The storm raged as ferociously as a tempest, yet the toll it took was terrifying. The Stabilizing King was certain that Ye Ting could not last more than three breaths.
But in the blink of an eye, nearly a minute had passed, and the storm’s howling showed no signs of abating. Meanwhile, the Divine Thunder of Heavenly Punishment was already struggling to keep up with the rate of its own consumption, and was gradually being pushed back by the relentless barrage of bullets.
The Stabilizing King gazed out and saw that the entire camp was shrouded in a vast, dark golden aura of blood. Birds, continuously emerging from the blood, dove at the powerful Dark Race warriors. As soon as the birds landed on these fighters, they trembled, but stood motionless, allowing the birds to settle on their bodies.
The beaks of these blood-formed birds pierced into their targets, siphoning the dark energy like an endless tide. This energy then gathered within the bloody domain, flowing back into Ye Ting.
Every Eternal Night warrior had at least one bird latched onto them, while counts bore dozens, and the mighty marquises were entirely covered in them.
In this manner, the combined force of over ten thousand elite troops and countless powerful warriors focused their essence in one place, countering the Stabilizing King. This was why the storm’s onslaught was so fierce and prolonged.
Though he was a Heavenly King, even for the Stabilizing King, overwhelming tens of thousands of Eternal Night elites was an arduous task. In the New World, he did not have the same advantage as in the Evernight, even if the overall dark energy of the Eternal Night was dominant.
His right hand began to tremble, and the trembling intensified. The Divine Thunder of Heavenly Punishment even started to emit sparks, showing signs of dissipation. If he were defeated by Ye Ting in this manner, where would the face of the Stabilizing King stand?
Without hesitation, the Stabilizing King opened his mouth and exhaled a thin, azure primal force that shot into the Divine Thunder of Heavenly Punishment. Instantly, the thunder ignited, all the primal force blazing intensely, doubling its might. It counter-pressed the storm’s bullet flow, crashing down toward the camp, unstoppable!
This strike was the full force of the Stabilizing King.
Seeing the thunder, each crevice radiating an azure glow, the Dark Race’s powerhouses finally revealed looks of despair. They felt, truly and deeply, that even under the storm’s protection, their journey of life was left with only the last minute.
The azure thunder fell meter by meter, unstoppable. When it touched the ground, total destruction would begin. Relying on the storm and her domain’s ability, the Blood Flower Birds, drawing upon the entire camp’s dark energy, Ye Ting still could not match the power of a Human Heavenly King who wielded the essence of heaven and earth.
However, Ye Ting held firmly to the storm, continuing to rain down bullets, staunchly resisting the azure thunder. It seemed she would not relent until the very end. She showed no fear of death; instead, a cold, arrogant gleam flickered in her eyes.
This gaze made the Stabilizing King extremely uncomfortable, as if a weak prey stubbornly refused to accept its fate of death.
Just as the azure thunder was about to land, an indescribable feeling descended from the void, like an invisible hand gripping the Stabilizing King’s heart, making his immensely powerful heart skip a beat.
The Stabilizing King, with some difficulty, looked up. Through the seemingly normal sky, he saw an eye—gigantic, terrifying, and filled with anger. Deep within that pupil lay endless darkness, a gravity that threatened to suck his soul into the abyss.
The Stabilizing King suddenly jolted awake, hastily pulling his consciousness from the infinite darkness, breaking into a cold sweat. He was both shocked and terrified, immediately recalling a legend. He realized that by using his full power, he had awakened the malevolence of the New World.
Regardless of what the malevolent entity was, the recent contact had made him acutely aware that he was no match for this mysterious presence. No wonder none of the Great Lords of the Evernight Council dared to show themselves in the New World, except for the Three Supremes.
He glanced down at Ye Ting, a moment of hesitation passing through his mind. Just half a minute more, and he could have reaped the entire camp, slaying Ye Ting, and acquiring both the Storm and the Divine Dream, one of the Three Sacred Treasures.
Just half a minute…
But the Stabilizing King sensed something in the distant void rushing toward him at an astonishing speed, far surpassing his own.
In a split second, the Stabilizing King made his decision, retracting his attack and retreating like a fleeting light, heading back to the Imperial camp.
Between preserving his life and eliminating the enemy, the Stabilizing King had no need to hesitate. As a Heavenly King, a pillar of the Empire, he was highly prepared in the home territory. With the New World’s war situation unclear, risking his fall to kill Ye Ting and acquire a sacred weapon was not worth it.
The mysterious entity approached swiftly, leaving no room for the Stabilizing King to waver.
Once the Stabilizing King departed, the azure thunder weakened, quickly shattered by the storm, turning into a rain of lightning.
In Ye Ting’s domain, blood birds took flight, intercepting the azure lightning bolts, colliding and nullifying them in mid-air. Only a few bolts managed to fall, their power significantly reduced by the hazy blood aura. However, even the tiniest touch of the residual azure thunder was enough to reduce a baron or a viscount to ashes, let alone elite warriors. Only a count could resist.
