Chapter 260: Hidden Secrets

“Of course, there are issues,” Rex said with a wry smile, a strange carefree air mingling with his words.

“What issues?” Qian Ye inquired, bewildered.

“The biggest issue is that I’m already dead!”

“What!?” Qian Ye was astounded.

Only the sovereign of the Holy Mountain or perhaps the Blackwing Monarch, the Eternal Flame, and the Azure Monarch—those at the pinnacle of the Great Lords—could have slain Rex.

“Who? When?” Qian Ye’s voice grew cold, carrying a chilling intent to kill.

“Why, do you plan to avenge me?” Rex asked with an amused smirk.

Qian Ye took a deep breath and said, “Time is on my side. Maybe not now, but even the Eternal Flame may not be safe from me in the future.”

With the primordial force of chaos, Qian Ye was well aware of his potential. Once he reached the level of the Great Lords, the Eternal Flame would surely not be his match.

“You speak big words, show me your true strength then.”

Qian Ye nodded, “Wait a moment, I’ll summon my main body.”

Rex quickly waved his hands, “No! I’ve been dead for a long time, and now all that remains is a bit of consciousness, a very fragile soul. It cannot approach your main body.”

Upon further questioning, Qian Ye learned that this region in the inner world was unique, where anything would become exceptionally stable, even active primordial forces would grow calm and tranquil. This was why Rex had placed his lingering will here. Consequently, the Attawa warriors were actually far away, which made it difficult for them to hear his voice.

After explaining, Qian Ye opened his left hand, and the pattern of his heart appeared, adorned with five crystals. This meant Qian Ye had officially entered the realm of a high-ranking divine general in the domain of dawn, just a step away from the twenty-fourth level, the recognized king.

In his right hand, Qian Ye displayed his body structure. Rex, being a powerhouse of his level, immediately saw that Qian Ye’s entire body, inside and out, had been extensively enhanced, and terrifyingly so. Physically, Qian Ye had few flaws; the remaining concerns were his soul, the blood nucleus, and his brain.

As a Night eternal, Rex knew that Qian Ye was currently at the Duke level, but he found it extremely unsettling. How could a normal Duke enhance their body to such an extent? Even a Great Lord wouldn’t be much different.

If a normal Duke’s body were compared to steel, Qian Ye’s Duke form was an ultra-alloy, far stronger than ordinary steel.

“You really are… a monster.” Rex exhaled heavily, though he no longer needed to breathe.

Seeing Qian Ye reveal his true realm, Rex didn’t hold back anymore, “You should give up on avenging me. The one who killed me… was the Queen.”

“What? Oh, you mean the Spider Queen?”

Rex shattered Qian Ye’s hopes, “It was the Night Queen, Lilith.”

Qian Ye’s expression grew serious as he listened intently, eager to hear the details.

Rex hesitated, then sighed, “The Queen killed me because of the New World. My master and I tried to stop the Council from using the New World, and the key step was for me to act. But in the end, we couldn’t hide it from the Queen. She… with a single strike across the void, she extinguished all my life.”

“And this led to the final split between my master and the Queen.” Rex sighed again.

At a loss for words, Qian Ye fell silent before asking, “What is in the New World that is so important?”

“There is the origin of darkness. Actually, the origin of darkness…” Rex’s voice suddenly went hoarse, and no matter what Qian Ye did, he couldn’t hear him clearly.

Rex realized this and paused, “It seems I have erased all memories about the origin of darkness from my consciousness. But don’t worry, you will know soon enough.”

Qian Ye tried asking several more times, but whenever it came to the key points about the origin of darkness, Rex couldn’t say a word.

Moreover, through their conversation, Qian Ye noticed that while Rex seemed to have independent consciousness and intelligence, it was incomplete and mechanical, much like the remnants of the Northern King.

It seemed Rex was truly dead.

Understanding this, Qian Ye changed his direction, “Why are you still here? Is there something you want to tell me?”

This question seemed to unlock a door.

“We must stop the Council! The Attawa tribe will help you, they are willing to make any sacrifice for this cause.” Rex’s voice suddenly became sacred, lofty, and ethereal, the voice of a holy spirit.

“What should I do?”

“Do everything in your power to stop the Council. Kill anyone they send here. The Attawa tribe has received the revelation, and they will be your loyal companions. You will also have the aid of the Mother Tree and the spirits of the earth. All the trees here will become your eyes.”

