Chapter 135: The Persuasion

In the primordial continent, an enigmatic allure exists for any bloodkin. This land is like a concentric circle, with an endless sea of clouds at its heart.

On the outer rings, the bloodkin have established a series of cities. However, due to the proximity to the upper layers and the harsh environment, combined with the mysterious pull from the depths of the cloud sea, ordinary bloodkin find it difficult to survive here. Thus, each clan has set up outposts in the outer regions, while only the twelve ancient clans are qualified to build cities near the inner areas.

The closest to the innermost region, where the call of the cloud sea is the strongest, stands a small castle, the Night Moon Castle.

This ancient castle was first built by Queen Lilith of the Night, after she first set foot on the primordial continent. Initially, it was just a stone house, hardly deserving the name of a castle. Later, as the second generation of progenitors stepped onto the primordial continent, they each contributed to the expansion of the stone house.

During the construction, many of these second-generation progenitors were still unknown figures. Though their bloodline talents were high, they had not yet been fully realized, and their ability to stay near the cloud sea was barely adequate. The structures they built were naturally not as grand as one might expect.

With the fall of the first second-generation progenitor, the expansion of the Night Moon Castle ceased. Since then, it has remained unchanged, with successive generations of bloodkin only maintaining and refurbishing it, showing respect to the Queen of the Night and commemorating the departed progenitors.

Today, only those with noble blood can approach the Night Moon Castle.

In the vast wilderness, a bloodkin cloaked in black was walking steadily. He pushed back his hood, revealing a pale and haggard face. His once handsome features were now marred by dark circles. His eyes were sunken, his lips pale, devoid of the charisma he once possessed as the Holy Child of the bloodkin.

He halted, looking up at the sky. The immense sun and the intense sunlight made him squint, involuntarily expressing disdain. It was too close to the upper layer, and bloodkin did not enjoy such intense sunlight.

Edward lowered his hood, blocking the irritating sun, and gazed into the distance. At the horizon, the boundless sea of clouds was faintly visible.

His face flushed, his breathing quickened, and his blood core pulsed faster. The unseen call from the depths of the cloud sea was almost irresistible, making him want to leap down.

As a core figure of the new generation of bloodkin, Edward, who had received the source blood of Mephisto, was a man of both talent and perseverance. Yet, in the face of the call from the cloud sea, he felt a strong urge to succumb.

This was not a bad thing; rather, it made Edward quite proud. The stronger the bloodline talent, the stronger the call from the cloud sea. Now, the call was so strong that even he could barely resist, indicating that his talent was already at the top level of the present era.

If this were not the case, he would not have become the Holy Child of the Pascal Clan. However, no one expected that after Queen Lilith awoke, she would not recognize the Holy Child status granted by the council, leading to his plummeting status among the bloodkin.

Later, when his pursuit of Yeye failed and turned into oppression, it unexpectedly became the root of his current predicament.

He raised his head, gazing at the distant Night Moon Castle. Although he was not moving fast, the destination was there, and he would reach it eventually. On his journey, he had reviewed his entire life, good and bad, proud and regretful moments, leaving nothing out.

Ultimately, he concluded that it was not his lack of effort but the unfriendly world. Even if he could be perfect, he could not resist the grand will of the world.

If Queen Lilith had looked upon him favorably, if Yeye, then a common original, had accepted him, instead of willingly betraying the entire bloodkin and running to the Empire to be with a human, if…

Reflecting on his life, there were too many “ifs,” none of which ever happened or could happen, but they stuck like thorns.

Edward quickened his pace, reaching the Night Moon Castle, stating his identity and purpose.

Guarding the entrance were two Marquises, still very young in bloodkin terms. They clearly knew of Edward’s name, and upon hearing that he wanted to see Yeye, they wore strange expressions, showing both fear and schadenfreude. Clearly, they did not fear Edward.

Edward paid no attention, his mind drifting, flying to the depths of the cloud sea, where the call from the maternal body resounded. He had evaded this call for too long, and now, it was time to respond.

“Go in! What are you standing there for?” one of the Marquises barked.

Anger welled up in Edward’s heart. Usually, two minor Marquises with low bloodlines would not dare to speak to him like that. But now, feeling despondent, he was too weary to argue, even glancing at them felt like a waste of energy. He silently walked through the gate.