The afterglow of the Stabilizing King’s attack was that terrifying.
Ye Ting slowly retracted her domain, surveying her surroundings, and said, “Tally the casualties.”
All the marquises and counts, despite their wounds and fatigue, sprang into action.
In moments, a Glorious Marquis approached Ye Ting, kneeling on one knee, and reported, “Your Highness, there are 216 casualties. Among them, 205 are below noble rank, and 11 are nobles, including one First Rank Viscount.”
Despite the high number, it was relatively small, especially against a Heavenly King with no Great Lord to counterbalance.
Ye Ting glanced at him, coldly saying, “Waste!”
Although the Glorious Marquis was of equal rank, he bowed his head so low it almost touched the ground, displaying a reverence one would not normally show to a peer, not even to a grand duke or prince. Such deference was usually reserved for a Great Lord.
He whispered, “Subordinate is ignorant and did not know of Your Highness’s great power. Please give me another chance, and I will surely serve you until death!”
He was among the first to flee and ran the farthest. Unfortunately, not being a duke, he could not escape the gravitational pull of the Stabilizing King’s Divine Thunder of Heavenly Punishment.
Ye Ting neither blamed nor accepted his fealty, simply instructing the rear to replenish double the losses before returning to her tent to rest.
The aftermath would be handled by her subordinates.
At the Imperial base, many soldiers suddenly heard an eerie, shrill sound, looking around in confusion, unsure of what was happening.
At that moment, Song Zining rushed out of the command tower, his voice covering the entire base: “Prepare the stasis pods! Send the signal! Prepare the No. 1 airship for departure in three minutes!”
The No. 1 airship was specifically designed for a Heavenly King. Upon hearing this order, the base buzzed with activity, and personnel ran frantically. Three minutes was too short, but military orders must be followed, failure meaning death.
A tiny black dot appeared on the distant horizon, quickly reaching the base—it was the Stabilizing King. By then, a red signal flare ascended, marking the location of the No. 1 airship.
Without a word, the Stabilizing King flashed into the airship, then into the stasis pod, and the pod’s lid closed.
The nearby operators saw a blur and found an additional person inside. Luckily, they had practiced the procedure countless times, and instinctively activated the pod’s switch.
Layer after layer of primal force arrays activated, changing the pod’s light from white to red, then to blue, and finally to a faint blue.
Through the pod’s cover, frost covered the Stabilizing King’s eyebrows and beard, his eyes tightly shut, his heart and breathing ceased. The temperature inside the pod had dropped to a hundred degrees below zero, freezing his vitality and primal force.
As soon as the operation was complete, an indescribable sense of dread and trembling seized everyone in the base. Everyone froze, immobile. They felt that the slightest movement might attract the attention of a predator, leading to disaster.
Even Song Zining stiffened, staring fixedly at the ground in front of him.
In the depths of the void, a divine, thunderous eye seemed to sweep over the base. The sense of destruction and anger it brought was so clear that even the most ordinary soldier could feel it.
In that moment, the entire base seemed frozen in time, with no movement. Even the smallest gesture might draw down a world-destroying thunder from the heavens.
The gaze swept back and forth, finding nothing, and finally retreated. Though brief, it felt like an eternity in everyone’s hearts.
Song Zining suddenly raised his head and shouted, “Take off!”
The No. 1 airship slowly ascended, heading toward the Empire.
Only after the airship disappeared into the horizon did Song Zining breathe a sigh of relief.
Wei Po Tian walked over, still shaken, and asked, “What was that just now?”
Song Zining replied, “Perhaps it was the malice of the New World?”
“But it was too….” Wei Po Tian scratched his head, struggling to find the right words. Finally, he said, “Even the Heavenly Ghost of old wasn’t that terrifying, right?”
Song Zining sighed, “If it could drive the Three Supremes of the Evernight into hiding, how could it not be fearsome?”
Wei Po Tian, after a moment, said, “I used to think I was quite capable, even against a Grand Duke or a Prince, I had no fear. But in this damned New World, any six-armed brute can beat me to a pulp. Not to mention this thing.”
“Inside the cage, we see only so much of the sky, but beyond the cage lies a vast world. That’s why those who stand at the peak of the world take the risk of annihilation to explore the void.”
“Cage? What cage?”
Song Zining pointed toward the direction of the Empire, “Our Evernight, the island suspended in the sea, is itself a natural cage. This New World may be the boat to carry us away from the cage. Telling you this is pointless, though.”
Wei Po Tian slapped his forehead, “I remember now, the demonic clan’s An Wen once said something like that.”
“An Wen, indeed, has great talent. A pity he was born into the demonic race.”
Wei Po Tian suddenly thought of something, “Do you think the Stabilizing King succeeded?”
“How should I know?”
“He didn’t leave a single word behind, maybe he failed?” Wei Po Tian’s conjecture was tinged with malice.
Song Zining gave him a stern look but said nothing. Wei Po Tian’s naivety and indignation, though ill-timed, did not affect his actions. Song Zining let it go.
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