“Rex?”

The confusion in Rex’s eyes disappeared as he switched back from the holy spirit state. He looked at Qian Ye with surprise, “You actually came here.”

Everything returned to the beginning, as if Rex was a reset machine, repeating the same program.

Qian Ye, speechless, patiently repeated his questions, hoping to learn more from Rex. However, Rex retained some of his former wisdom, still able to recognize Qian Ye’s primal wings and remember many old secrets. It seemed the primal wings were something he had cherished in his life.

Finally, Qian Ye understood that the purpose of Rex’s remaining consciousness was to prepare for the Night Council’s entry into the inner world, to gather strong allies and thwart the Council’s plans with the Attawa tribe.

Finding no more answers, Qian Ye felt weary and prepared to return to his main body. Suddenly, Rex’s eyes brightened, and a figure slowly rose from the depths of his pupils, as if awakening from a deep slumber.

“So, it’s you,” he said gravely.

Qian Ye turned, “I don’t think we’ve ever met.”

“No, I have seen you.”

“When?”

Rex paused, recalling, “It was… in the depths of a chaotic temporal flow. I only saw a fragment of fate. From then on, I waited, for this day.”

“Who are you now?”

“I am Rex, a fragment of will left in the holy spirit. My existence is to tell you one thing: all the answers can be found on the Holy Mountain.”

“Why go through all this trouble?”

“Because some secrets are eternal, unspoken, and unremembered. They can only be hidden in a certain way.” Rex spoke with profound meaning.

Qian Ye understood; it was likely about the origin of darkness. It couldn’t be spoken, nor remembered, but it could be placed somewhere, as long as one remembered where.

With his mission complete, Rex’s presence faded, and his figure began to disappear.

Qian Ye glanced around and turned to fly back to the altar. As he entered, his consciousness felt a sudden ease, realizing the suppressive nature of the active primordial force.

Qian Ye’s body, still propped against the altar, remained motionless. As his consciousness returned, he moved his body, feeling no discomfort or oddities, and felt relieved.

The elder, seeing him awake, knelt and said, “The Attawa Spurke tribe is willing to pay any price to eliminate all the invading black devils!”

The other warriors also knelt, repeating the elder’s words.

Qian Ye bade them rise and carefully inquired about the Spurke tribe’s structure, distribution, and warrior count. After his inquiries, his initial enthusiasm cooled.

The thirteen Attawa tribes were similar, with little difference in their patterns and development. The Spurke tribe relied on a mere dozen giant warriors, and otherwise, they were no different from the guardians of the Monroe tribe.

Back then, the Monroe tribe had relied on the sacrifice of lives and the self-detonation of the genius warrior Su Wen to weaken Palochia’s defense. However, the weakening was insufficient, and Palochia’s escape was largely due to Qian Ye’s unexpected powerful shot.

In that battle, hundreds of Attawa warriors perished, none surviving. Half of them had already fallen by the start of the fight.

Qian Ye had persisted until the end because it was the decision of the Attawa warriors themselves, and because the battle had already cost many lives. To ensure the fallen warriors’ sacrifices weren’t in vain, he had to continue.

But now, given the choice, Qian Ye didn’t want the Attawa warriors to die needlessly.

After some thought, Qian Ye told the elder, “Send a few people to guide me to the Holy Mountain, and the rest of the warriors should return to their tribes to prepare for battle, awaiting orders.”

The elder assigned the three warriors who had brought Qian Ye to guide him to the Holy Mountain. He himself returned to the tribe to gather the warriors and await orders.

With tasks assigned, Qian Ye set off with the guiding warriors. The elder, however, would never receive the order to engage in battle.

The journey to the Holy Mountain was different; the three Attawa warriors formed a protective barrier around Qian Ye, ready to die at any moment.

The trip to the Holy Mountain was a day’s travel. Along the way, Qian Ye noticed the three Attawa warriors’ unwavering enmity toward the Council’s strongholds but indifference toward humans and bloodsuckers. An interesting dichotomy.

When Qian Ye inquired, they could only repeat the same vague phrases about the black devils destroying the world.

Finding no answers, Qian Ye ceased his questioning. Upon reaching the Holy Mountain and uncovering Rex’s secret, he might finally understand what the origin of darkness was and why Anduyah and Lilith had turned against each other.