Chapter 150: The Ever-Changing Tides of Fate

The news of King Dingxuan’s mishap spread like a thunderclap, shocking the entire empire.

Since it involved the dignity of a Heavenly King, only a select few were privy to the details. However, many tried to pry and embellish the story, resulting in countless new versions. Most of these tales, naturally, never reached King Dingxuan’s ears.

Some said that King Dingxuan had grown old and weak, others speculated he had been careless, a few believed he had fallen into an ambush by the dark races, and there were even whispers of him being swayed by beauty. The rumors were as varied as they were numerous.

But from that day forward, the name Yeting spread through the empire overnight.

The common folk buzzed with gossip and wild tales, while the upper echelons focused on different aspects. The average strong warriors were enthralled by the Dream Shocker, one of the three holy artifacts, and the power of the Storm.

The long blade, Dream Shocker, was renowned for its ability to cleave the void, possessing an unimaginable sharpness, and was one of the three holy artifacts of the Eternal Night Council, its status rivaling that of the most famous guns in the world.

It was said that the blade was forged from the long spines of Void Skimmer Flagfish, specifically the king among them. These flagfish had not been seen for centuries, existing only in legends. Whenever they appeared, it was in vast schools, and each fish possessed the strength of a marquis. After all, they were a type of void beast.

The tale of how a great being slew the king among hundreds, or even thousands, of Void Skimmer Flagfish has long been lost. Yet, the Dream Shocker was passed down through generations in the Eternal Night Council’s armory, and it now shone brightly in Yeting’s hands.

The interest of the godly generals had long waned when it came to treasures, even the Dream Shocker. What truly intrigued them was why the Storm was in Yeting’s possession.

Such a vital clan weapon would not be easily lent out. Had the werewolves conceded, or had the other three clans realized the werewolves’ indispensability and invited them to join the New World’s exploration? Or was there some unknown reason behind it?

To them, the Storm was a sign, a significant indicator that the power structure of the Eternal Night might be changing. Both major factions were now focused on the New World, maintaining an eerie calm on their home turf, but no one dared to relax. It was reminiscent of the heightened tension right after the holy war within the Eternal Night camp had just ended.

At a higher level, the Heavenly Kings and superior godly generals were more concerned with Yeting herself.

This matter was too significant, having squandered a hard-earned chance to eliminate a key figure. King Dingxuan did not conceal the details, providing a comprehensive report to Emperor Hao, who then shared it with the Heavenly Kings and superior godly generals.

King Dingxuan meticulously described Yeting’s domain, believing that it was her domain’s ability to harness the collective power of the entire Eternal Night army that allowed her to stand against a Heavenly King for a short time.

This domain was unprecedented but held incredible potential. If Yeting could gather more power from the dark races, and if she were to ascend to become a Great Sovereign leading a million-strong army, who could stop her?

However, such a heaven-defying secret would have limitations. The domain likely had two possible constraints: whether the number of people whose power it could gather increased as Yeting’s rank rose, and how long it could last. Unfortunately, the battle was too brief to draw any conclusions.

Neither the Heavenly Kings nor the superior godly generals found any records about this domain in their ancient texts, indicating that it had never appeared before in the battles against the empire.

Based on King Dingxuan’s description, the scene of dark golden blood qi birds circling around during the domain’s activation, the empire temporarily named it “Shocking Birds.”

In one night, Yeting became a formidable threat to the empire.

Some opportunists argued that back then, Li Fengshui had been right; he should have eliminated this menace early on. But Li Fengshui, with his limited vision, had always sought to squeeze more value from her, failing to anticipate that she would fall to Qian Ye.

Speaking of Yeting, naturally, brought up Qian Ye.

Upon exchanging information about Qian Ye, many were surprised to learn that he had already established a significant presence on Yong Continent, effectively becoming a regional power. He commanded millions of werewolves and hundreds of thousands of humans, with his troops nearing a million, and he had nearly a hundred thousand human soldiers and mercenaries.

Among the strong, besides Qian Ye himself, there were also Carol and Duke Galewind. This meant three dukely godly generals, and Qian Ye was no ordinary godly general.

Carol was not to be underestimated either. She had the Frost Thunder Temple backing her, with her brother as the temple master, a true superior godly general, a grand duke. Provoking Carol would surely bring her brother to the forefront.

Duke Galewind seemed to be the easiest to deal with. However, such seasoned old dukes were slippery and hard to pin down.

