As Qian Ye pondered, he said, “This process will be long and fraught with variables…”
“Night and the Empire have fought for a thousand years, and yet humanity has not perished; instead, it thrives. What do you think is the reason?”
This question was complex, and countless wise men throughout history had studied it, offering many different answers. Qian Ye himself knew of at least four or five explanations, including racial lineage theory, divine right of kings, and survival of the fittest, among others.
From Qian Ye’s experience leading armies and expanding the Empire’s territory on Yong Continent, he felt that the Empire continuously produced brilliant strategists and wise men far surpassing those of the Night. In critical moments, there were always those willing to sacrifice themselves. For example, Lin Xitang, who single-handedly stabilized the situation on Floating Land, and later, when facing the crisis in Black Sun Valley, Song Zining took up the banner.
When the Night unleashed Yeping, nearly routing the Empire, it was Zhao Jundu and Song Zining who held the final line of defense. Then, Qian Ye alone, with just a sword, challenged the entire Night, leading to an earth-shattering battle that eventually granted the Empire access to the inner world.
After the Battle of Black Sun Valley, voices within the Empire declared that the new generation had fully taken up the mantle of the Empire’s dual pillars, becoming its backbone.
However, Qian Ye knew that relying on so-called heroes and talented generals could not explain a thousand years of warfare. There were too many variables, and the rise and fall of the Empire could not rest on the shoulders of a few or even several dozen individuals. If one spoke of heroes, the Night also had an endless supply.
No matter how much Qian Ye thought about it, he could not find a perfect explanation, so he simply said, “I don’t know.”
Anduyar smiled, “Not knowing is normal. So many wise men have tried to explain it, but no one has found a satisfactory answer. Whatever the explanation, there are too many coincidences. Perhaps coincidence is the truth, and so many coincidences happening together can only mean one thing: it is destiny.”
“But… that doesn’t seem right,” Qian Ye was surprised that the mighty Blackwing King was a believer in fate. Wasn’t that the domain of fortune-tellers? In fact, the fortune-tellers of the Night Council, especially Pratrick, were the least likely to believe in fate.
“If you carefully review history, you will find that the rise of humanity is filled with too many coincidences. So many critical points, any small mistake, and the Empire would have been destroyed. Yet, the Empire survived each crisis. Can this be called luck?”
Qian Ye did not know how to respond.
Anduyar continued, “For instance, if it weren’t for you, humanity would have no place in the inner world. Not entering the inner world would have led to their inevitable destruction. Is this also luck?”
“I don’t have such a significant role,” Qian Ye said.
Anduyar replied calmly, “Your role is greater than you imagine. Let’s consider this: at every crucial turning point, fortune has always favored humanity. Once, twice, ten, a hundred years, it’s acceptable, but a thousand years? That’s hard to justify. True destiny should be a fifty-fifty chance. The probability of a thousand years of good fortune is almost impossibly low.”
Qian Ye was stunned, and after careful consideration, he found it incredible. Such a probability was perhaps lower than the Dark Emperor being killed by a falling rock while sitting at home.
Anduyar said, “So, the only conclusion is that humanity has a way to manipulate destiny. We don’t even know what that method is. For so many years, the so-called master fortune-tellers of the council are no better than primitive tribes compared to humanity.”
Qian Ye did not know what to say. From his position, he would never advise on how to exterminate humanity. On the other hand, he had never entered the true upper echelons of the Empire and knew little about its secret history.
“Thus, annihilating humanity is unrealistic, as is stopping their rise. A few hundred years ago, the sages on the Holy Mountain reached a consensus. The power of destiny is too mysterious to be grasped. And to be honest, in their minds, destroying the arch-enemy is more important than exterminating humanity.” Anduyar laughed self-deprecatingly, “Even I, given the choice between exterminating humanity and the dark races, would choose to get rid of those black creatures.”
Infighting was a long-standing problem among the dark races, but when Qian Ye began integrating into the blood race, he realized that the so-called infighting was viewed from the Empire’s perspective. To the dark races, other races, including humans, were all foreign.
“However, humanity remains the common enemy of all dark races. If there is a way to completely eliminate them, those sages would not mind temporarily uniting.”
Qian Ye frowned, “I don’t think different races can’t coexist. In fact, I have already established a territory on Yong Continent where werewolves, humans, and other races live together and thrive.”
Anduyar smiled, “You are young and free of prejudice. Those on the Holy Mountain are different. Even the youngest Dark Emperor is older than the longest-lived human. They have seen too much change, making them very stubborn. Convincing them to change their minds is almost impossible. At least, in the matter of eliminating humanity, they are united.”
“You just said that humanity cannot be exterminated, didn’t you?”
“Under normal circumstances, it is very difficult to destroy humanity, which manipulates destiny. After all, at every critical moment, someone else will intervene. But there is a way to bypass the power of destiny.”
Qian Ye was startled, “What is it?”
“Humanity is the only dawn life. Their existence cannot lack the power of dawn. To eradicate humanity, the best method is not to kill them all, but to eliminate the power of dawn.”
“That’s impossible!” Qian Ye was completely unconvinced. Eliminating the power of dawn was harder than completely destroying a continent, and the natural laws of the world could not be changed by human effort.
“Under normal circumstances, it is impossible, but with the dark origin in hand, the impossible becomes possible. Look, is there any power of dawn in the inner world?”
“Of course not… wait?” Qian Ye stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing.
Anduyar smiled, “You finally see it. The world can exist without the power of dawn.”
This contradicted everything Qian Ye had learned since childhood. All knowledge taught that the night and dawn were interdependent, together forming the foundation of the world. Even the ancient Song texts hinted at this truth.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage