In the sky above Yonglu, Prertick, who was meditating, suddenly opened his eyes. He pushed open the door of the silent chamber, walked across the bridge, stepped onto the deck, and gazed into the vast void.
That direction was precisely the central continent where the core territories of the four major races of the Eternal Night Council were located. The staff head of the “Guardian of Fate” in Prertick’s hand suddenly flickered, as if someone had opened their eyes in the darkness.
The lava ancient castle on the Duskland remained as serene and peaceful as ever, unbothered by the world.
The Demon Emperor, rarely away from his books, was sitting under a wisteria vine in the garden, leisurely having afternoon tea with Habus.
The pastries on the table before them were different from usual, crude in appearance and far from the refined tastes favored by the upper nobles of Eternal Night.
Yet, in terms of value, this table was many times more expensive than the most exquisite afternoon tea. These local specialties were delivered from the neutral zone near the “Star Corridor,” thousands of miles away, by the “City of Emma.” They were on the chef’s confectionery table in the morning and on this tea table by the afternoon, a feat only possible through spatial jumps, something neither side’s fastest vessels could achieve.
After finishing a small pastry shaped like a maple leaf, the Demon Emperor suddenly smiled, “The taste hasn’t changed. I heard the owner is the great-great-granddaughter of the original one. Metar… ah, Habus, what do you think?”
Habus put down the pastry fork and said calmly, “The taste is indeed very good, but I don’t remember the original taste.”
The Demon Emperor looked at Habus, still smiling, but sighed softly, “Alright, my stubborn old friend.” After a pause, he said, “If I can’t keep my promise, you would turn against me, right?”
Habus raised his eyes and looked at the Demon Emperor for a moment, then asked, “What’s wrong?”
“If that child appeared in front of me, I might not be able to guarantee that I wouldn’t act!”
Habus thought for a moment and frowned, “He went to the demon-kin continent? How could that be? And since you have always been able to track his whereabouts, why did you send the council’s secret sword messengers?”
“I can only see the arrow of fate,” the Demon Emperor said softly.
“Your Majesty Kain, you are a holy mountain. If you decide to do something, there is nothing that truly concerns you. In fact, you don’t seem to fear Her Majesty Lilith as much as you appear to, do you?”
“We may not submit to power, but each of us must revere fate.” The Demon Emperor smiled and said, “Habus, have you ever thought about what would happen if a clan had two holy mountains?”
Habus was taken aback. A clan having only one holy mountain seemed to be a natural norm, and he had never considered the possibility until the Demon Emperor asked.
The Demon Emperor then asked, “Why did Blackwing Anduva abandon challenging Lilith back then?”
Habus fell silent for a moment and replied, “Wasn’t it because he lacked the strength?”
The Demon Emperor smiled without speaking. After a while, he whispered, “I look forward to the world’s curtain being lifted, and now I’m getting impatient. My dear old friend, are you unwilling to awaken again?”
Habus gave him a deep look and remained silent. He neither answered yes or no, nor reacted to the mention of a second awakening.
The Demon Emperor’s demeanor remained gentle, and he said nothing more, seemingly returning his attention to the rough yet nostalgic pastries on the table.
Deep in the void, the Hall of Heroes swam like a fish, swinging its long tail as it moved forward. Qian Ye stood on the head of the drake, looking into the distant void, his mind fully immersed in the Black Book, constantly refining his current strength and means.
The unexpected truce with the spider demons did not alleviate much pressure. The demon-kin alone still had the Grand Lords, the Demon Emperor, and those hidden for a thousand years, existing only in legends.
Moreover, Lora had casually mentioned that the Demon Emperor had a clone that remained on the Duskland. This was Lora’s warning to Qian Ye that the Duskland was not a place to hide. However, Lora never imagined that Qian Ye would choose the demon-kin continent as his next destination. This information also implied that the dark holy mountain was in a period of full mobility, possibly even capable of descending in person when necessary.
Qian Ye looked at his hand, flexing his fingers, and a faint thunderclap resounded. Instead of compressing air, he was now compressing the void’s primordial force. Now, his entire body, inside and out, was preliminarily transformed by the chaotic primordial force, and his internal organs were strengthened. According to the standards of Eternal Night bloodline rankings, he had firmly entered the Duke stage.
If special bloodline abilities were produced after the internal organs were strengthened by primordial force, he would become a Prince. The ability to trigger the source of racial power, like the Blood Clan’s Crimson River, would mark his coronation as a Prince.
Even without special bloodline abilities, once his entire being, including his soul, was enhanced to the extreme, and his primordial force truly approached the source, he would become a Grand Lord.
Only at this level of power would one realize that becoming a Prince between the Duke and Grand Lord stages was not a necessary path. Sometimes, too unique an awakened bloodline might make reaching the ultimate realm seem far off. Just like how the second generation progenitor of the Blood Clan was not necessarily a Grand Lord, and a Grand Lord of the Blood Clan might not become a progenitor.
