to invade from the rear would have to think twice.

Inside the Hall of Heroes, there were craftsmen and warriors from Gao Hu, technicians and gunners from Ningyuan Heavy Industries, and over a hundred workers debugging and installing equipment, totaling several hundred people. But these hundreds of people, scattered throughout the ship, were almost invisible.

Most of the functional areas inside the mantis ship were already partitioned, forming a preliminary layout.

Following Qian Ye, Carol first settled the four followers in empty cabins. Then, Qian Ye climbed up the stairs to the upper level, near the upper deck, where the side cannons were placed.

The moment she stepped onto this level, Carol was stunned. She hurried to a cannon that was not yet fully assembled, touching the glossy, black cannon and the thick, tree-like bolts. After a moment, she turned and asked, “What class of cannons are these?”

“Imperial cruiser-class main cannons.”

“Cruiser-class…” Carol rose a meter, looking forward. In this unusually wide and high cannon bay, there were several more cannons of the same class, and some slightly smaller ones. This was just one side of the cannon bay.

After letting Carol look her fill, Qian Ye led her further into the cannon bay. Even though over a dozen cannons were deployed on this side, the bay still seemed empty. Once all the cannon positions were filled, it was unimaginable how powerful this colossal ship would be.

The two of them passed through the cannon bay and reached the main cannon bay at the head of the mantis ship. Seeing the Chen Lu, Carol was stunned again. This time, she didn’t lose her composure, just took a deep look before passing through the main cannon bay and ascending to the top of the mantis.

Qian Ye and Carol stood side by side on the top of the mantis, facing the endless void.

She felt a slight tremor beneath her feet as the Hall of Heroes slowly turned and headed towards the Eastern Sea.

Carol gazed ahead and said, “Actually, Akefier is not my biological brother.”

“I know, you mentioned it before.”

“In each generation, we are divided into siblings based on our innate fighting capabilities rather than blood ties. According to ancient tradition, children of the same generation are raised together by the clan, so we are not as close as true blood siblings. Akefier inherited the Frost Cold Origin Power, and I inherited the Void Thunder power, so we became brother and sister according to tradition.”

It was a strange rule, but a clan, to survive, had even seen their Origin Power attributes shift significantly on the spectrum. It was not surprising that their social structure developed some unusual customs.

“I told you before, I have a bit of werewolf blood in me, although it’s very little. The origin of it…”

Carol paused, hesitating whether to continue.

Qian Ye said, “If it’s something unhappy, you don’t have to say.”

Carol shook her head, “These things have been weighing on me for too long, and I’ve never had the chance to speak about them. Now, at least, you are qualified to hear.”

“When our tribe was exiled, we were cursed by a great lord of that time. The curse was rooted in our bloodline, passing down through generations, and could not be removed. The Neutral Lands were not suitable for Demonkind, and for our clan, the reaction was even more severe. This is why, despite knowing the difficulties, we still chose to settle in the Frost Cold Land.”

“However, even though this was almost the only choice, and everyone knew it would be difficult, the Frost Cold Land was too harsh. So harsh that we once thought of giving up. To survive in other parts of the Neutral Lands, our clan tried mixing with other races, hoping to escape the curse and the Frost Cold Land. But all attempts failed, and as a result, some of our bloodlines became impure, and this passed down to the next generations. I am one of them. The status of mixed-bloods is far below that of pure-bloods, almost like slaves. Despite showing enough talent from a young age and being seen as the hope of the next generation, the treatment of other mixed-blood siblings made me remember. This is why, when I came of age, I chose Void Thunder instead of Frost Cold, even though I could have inherited Frost Cold.”

“Is there a difference between these two powers?” Qian Ye asked.

To Qian Ye, the purity of Void Thunder was not inferior to Frost Cold, and at the same cultivation level, Void Thunder’s combat power was even greater. But in the Frost Lightning Temple, Frost Cold was more highly regarded than Void Thunder.

Carol explained, “The essence of these two powers is not different, but the quantity is vastly different. Frost Cold is almost infinite, while Void Thunder takes a long time to accumulate. Akefier and I chose our powers just half a year apart, but he broke through to become a divine general before me and is now an upper divine general, while I am still at the middle level.”

Qian Ye understood. Breaking through each level after becoming a divine general was extremely difficult. Even with enough Void Thunder to absorb, breaking through from the middle to the upper level was still out of reach. Even Carol herself did not dare say she could make that leap in her lifetime.

Carol sighed, “At first, I wanted a territory, not for my clan, but to find a place for the mixed-bloods to live and thrive. Their bloodlines may not be pure, but they can adapt to a wider range of environments. It’s… a helpless situation.”

Qian Ye listened quietly, saying nothing. In this world, humans, though in a difficult situation, were a rising race with an endless future. The Blood Race, though troubled by the eternal river of blood, still firmly held a seat on the Eternal Council, not yet in decline.

Thus, before this, even though Qian Ye had vaguely sensed the sorrow of a declining race in William, it was not as profound as directly facing the end of the Frost Lightning Temple’s clan. In this world blessed by darkness, every race has the right to survive, even those outside of Evernight. This was a common saying in the Dawn and Neutral camps, inspiring and passionate, but in the last ten thousand years, only humans had made it a reality.

Qian Ye didn’t know how to comfort Carol, knowing that mere words were meaningless.

Carol gathered her spirits and said, “But after hearing Akefier and your conversation, I now think that perhaps this land should belong to all our people.”

Qian Ye said, “Whatever purpose you have for that territory, I will do my best to help you.”

Carol turned to Qian Ye and said, “Actually, with the combined strength of both of us, it’s not easy to carve out an independent territory.”

Qian Ye nodded, “We need to wait for my strength to grow. We also need an army, a fleet, and the support and at least the appearance of protection from the Empire. So, it will take time, but no matter what, this territory will be ours.”

Carol looked at Qian Ye and said, “I really don’t understand where your confidence comes from. You might not know the difficulties we face.” The background of the Frost Lightning Temple meant that obtaining protection from the Eternal Council was impossible. And the Great Qin Empire, as a colossal entity, the more powerful it becomes, the less reliable its alliances are for the weak.

“If you discover a slightly better place to establish a foothold, the Demonkind will come to hunt you down, right?”

“Even knowing this, you’re still confident?”

“Of course. We’ve always been fighting the Dark Races, so why should we fear the Demonkind’s pursuit?”

Carol nodded, “That does sound somewhat reasonable.”

The survival space in the Neutral Lands was always fought for, and here, the type of Origin Power wasn’t as important as sheer power. Actually, with the Northland under his control, Qian Ye could have fulfilled his promise by allocating a piece of land for Carol and her people. The Northland, with its unique position and milder environment, would likely be survivable for Carol’s clan.

But the Northland was too precious, and Qian Ye didn’t want to expose it unless absolutely necessary. With increasingly scarce resources, the Northland, once revealed, would inevitably trigger a war. Until he had the ability to protect it, Qian Ye did not intend to let outsiders know of the Northland’s existence.

The Hall of Heroes flew smoothly, so stable that one could barely feel its movement. The residual instincts of the void beast allowed it to navigate the void with ease.

Carol no longer spoke, instead savoring the sensation of gliding through the void. At this moment, she felt as if she had merged with the mantis, gaining insights with each passing second. Such an opportunity was rare.

Just as Carol was fully immersed, she suddenly noticed Qian Ye standing there calmly, neither tense nor deliberate, and with each movement of the mantis, his body seemed to resonate. Her heart skipped a beat, and she blurted out, “Can you communicate with this giant ship?”