Chapter 130: No One on the Left Path

The Celestial Kings of the human race naturally would not act easily. Once they do, it would either be like the King of the Extreme Point directly confronting a Eternal Night Overlord, or like the King of Stability, who strikes down a special figure.

The problem is that by now, the humans must have realized the discriminatory treatment in the New World and will surely take full advantage of these two opportunities. Knowing that the Overlords of Eternal Night cannot intervene, the Celestial Kings can act without any hesitation, unleashing all their might.

In conventional battles, the strength of Celestial Kings and Overlords is almost overwhelming. In such a situation, while the Princes are relatively safe, some Dukes may be in grave danger, especially those with powerful combat abilities but poor escape skills. They are likely to fall in the New World.

Dukes are the backbone of their respective clans, and Great Dukes support the entire clan. The loss of any one of them could alter the balance of power. Even the Demon Kin and Bloodline Clan find it hard to bear the loss of a Great Duke. Among the twelve ancient Bloodline Clans, the weakest ones are currently maintaining their dignity solely due to their Great Dukes.

Thus, when this topic was brought up, the strongest figures of the three races fell silent. In fact, the King of Stability’s move was quite unexpected. No one knew how the humans had targeted the young lad from the Meisfield family; Duke Frey had hardly shown his face on the battlefield. This precedent was not a good one.

The Azure King suggested, “Why not let the werewolves take one of the slots?”

Paloquia replied, “That is impossible. We have already excluded the werewolves from the New World. It is too late to think of sacrificing them now. Neither the Summit of Peaks nor Sosa would agree.”

“Perhaps they won’t have a choice,” Lothar said.

“Thinking about it, you know it’s impossible. Forcing it may only backfire.”

“Are you planning to bear the risk of this loss yourselves?” Lothar retorted.

Naturally, the Bloodline Clan and Demon Kin were silent.

After a moment, the Azure King slowly said, “The werewolves are not to be pushed around. Don’t forget, the Wolf Lord at the Summit of Peaks is very close to the Holy Mountain, and the Storm has always been nurtured there. As for the Ancestor Sect, besides Sosa, there is also a Wolf Ancestor.”

“Is that old man still alive?”

“The latest news is that he is still alive and doing well.”

Everyone understood the Azure King’s meaning: though the werewolves lack a supreme being from the Holy Mountain, they are still one of the four major races and not to be bullied easily. Pushing them too far will make things difficult for everyone.

Originally, excluding the werewolves from the New World was a result of years of secret operations and countless compromises. To now deny them any benefits and make them bear the negative consequences is simply unjust.

So, the two slots still have to be shared among the three races.

Paloquia said, “I have already paid the price of one Duke and thirty thousand elite warriors. Any further sacrifices are none of my concern.”

This was reasonable, but it meant that the burden on the Demon Kin would likely fall on Everburning Flame. And this time, it might not just be the loss of a Duke.

The flame representing Everburning Flame remained completely undisturbed, as if it had not heard anything.

Hearing Paloquia’s words, the Azure King smiled and said, “Don’t forget, we have a key figure in our Bloodline Clan. As a condition for her help at a critical moment, we will not bear this risk.”

Lothar coldly said, “Are you planning to let our kind bear both slots?”

It was, of course, impossible for the Arachnid Demons to bear the entire loss. Everburning Flame finally spoke, “I can take one of the slots, but I need ten Sacred Trees as compensation.”

Everburning Flame’s proposal was equivalent to compensating for one-third of the loss of a Duke, while bearing the other two-thirds. This outcome was within an acceptable range for all parties, and the Azure King and Metatron had no objections. The meeting thus concluded on this matter.

Before leaving, Metatron said, “I heard that those two human youngsters have been quite arrogant lately. Can’t your Demon Kin do anything about them?”

The Mesfields are adjacent to the Empire, and the Arachnid Demons are in the central region, so both races have suffered the most at the hands of Song Zining. By comparison, the position of the Bloodline Clan is much better, with only a few small units being destroyed so far, without any serious damage.

Revealing the sore spot, the faces of the Demon Kin and Arachnid Demons turned ugly. Paloquia replied, “They will soon reach your Bloodline Clan territory. I hope your subordinates perform better.”

Metatron laughed heartily, “Our Bloodline Clan is, of course, different.”

He suddenly stopped laughing halfway, while Paloquia and Lothar burst into laughter. Everburning Flame, who usually speaks little, used flames to draw a smiling face, showing mockery.

At that moment, the Overlords simultaneously received the latest battle report from the council.

Song Zining suddenly appeared in the central region, raiding four Bloodline Clan fortresses in one day, killing three Honored Marquises, and defeating two relief forces en route. In an instant, the Bloodline Clan lost over fifty thousand elite warriors, with casualties rivaling those of the Demon Kin.

