Beyond the void, a floating warship shaped like a flying shuttle sped towards the outer space of Yong Land, merging with the fleet of the Council that was stationed here.
Several powerhouses in full, deep black armor boarded the flagship, approaching Pratrick and Lorsa.
Seeing these powerhouses devoid of any insignia, Lorsa was slightly moved, saying, “It’s actually you!”
The leading powerhouse bowed slightly, replying, “The Emperor’s resolve is unshakable.”
Lorsa said slowly, “Since you are here, where is Soma?”
“You should know that we have no names, only codenames. But out of respect for you, I can make an exception.”
He turned around and ordered, “Call Number Twenty-Seven over.”
A moment later, another armored powerhouse in similar attire came to Lorsa, bowing and saying, “Lord Lorsa!”
Even as a Great Lord, Lorsa’s hands trembled slightly. After a while, he said, “Alright, since you are here, go ahead. Don’t bring shame to your… father.”
Number Twenty-Seven bowed again, not answering, and retreated to the back.
The leading armored powerhouse asked, “Master Pratrick, where is the target?”
Pratrick smiled bitterly, “This is somewhat difficult. I find it hard to see the trajectory of Qian Ye’s fate, so your search range will be quite large.”
The armored powerhouse showed no emotion, as if he had anticipated this, saying, “His Majesty the Emperor has instructed me to give this to you.” He handed over a black jade box.
Pratrick opened the box to find half a yellowed page inside. He was immediately moved, exclaiming, “The Book of Revelation!”
“His Majesty’s command is to obtain it at all costs.”
Pratrick said slowly, “With this fragment of the Book of Revelation, the mist of fate will no longer obscure my vision.”
He picked up the Book of Revelation, and the fragment burned rapidly in his hand. As the flames danced, the faint mist in his eyes dissipated, revealing a clear image of Qian Ye.
“He is in the Snow Mountain Range.”
“We will scout ahead. Please, Great Commander, hold the Void Fortress.”
The armored powerhouse took a glance at the map of Yong Land, located the Snow Mountain Range, and then turned and left briskly. Lorsa watched their backs, silent.
Pratrick’s prophecy had a limited scope, and the Snow Mountain Range was a vast expanse. Normally, if Qian Ye hid within it, it would be difficult to find him. But for true powerhouses, searching the entire mountain range would only take a day or two. The trouble lay in the original prophecies, which always pointed to four different regions.
The group of armored powerhouses retreated, and moments later, their ship turned and headed straight for the Snow Mountain Range. Lorsa also left, returning to his own ship and following them.
Initial scouting was, of course, not something Lorsa needed to do. His presence would be required only when they found Qian Ye’s trail.
Pratrick stood by the window, gazing at the continent below, lost in thought. After a while, he murmured to himself, “Even this unit has been dispatched? Is that Black Book really so important?”
In the study of the Lava Castle, the Demon Emperor put down an ancient manuscript, looking at Habus, who was resting on a sofa by the fireplace with his eyes closed, and said, “Habus, you don’t seem to be in good spirits. Haven’t the injuries from the Fireland Continent healed yet? Maybe you should rest a bit longer.”
For the blood clan, a longer rest meant entering a deep sleep in a blood pool, which was usually a quick way to heal.
Habus replied indifferently, “No need, it’s not that serious. You’ve sent out the Secret Sword Envoys, so it must be at a critical juncture. Thirty Secret Sword Envoys, the accumulation of centuries by the Council.”
The Demon Emperor said, “The Black Book is very important, or rather, at this stage, it is more important than anything else.”
Habus said, “Qian Ye and Night Pupil have attracted a lot of attention. It seems you even recalled Duke Jochi and the others, who were originally dispatched to Dawn. A thorough search of Yong Land is just a matter of time. Such a large-scale operation will surely alert the Great Qin Empire, won’t it?”
The Demon Emperor smiled, saying, “There’s only Howard left in Dawn, which is not a threat to the overall situation. The pressure from the human side will indeed increase, and once the gate is fully opened, they will discover the truth of the Inner World and will likely launch a full assault. However, they must first pass through the gate.”
At this point, Habus opened his eyes, frowning, “Do we have the ability to seal the gate to the Inner World?”
“Of course not. But we can slow down the transmission of information.”
“There will always be those who slip through the cracks, and there will always be those who, by sheer luck, slip past the blockade and discover the truth of the Inner World.”
The Demon Emperor seemed lost in thought, saying, “Your meaning is… to let Qian Ye and Night Pupil go?”
“Didn’t you say that your goal wasn’t to annihilate the blood clans? Their importance… except for the Black Book, they don’t have the ability to hinder you, right?”
The Demon Emperor chuckled, saying, “My dear Habus, you still don’t trust me. You’re right, my goal isn’t to annihilate anyone. The blood clans that remain intact are those untainted by the dawn, an indispensable part of the new world order. Those who should be cleansed, even if some escape, won’t amount to much, including those direct descendants hiding in the Dawn Continent. Once the new order is established, the tainted parts of them will not only fail to provide power but will become a burden. Before long, they will find themselves gradually losing power, becoming mediocre. At that point, whether they live or die won’t matter.”
Habus’ expression changed slightly; the Demon Emperor had mentioned the purity of the dark source several times, and this time the explanation was particularly clear. He said slowly, “Their source of power is the River of Blood.”