The empire’s vassals on Yong Continent, like the Zheng Kingdom, were no match for Qian Ye. The Zheng Kingdom was almost becoming Qian Ye’s vassal state. The current ruler, Nan Huairuo, was Qian Ye’s puppet.

Qian Ye was not someone to be casually targeted. Besides the Zhao Clan, at least four superior and ten middle to lower-ranking clans were deeply entangled with Qian Ye.

Each clan had private armies under Qian Ye, and the daily flow of gold and supplies back to their families was enough to tempt even the most experienced elders. Not to mention the territories they now controlled on Yong Continent, which collectively exceeded a province.

How much time had passed? And there were still the enormous benefits of the New World to consider.

There were also rumors of Qian Ye’s close ties with the Li Clan and the Zhi Ji Wang.

Many only realized that Qian Ye had become a major force without noticing. It felt like just yesterday when he had barely escaped from the Unfallen City.

Back then, Qian Ye was a small figure, not worthy of the upper echelons’ attention. A retired marshal going to intercept him was already overkill. Now, those so-called great figures could only look up to Qian Ye.

Change was the only constant in life.

Some in the empire, with their rich imaginations, proposed that Qian Ye’s current favorable stance towards the empire might change if Yeting were killed, pushing him to the Eternal Night side. Wouldn’t the empire then gain another formidable enemy? And even if they wanted to kill her, not even King Dingxuan could subdue Yeting. Who else could?

Both Qian Ye and Yeting had once been in the empire, with Qian Ye serving in the military and Yeting living in seclusion. They had lived happily. In time, Qian Ye would have become a pillar of the empire, and Yeting might have remained anonymous, living peacefully by his side.

Yet, this was only a thought everyone kept to themselves. The empire ultimately believed that non-kindred hearts would always be different.

Especially the deep-seated enmity towards the blood race, etched in their bloodline. As long as Qian Ye was a blood race and the Blood Law existed, he could not be trusted. One day, a trigger from the Blood River might make him a dire threat to the empire, like Yeting today.

For this, Emperor Hao convened a secret meeting with the nobles and ministers in the capital. The discussions led to a heated debate on how to handle Yeting.

One faction advocated for her execution, while the other argued it would push Qian Ye to the Eternal Night, causing a greater loss. Moreover, how could they kill her? With the Dream Shocker and Storm in her hands, who in the empire had the skill or weapon to slay her?

The debate raged on, and finally, they turned to Emperor Hao for a decision.

Emperor Hao, who had remained silent, looked at Zhao Xuanji and said, “The Grand Duke of Youguo has been quiet. What are your thoughts?”

Zhao Xuanji replied, “Whatever the empire decides, my Zhao Clan will fully support.”

Emperor Hao nodded, speaking gently, “We know of the relationship between Qian Ye and the Zhao Clan. I am pleased that the Grand Duke prioritizes the greater good. As for Yeting…”

He paused, staring at the screen wall behind the officials, and uttered, “Kill!”

In the New World, inside the forward base, Song Zining stood before the large map, motionless. His hair was disheveled, and his clothes, usually impeccable, were rumpled. His eyes were bloodshot, deeply sunken.

A staff officer entered, saying, “Sir, the latest report. Duke Yunyang was defeated, and General Duan Yong was killed. The retreating forces are on their way back…”

Before he could finish, Song Zining said, “Put it on the table.”

The officer carefully placed the report on the left pile of documents, glancing at the right pile.

On the left were battle reports, and on the right were reports on various military supplies. Both piles were high, but they were filled with bad news, with only a few good ones.

Holding his breath, the officer quietly left. Outside, the soldiers hurried, their faces filled with worry. Even officers who should have been in the rear were injured.

The command post was dark, oppressive, and cold.

The officer remembered that not long ago, the atmosphere here was different. Though busy, they dealt with casualties and injuries daily, but everyone was resilient, smiling even in pain. They saw hope, knowing that as long as they persisted, the dark races would eventually crumble.

Any sacrifice was bearable as long as there was hope.

But now, with increasing casualties and consecutive defeats, the once invincible generals and marshals were now defeated, many legendary commanders forever resting on this foreign soil.

Song Zining’s aura was fading. He was no longer the omniscient and unbeatable war god. He made mistakes, misjudged the dark races’ movements, and suffered heavy losses with his deployed mobile units.

In comparison, Wei Po Tian, stripped and returned, was the luckiest.