Behind him, whispers followed: “What kind of Holy Child needs to curry favor with the King of No Light?”

“If he could wait two more years, he could wait for the King of Blue to return. Wouldn’t that leg be thicker?”

“Indeed, even the Fire Crowned Prince Habus is better than No Light.”

These voices were not soft, obviously not caring if Edward heard. Despite his despondency, Edward grew angry. Did they think he had offended both Yeye and the King of Blue, making death imminent?

He chuckled bitterly, ignoring the gossip behind him, and walked through the castle towards the cloud sea.

At the edge of the cloud sea, Yeye sat, as if she had never moved from her place.

Edward approached Yeye, gazing at her. At this moment, he was more at ease, no longer the man who dared not look her in the eye.

Upon closer inspection, he felt the all-encompassing, flawless beauty of Yeye. From top to bottom, she was perfect, even by the most stringent bloodkin aesthetic standards. This beauty transcended shock and awe, making one instinctively draw away.

She was there, and Edward took a step back.

Yeye continued to gaze at the cloud sea, deep in thought, as if unaware of Edward’s presence. After a moment, Edward said, “I’m here.”

Yeye remained motionless, with no intention of speaking.

Edward felt a wave of indescribable frustration. Gathering his courage, he said, “I’ve come on behalf of the King of Blue to persuade you to join the war.”

Wiser this time, he didn’t wait for a response and continued, “I know you’ll ask me why you should fight. I know you said you don’t want to fight against humans. Your reason was to suppress the original will of this body, to gain complete control after awakening. We all know that was just an excuse, right?”

Yeye replied, “If you think you’re about to die, you can say anything. Go ahead and die. The King of Blue will find someone else to persuade me.”

Edward took a deep breath, his face flushing red. He spoke loudly, “Fine, I’ll be direct! There’s no original will of the body. You are you! You can’t let go of the humans, of that person, and you don’t want to be their enemy.”

Yeye said calmly, “You think you’re smart, but saying it shows your foolishness. Do you think the King of Blue doesn’t know?”

Edward’s face fluctuated between green and white before he said, “I know I’m stupid, or I wouldn’t be in this situation. I’m saying, fighting the humans is different from fighting that person. You have a reason to fight, because the current commander of the humans has a deep grudge against you!”

“Those humans who held a grudge against me are all dead.”

“No, one is alive and doing well—Song Zining!”

“What grudge do I have with him?”

Edward produced a letter and handed it to Yeye, saying, “This is from our deepest informant among the humans.”

Yeye took it, read a few lines, and her expression changed. She looked up, coldly saying, “You investigate my affairs secretly. How daring!”

“It was the King of No Light…”

“What is No Light? Even the second-generation progenitors have fallen. Does he, a great king, really think he’s immortal?”

The topic was shocking, and even now, Edward didn’t want to continue. He simply said, “Regardless of the motive, we uncovered many secrets related to that person. Your former partner now has two children.”

Yeye stood like a statue, not moving, not even blinking, as if time had stopped.

Edward continued, “From all the information, we concluded that these two children were conceived during the Great Vortex. During that time, he was with Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan. Li Kuanglan, although always in male attire, is actually the younger sister of the human Empress Li.”

Yeye remained unmoved.

Edward went on, “At that time, the demon-born Anwen, the Young Lord, also entered the Great Vortex through the Neutral Zone. According to him, the high-gravity area of the Great Vortex had a peculiar environment, and only the white fruit could neutralize the life-prohibiting cold. However, the white fruit is also a powerful aphrodisiac, essential for the reproduction of the natives in the Great Vortex. This explains why there are two children, likely born under duress or loss of reason.”

Yeye crumpled the letter, turning it to ash.

Edward continued, “The key point is, who arranged for Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan to follow Qian Ye. It was Song Zining! Others may not know the environment of the high-gravity area of the Great Vortex, but he does. Song Zining’s Foresight Art is impressive, developed over time, and as a diviner, he has access to historical records and classified information. He must have known the consequences of sending two young girls into the Great Vortex with Qian Ye. Before entering the Great Vortex, he secretly carried out a series of operations. At least, after secretly meeting Empress Li, the Li family sent Li Kuanglan into the Great Vortex.”

“Is that all?”

“There’s more. Want to hear it?”

“No, I don’t.”