Now that Qian Ye had become a Duke, he was already standing at the threshold of a Grand Lord. His new body, reinforced by the chaotic primordial force, was far stronger than a regular Duke, comparable to a Grand Lord. He could barely hold his own against Lora, known for his immense strength. In terms of pure strength and physical prowess, the Grand Lord of the demon-kin might not match Qian Ye at this moment.
However, Qian Ye felt no ease. Although he learned from Lora that the Demon Emperor, due to a pact with Habus, would not directly intervene in the holy war between the demon-kin and the Blood Clan, Qian Ye did not trust his safety to the Demon Emperor’s promises.
Promises were only effective between equals. From the multiple pursuits, it was clear that the Demon Emperor was determined to obtain the Black Book. In Qian Ye’s view, the pact between the Demon Emperor and Prince Habus was strange, and he did not believe that the young, newly born Blood Clan progenitor, who was effectively imprisoned, had the real power to bind the Demon Emperor.
Qian Ye put down his hand and pondered, “It seems the power is still not enough…”
After a moment, the Hall of Heroes changed direction and flew towards the Western Continent.
At the Zhao Mansion on the Western Continent, the bustling scene was like a small city. Heavy trucks were constantly coming and going on the main roads. On the road leading to the Craftsmen’s Manor, there was a severe traffic jam, and many Zhao disciples were directing traffic and even helping to move goods manually.
Countless supplies were sent into the Craftsmen’s Manor, processed through countless complex procedures, and some even passed through several different workshops, ultimately turning into floating warships, war machines, main cannons, and other war materials, which were then expelled from the other end.
One side of the mountain had been hollowed out, clearing a large area where dozens of new workshops of varying sizes were rising, doubling the original capacity of the Craftsmen’s Manor.
With the resources of the Zhao Valves’ two and a half provinces, they could not support such a high production capacity. The current expansion could only mean one thing: the entire empire was gearing up for war.
Inside the Zhao Mansion, the inner courtyard was relatively empty. Servants and maids rushed about, whispering. Most of the main family members were not in the mansion, and they had little to do. However, the increasing casualties among the main family’s branches left the remaining ones in a foul mood, often meting out harsh punishment to servants for minor infractions.
Qian Ye appeared outside the gates of the Zhao Mansion, looking up at the plaque with a sigh.
He took a step towards the gate, his figure flashed, and he reappeared inside the mansion, walking along the central path towards the inner courtyard.
People hurried past, ignoring Qian Ye. Under the influence of the latent bloodline, Qian Ye looked like any other servant to them, and even if seen, he was easily overlooked.
When Qian Ye used a void flash to enter the inner courtyard, an invisible gaze locked onto him, undeterred by his latent bloodline.
Qian Ye stopped and waited. It was normal to be detected. The Zhao Mansion’s defenses were as strict as the Imperial Palace, and if latent bloodlines could allow free passage, the dark races would have assassinated many important figures long ago.
An elderly eunuch floated over and bowed, “It is rare for the fifth young master to return. The High Princess wishes to see you.”
“Lead the way.”
A moment later, Qian Ye arrived at the High Princess’s residence and was led to her study. She wore a loose dress and sat behind a desk piled high with documents waiting to be processed.
Seeing Qian Ye, she quickly wrote a few words on the document in her hand, then put down her pen and said, “Weihuang only knows how to lead troops and never bothers with these trivial matters. I originally didn’t want to get involved in the clan’s affairs, but now it’s not a normal time, and I have to take on these responsibilities, no matter how reluctant I am.”
“Major military decisions cannot be left to outsiders,” Qian Ye nodded.
The High Princess nodded, her ageless face showing a hint of fatigue. “They are fighting to the death on the front lines, and any shortage in military supplies could cost lives. I can’t bear to leave it to others, so I have to handle it myself.”
She then looked at Qian Ye and said calmly, “Your return is indeed unexpected. But seeing you alive is the best news.”
Qian Ye smiled and said, “I thought I was going to die.”
The High Princess said slowly, “You are now completely a member of the Blood Clan, but where does your heart lie?”
“In a high place.”
“You… have finally given up on the empire?”
Qian Ye said, “I wouldn’t say I’ve given up. In my heart, there is still a place for the human race. But for now, I need to save the remaining members of the Blood Clan.”
The High Princess’s expression remained unchanged. “The Blood Clan has always been the greatest enemy of the empire. Are you still willing to work for them?”
“Not every Blood Clansman is my enemy, and not every human is my friend. In a way, I have more enemies in the empire,” Qian Ye said calmly.
The High Princess sighed. “The empire has indeed wronged you, but…”
Qian Ye interrupted her, “Not everyone who wronged me truly acted for the sake of the human race or the greater good. They were merely using the guise of the greater good to pursue their selfish desires. As long as I live, I will eventually settle the score with them.”
“You’ve changed…”
“Who wouldn’t change after coming back from the dead multiple times? Or maybe I’m just not as easily fooled anymore.”
The High Princess nodded and asked, “Why have you returned this time?”
Qian Ye said, “To borrow something.”
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