This slap was indeed resounding.

Metatron could no longer remain calm and raged, “Didn’t he just kill Frey? How could he appear in the central region? Unless his entire army traveled in floating ships.”

Paloquia said, “He probably did use floating ships for the entire army.”

Metatron narrowed his eyes, “The cost is no small amount.”

“Our losses are even greater.”

Metatron’s face darkened, and he merely huffed, surprisingly not continuing his outburst. He left with the Azure King. Paloquia and Everburning Flame watched their departing figures, secretly exchanging something.

Lothar, watching from the side, said, “This doesn’t seem like his usual character.”

Paloquia said, “Perhaps, they really have a trump card.”

“Is it that Prince?”

Everburning Flame’s flame flickered, indicating agreement.

Lothar looked at the two Demon Kin Overlords and meaningfully said, “Your kin’s sorceress is a rare genius in a century, and she’s being overshadowed by that Prince, which may affect her.”

Paloquia sneered, “That Prince’s origin is mysterious, and we still don’t know who awakened. It’s said that only the Queen of Night knows her true identity. Regardless, she is actually an older figure than us, while the sorceress is a new generation, incomparable.”

“What if others don’t see it that way, or the sorceress herself doesn’t?”

“Take care of your basilisk instead.”

“Basilisk’s lineage leans more towards the Spider King than the Spider Queen, and that’s all he will achieve. We are still waiting for the next Holy Son.”

The Arachnid Demon race has always revered the female line, and someone like Marshal Lothar is already at the limit for the Spider King. To advance further, one must be of the Spider Queen’s bloodline.

“Then I wish you an early discovery of the Holy Son, so you don’t wait another century.”

“If we can wait, what’s a century? What I fear is that once obtained, it gets destroyed.”

The council hall was filled with undercurrents, and the Overlords’ discussion ended in discord. The representatives, however, wrote furiously, not surprised in the least.

In the central region of the New World, a seemingly ordinary valley was filled with floating ships. Large numbers of Imperial soldiers camped beside the ships, while technicians hurriedly maintained and repaired the damaged parts, and others recorded data continuously.

With more and more floating ships being destroyed, the artisans and technicians learned which parts were more prone to failure and which materials could better resist the corrosion of the New World’s primal force. The entire military-industrial system of the Empire now revolves around the New World, and every new piece of data sent out is quickly converted into new parts or technology, supplied in large quantities.

Qian Ye sat on the mountain top, scattering a handful of life counters on the ground, shaking his head after a while, and then scattering them again.

Zhao Jundu walked over, sat beside him, and gazed into the distant sky, saying, “Have you figured anything out yet?”

“I’m just practicing. You’ve asked me a hundred times already, it’s annoying, you know?” Qian Ye glared at Zhao Jundu and added, “You’re bleeding again.”

“I’m used to it. But you’re bleeding too.”

Qian Ye looked down and saw that his leg was indeed seeping blood. “It’s just a small wound, I forgot about it.”

Zhao Jundu snorted, “Don’t lie to me. Clearly, you can’t handle it.”

“Sounds like you have a solution.”

“Of course! Just bleed a bit more, and it’ll heal on its own.”

Qian Ye sighed, “I do miss the old Zhao Four, who was high and mighty, not this bloodthirsty, incessant chatterbox.”

Zhao Jundu shrugged, “Refining with fire is a path of nine deaths out of ten chances. One slip-up, and you’re dead. If I don’t ramble now, I might not get another chance.”

Qian Ye reluctantly put away the life counters, saying, “Alright, go ahead, I’m listening.”

Zhao Jundu pointed at the life counters and asked, “Are you really going to continue down this path?”

“I know what you’re thinking, but if I don’t, who else will?”

Zhao Jundu looked at him and said, “Peering into the workings of the heavens through the Art of Divination comes at a price. This isn’t just empty talk. General Lin’s warning is still fresh. If you choose the Art of Divination, you’ll never become a Celestial King. Are you sure about this?”

“The path of divination is of great benefit to the nation and the human race. Someone must walk it. General Lin faced the same dilemma and made the same choice. Now it’s my turn.”

Zhao Jundu stretched his body, saying, “I never thought you’d be such a patriot.”

Qian Ye sighed, “At our level, loving the country is the same as loving oneself; there’s no difference.”

“Fine, I can’t argue with you. But I’ve heard that the Empire has a long-running grand plan called the ‘Start of the Star Carrier’ in the field of divination. Only the highest few people in the Empire know the specifics. Every diviner who participates in this plan seems to end badly. Think it over.”

“I will.”