Chapter 288: The Heavenly King as the Beginning

Anduya vanished, and Qian Ye stood still for a long time before he realized that Anduya was truly gone for good.

At the summit of the Holy Peak, desolation reigned. All the alien trees, in the process of releasing their Illusory Force, had been utterly destroyed, leaving not even a trace behind.

In the confrontation between the Chaotic Force and the Illusory Force, even the youngest of the alien trees could not remain unscathed; they were all eradicated. From then on, there would be no more alien trees in the Inner World, and thus no more Illusory Force. Perhaps after several centuries, or even longer, new alien trees might appear, bringing back the Illusory Force. But that was a tale for another time.

Now, on the side of Dawn, a Heavenly King had been born, and Eternal Night was also stirring, ready to strike at the Great Lords. In between, there was a Prince, but his presence was almost negligible.

A Prince was a transitional stage between a Duke and a Great Lord, possessing certain traits and powers of a Great Lord without fully reaching that level. With Qian Ye’s Dark Gold Blood, he could have directly reached the realm of a Great Lord without taking this half-step. Now, in the Eternal Night, what he lacked was only accumulation. In other words, he needed to kill.

Being the embodiment of both Dawn and Eternal Night, Qian Ye might be the first person in the world to compare the top-tier forces of these two factions in detail. The Eternal Night relied on bloodlines and physical bodies, striving for an even stronger physique, capable of overpowering others even in environments where the elemental force of heaven and earth was hard to harness.

The power of a Heavenly King, on the other hand, was more dependent on the cultivation of Origin Crystals. When the sixth Origin Crystal was cultivated, the mutual attraction between them broke a certain boundary, ultimately merging into one. This new, merged Origin Crystal was no longer just an Origin Crystal; it was more like a new organ, adding many new abilities to the human body.

The difference between a Heavenly King and a Divine General lay in the qualitative change of the Origin Crystals. The true methods of a Heavenly King were beyond the reach of a Divine General. Even an upper-level Divine General was significantly inferior to a Heavenly King.

Qian Ye had just broken through to the realm of a Heavenly King, and though he had yet to consolidate it, he already sensed a subtle change in the world, becoming more delicate and fragile. A punch with the same strength now required only eighty percent of his power. As the new Origin Crystal stabilized, the required power would further decrease.

Was this the ability of a Heavenly King?

Qian Ye frowned slightly. He did not need to reduce his consumption, as his precise control over his power was impeccable. With his body transformed by the Chaotic Force, Qian Ye’s endurance was unparalleled, and he was unafraid of any opponent in terms of energy depletion. His terrifying aspect had always been the instant, overwhelming killing power he wielded against his peers.

Whether it was the Original Gun, the Mountain-Crushing Power, the Dragon Funeral, the current Manjushage, or earlier techniques like the Eastern Peak and the Eight Directions, most opponents of the same rank, and even those a rank higher, could not withstand a single strike from Qian Ye. If they were hit, they were either killed or severely injured. Although these techniques consumed a lot of energy and Qian Ye himself could not use them frequently, in a life-or-death battle, how many chances would an opponent have to survive multiple strikes? Most often, they died with the first strike.

Therefore, in the realm of a Heavenly King, Qian Ye did not need precise control to reduce his burden; instead, he wanted every move to be as heavy as a mountain, causing the heavens to split and the earth to crack with a single blow.

Remarkably, the moment Qian Ye thought of this, the Origin Crystal responded. His perception of the elemental force remained at its current level, and the details of the world did not change. But in Qian Ye’s eyes, the world continued to grow more fragile.

Qian Ye extended his hand, and a faint, indistinct black shadow appeared in his palm. Then, lightning flashed, shooting out several hundred-meter-long bolts, leaving scorch marks on the ground.

Even a casual grip could make the space tremble.

Suddenly, Qian Ye looked up, and above him, a speck of blackness hovered.

That black dot was so small that it was almost impossible to measure, even with Qian Ye’s keen senses. Yet, it existed, exerting an inescapable pull on everything around it, drawing it into the black, becoming a part of its existence.

Qian Ye understood that this was the true form of the Chaotic Force. In the struggle with the Illusory Force, the gray surface of the Chaotic Force had faded, revealing its true nature.

True Chaotic Force, existing, substantial, yet infinitely minute.

With this realization, Qian Ye established a connection with the black dot. After all, it was a part of his Chaotic Force, moving at his will.

Qian Ye absorbed the black dot into his body, and all the Chaotic Force immediately gathered, forming a gray sphere within the Book of Darkness, floating and sinking. Though the gray sphere was still incredibly small, it was now immeasurable. But it was fundamentally different from being unmeasurable. Qian Ye felt the interior of the gray sphere slowly collapsing, turning into an immeasurable blackness.

As to why the gray sphere could move freely within the Book of Darkness, Qian Ye did not know, perhaps because the Chaotic Force was originally born from the Book of Darkness.

