The title of the Lord of Eternal Night was a suffocating one, even Qian Ye’s chest tightened upon hearing it.
The titles of the dark races were not given lightly; each well-known title was based on the owner’s unique traits and power. This was especially true for dukes and grand dukes. Some particularly powerful grand dukes even received their titles directly from the River of Blood or the Dark Origin Point.
For example, the Everburning Flame received its title when achieving the status of a grand duke, earning a response from the Dark Origin Point. Similarly, whenever a vampire prince ignited their mark among the twelve ancient clans, they would receive an appropriate name, such as Harbus, the Crown of Fire.
A title bestowed by the source of power was not merely a matter of reputation, nor was it for the sake of a catchy name. It was because the title itself carried corresponding power, only those who could wield such power deserved it.
The only exception to this rule were the Supreme Beings of the Holy Mountain; their titles were more an acknowledgment of their status.
Qian Ye, well-versed in the rules of the titles of Eternal Night, understood the implications of the Lord of Eternal Night.
It meant that Anduia had ascended to the Holy Mountain, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Spider Queen and the Night Queen.
Qian Ye felt a complex mix of emotions. The vampires had produced another Supreme Being, but his own clan had nearly been wiped out in the Twilight Campaign. Although the traditional view of the dark races held that the vampiric race would always thrive as long as the Night Queen lived, the Blue King had perished in this campaign.
If Anduia had appeared earlier…
Qian Ye banished this unrealistic thought from his mind and looked at Anduia carefully.
The Blackwing King, no, now the Lord of Eternal Night, appeared exactly as he did in the hidden chamber, the same in both appearance and demeanor. His peculiar, dark hair cascaded like a waterfall, and beneath his black robe, his skin was as white as snow, enveloped in a faint glow. His eyes, gazing at Qian Ye, seemed to contain the depths of the deep blue sea.
Other things could be mimicked, but the blood aura could not. Anduia’s blood aura had changed, becoming deeper and more expansive.
At this moment, Anduia’s presence was like the boundless night sky, vast and endless, with no visible end.
Qian Ye sorted through his chaotic thoughts and suddenly said, “I understand. Rex was referring to the secret of the Holy Mountain, which is you!”
“That’s right.”
“But why hide here? Or is there something special about this place?” Qian Ye was puzzled. With Anduia’s might, why would he need to hide? Even if the Demon Emperor came, they would be evenly matched at best.
“There’s no great secret here. If there’s anything special, it’s these giant trees and the hidden Illusory Force within them. The Illusory Force is too unstable, almost impossible to utilize. Your usage just now was merely as fuel. Even I have only mastered a small part of its properties.”
Anduia looked deeply at Qian Ye and said, “You should have noticed that the world’s true apex lies in the coexistence of Dawn and Eternal Night. Both the Dawn Origin Point and the Dark Origin Point are incomplete, and they need each other to prove their own existence and unleash their ultimate power. Therefore, whether it’s your Chaotic Force or my Illusory Force, their power far exceeds what is considered top-tier force.”
Qian Ye nodded, even more shocked. At least Anduia confirmed that he had already cultivated the Illusory Force. In terms of the grade of the force, it was no less than the Chaotic Force. Anduia’s original strength was among the top grand dukes, so his ascent to the Holy Mountain with the Illusory Force was natural.
But here, Anduia smiled self-deprecatingly and said, “It’s funny, the only standard we use to measure force is war. This wondrous power could be used in much broader fields. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of known forces. No force is useless; we just don’t know how to use them. For millennia, in our eyes, the only use of force has been to kill. At least, we can use it to explore the void.”
Qian Ye felt he had heard something similar before. After thinking, he said, “I once met a young demon lord named Anwen. He was interesting, with no desire to fight. He was dedicated to exploring the world, wanting to break the void prison and travel to a vaster world.”
“Anwen? I met him in another hidden chamber. That morning was merely a trick I used to confuse my enemies, with no treasure inside. But after chatting with him, we unexpectedly talked for a long time. He was indeed an interesting and truly talented person. He came to find my hidden chamber for the Void Blink. He wanted to create an airship capable of Void Blink.”
“Incredible.” Qian Ye marveled. Anwen was one of the few dark beings whom he also greatly admired. But then, he remembered something and asked in surprise, “Your left consciousness can communicate with your main body?”
This was something that even the Polar King could not achieve back then.
Anduia replied calmly, “This is merely the simplest application of the Illusory Force. By then, I had already touched its hem. Anything seen or heard by my left consciousness, I can also see and hear.”
Qian Ye understood. No wonder the legendary Blackwing King dared to challenge Lilith. At that time, he had already begun to step into the realm of the Illusory Force.
As they spoke, Anduia suddenly sighed and said, “However, this idea didn’t originally come from Anwen, but from Yuzhi. She made me realize that the world is vast, too vast to be all about war and the annihilation of races. Every plant and creature, in the meaning of species, is a part of the entire world.”
Qian Ye shook his head, “The idea is good, but unrealistic. Not to mention, the Eternal Night and the Empire have been at war for a thousand years. The accumulated hatred is impossible to resolve unless we start anew.”
Anduia said, “True. Not only between humans and Eternal Night, but also among the various sacred races of Eternal Night, the enmity runs deep and cannot be easily resolved. The only way is to become the strongest in the world, even above the Holy Mountain. Only then can one stand high and overwhelm all dissent, pacifying the grudges.”
“Overwhelm all dissent? Doesn’t that still mean war?”
“Stopping war with war…” Anduia said, shaking his head. A moment later, he sighed, “I know it’s unrealistic. But there’s an old human saying, ‘Do your best and leave the rest to fate.’ I’ve done my best. As for why I hid here…”
Anduia gave a bitter smile and said helplessly, “Where else could I go? Because… I’m already dead!”
“What?!” Qian Ye was shocked.
Anduia’s figure became a bit blurry, and Qian Ye realized that he had been facing a phantom all along.
Even with his dual-pupil control, Qian Ye had not noticed that Anduia was just a phantom, showing the power of the Illusory Force. But what shocked Qian Ye even more was the fall of a being from the Holy Mountain.
Anduia, however, seemed indifferent to his own fall, saying, “In fact, from the moment I made that decision, my fall was destined. To explain further, it goes back to the discovery of the new world.”
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