The Demon Emperor said, “In the River of Blood, the thirteen seals were not present from the beginning and are not immutable. If they weren’t thirteen from the start, why should they be so now, and why should they remain so in the future?”
Habus fell silent, unable to answer. The true nature of the first drop of blood and the essence of the bloodline inheritance, even the Queen of Night might not fully understand. Everyone used to think that the absence of the blood seals would weaken the river, but deeper reflection revealed that if the seals were derivatives, it was a paradox.
The Demon Emperor continued, “The establishment of the new world will take time and won’t be smooth. But the Black Book is unique, representing the most fundamental and original form of the world. Or perhaps, it is the ideal new world.”
“You’ve said this many times. But if we cannot defeat the humans, or if the war does not end before the Queen awakens, then your new world cannot be established.”
At this, Habus looked deeply into the Demon Emperor’s eyes, testing him directly about Lilith’s stance for the first time.
But the Demon Emperor only smiled gently, muttering, “True…” and returned to his ancient book.
Suddenly, Habus felt a sharp pain in his chest, not intense, but fine and persistent, and fatigue washed over him. Yet, he had no intention of entering the blood pool. In the small world connected to Habus’ origin, a crystal light floated out from the wound on the remains of Lin Xitang, held back by the invisible boundary woven by shadow fragments, wandering in a tiny domain.
In the sky above the Snow Mountain Range, a floating warship suddenly emerged. On the deck, the Secret Sword Envoys, clad in full black armor, stood ready.
The leading powerhouse gazed down at the vast mountains, saying slowly, “Regardless of our reasons, since we are Secret Sword Envoys, our lives are no longer our own. This battle is perilous, but there’s no need to dwell on it. Let’s go.”
He leaped, plunging into the vast mountain range below, and dozens of other envoys followed, scattering across the mountains and valleys.
In the snowy forest, Qian Ye sat on a rock, polishing his blue-golden blood sword.
Little Zhuji knelt in the snow, her elbows on a stone, watching quietly. After a while, she couldn’t help asking, “You’ve been polishing it for an hour. Is the sword really that dirty?”
“One could say it is, and one could say it isn’t,” Qian Ye smiled.
As he polished, threads of gray energy continuously emanated from his body, landing on the sword. Each thread made the sword’s glow dimmer, as if it were covered in a layer of dust, its sharpness, bloodlust, and grimness weakening.
Though fearless, Little Zhuji was especially wary of the chaotic primordial energy, maintaining a safe distance. Her large eyes followed the gray energy, not daring to look away, for fear of being contaminated.
Qian Ye glanced at her, saying, “Is it that scary?”
“Yes!” the little one nodded vigorously.
“But you’re wearing armor.”
Little Zhuji wore a magnificent, golden heavy armor, though many parts were twisted and squeezed. Originally belonging to Rolo, the little one had claimed it, twisting and bending it to fit.
Rolo’s armor was undoubtedly of high quality, but even in such heavy armor, the little one still felt unsafe.
After a while, Little Zhuji couldn’t resist, asking, “Aren’t we running anymore?”
“No, we’re not.”
“Why? Weren’t we doing well running earlier?” The little one was puzzled. Instinctively, she knew that some of the pursuers were terrifying, and she didn’t want to face them.
Qian Ye pointed to the sky, saying, “We’ve been spotted, so we can’t run this time.”
Little Zhuji’s eyes lit up, saying, “We can’t run? Then if we kill the ones chasing us, can we run again?”
“Very clever!” Qian Ye praised.
A cold voice echoed from the woods, “Clever? I think it’s foolish.”
From the forest emerged a powerful figure in full black armor, holding a war rifle in one hand and an antique double-barreled pistol in the other.
Qian Ye did not look up, continuing to polish his sword, saying, “Should I say your luck is too good, or too bad, to have found me directly?”
The armored powerhouse gave a strange smile, saying, “We, the Secret Sword Envoys, should have died long ago. Finding you and sending the message back is our purpose.”
Finally, Qian Ye looked up, not moving, but asking, “What are Secret Sword Envoys?”
The armored powerhouse was stunned, unable to say anything. His eyes flared with anger, and his pistol roared, the first shot aimed at the sky, the second at Qian Ye.
The force bullet whistled past, shattering the rock Qian Ye sat on, and the shockwave knocked over all the towering snow pines within dozens of meters.
But Qian Ye vanished, appearing behind him, a hand pressing on his neck, saying, “Secret Sword Envoy? Seems not so great, does it?”
The bones of the armored powerhouse crackled as Qian Ye shattered countless bones with a single blow. Stumbling, he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with internal organs, glaring at Qian Ye, his eyes burning with fury.
Qian Ye was not intimidated by such ferocity, standing with his hands behind his back, not even using the blue-golden blood sword, just staring at him.
The Secret Sword Envoy’s face suddenly contorted into a strange smile, struggling to say, “You still don’t understand the significance of Secret Sword Envoys, but you… will soon… know…”
“An ordinary marquis, what significance could you have…” Qian Ye’s words were cut short as his expression changed.
The Secret Sword Envoy suddenly spat out a faint cloud of demonic energy that landed on Qian Ye, clinging to him. Immediately, the Envoy’s body burst into demonic flames, exploding in a terrifying blast, most of which was directed at Qian Ye.
Caught off guard, Qian Ye only managed to pull Little Zhuji behind him, and the explosion flattened everything nearby.
When the smoke cleared, Qian Ye looked up to see several more Secret Sword Envoys surrounding him.
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