By now, Qian Ye had drawn a conclusion about the comparison between Dawn and Eternal Night.

The transformed Origin Crystal was even more mysterious, bringing about a complete transformation for humans. This was only the initial state of the Origin Crystal, and as more were cultivated and integrated, its power would continue to grow.

Moreover, deep within the Origin Crystal, there was a faint presence of sentience. Though it was still young, like a newborn child, it was certain that as the Origin Crystal matured, this sentience would develop, becoming something unimaginable.

Compared to the dark races, the ascension to a Heavenly King for humans was almost a leap in the essence of life. In this sense, the human cultivation system was far superior to that of the dark races. The dark races relied on their powerful innate bloodlines and the favorable environment of the dark elemental force in the Eternal Night to temporarily surpass humans.

Even though Qian Ye rarely felt surprised by anything, at this moment, he was deeply shaken. He had never expected such a profound secret to be hidden in the realm of a Heavenly King. The merging of six Origin Crystals into one, and the spontaneous emergence of sentience, were truly earth-shaking methods. How did the founding emperors and the early heroes create such a technique?

Qian Ye had thought that becoming a Heavenly King was the end, but now, he realized it might be the beginning of a new life. He wondered what the Origin Crystal would become when its sentience fully developed.

This was a great secret of humanity, kept under wraps for a thousand years, known only to Qian Ye, a half-foreigner, until today.

Qian Ye stood up, and as the Chaotic Force in his body settled, he rose into the air and disappeared.

Moments later, he returned to the holy land of Aruva.

An elder saw Qian Ye and rushed over, saying, “A strange ‘person’ wants to see you. He looks a bit like you.”

“Bring him here.”

Soon, the elder brought a man with slightly graying temples before Qian Ye. The man bowed deeply and said, “Duke Kongduo of Yun, paying my respects to Lord Qian Ye.”

Qian Ye remained seated, as solid as a mountain. After Duke Kongduo finished his bow, Qian Ye lifted his hand lightly and said, “Rise. Speak your purpose.”

This was a completely authoritative attitude, and Duke Kongduo felt a surge of anger.

However, despite his growing ire, he looked into Qian Ye’s fathomless eyes and his expression gradually changed. Duke Kongduo was puzzled; he had just seen Qian Ye not long ago, so how could his aura have changed so much in just one day?

Could it be…?

Before he could finish his thought, he concluded: It was impossible.

The Heavenly Kings of the Empire each had their unique qualities. For instance, the King of Green Sun was naturally domineering, while the Polar King was like a breeze over water, merging with the world. The White Emperor, on the other hand, was just beginning to show his sharp edge, like the sun rising over the water, full of vitality.

But in Duke Kongduo’s eyes, Qian Ye was now a vast, bottomless darkness. And within that darkness, there was an irresistible force, making him feel as if his heart was being pulled away.

Moreover, this darkness was so vast it seemed to cover the sky!

Duke Kongduo was startled, but when he focused again, he saw nothing unusual.

He dared not think too much or show any oddity, and took out a painting to present. “The Empire has just sent some top-secret intelligence, and among them is something related to you. Therefore, the two princes have ordered me to bring this painting for you to inspect.”

Qian Ye leaned forward slightly and took the painting, acting as naturally as a commoner. However, Duke Kongduo felt a moment of dizziness, and the painting was gone.

Qian Ye unfolded the painting and gazed at the long sword that resembled Jingshu for a moment, deep in thought.

Duke Kongduo carefully observed Qian Ye’s expression and cautiously asked, “You have seen it, may I take my leave?”

“Wait.” Qian Ye stopped him.

Duke Kongduo’s heart raced; it seemed Qian Ye had taken the bait. He hid his joy and waited for instructions.

Qian Ye casually crumpled the painting, and it vanished into nothingness.

Duke Kongduo felt a chill; he had not seen how Qian Ye destroyed the painting. Moreover, even the most powerful techniques should leave some residue. How could a painting be utterly obliterated?

“The brushwork was quite good; it’s a pity to destroy it.”

Duke Kongduo’s heart suddenly pounded.

“Oh, right, there’s a message for the two princes.”

Duke Kongduo quickly said, “Please tell me!”

Qian Ye pointed at the black sun and said, “The thing above us is called the Dark Source in Eternal Night. Their plan is to open a channel between the Inner World and Eternal Night, introducing the Dark Elemental Force from the Dark Source into Eternal Night.”

Duke Kongduo, who was well-informed, turned pale and exclaimed, “How can such a method exist?”

Qian Ye remained silent.

Duke Kongduo calmed himself and knelt, saying, “Since Lord Qian Ye has revealed such a great secret, he must have guidance for us. Please instruct us, what should we do now?”

“Do as the two princes wish.”

Duke Kongduo was stunned, “Such a significant matter, how can it be left to chance?”

Qian Ye replied calmly, “Is there anything in the world that cannot be left to chance?”