Chapter 291: The Eternal Night Has Grown Old

The Ancestor Wolf sneered, his fangs gleaming with a tangible light. Slowly raising his massive sword, he asked, “Am I old?”

Before Qian Ye could respond, the enormous sword flashed above his head like a sudden apparition, descending with the force of a mountain cleaving and a thunderous roar: “Am I old?!”

“Am I old?!”

“Am I old?!”

…

Nine thunderous roars, nine mighty slashes, each strike coming from nowhere, inescapable. The weight of the sword was like a mountain, its speed like lightning, no need for any fancy moves, only raw power!

At this level of swordsmanship, there was no need for technique, only to be faster and heavier.

As the nine slashes cut through in an instant, the sky and earth changed color. Apart from the Flame of Eternal Burn, who showed no emotion, all the other great lords were moved. They had not expected that after a hundred years of seclusion, the Ancestor Wolf’s first move would be so earth-shattering.

After the nine slashes, the Ancestor Wolf retracted his sword and slowly retreated.

Qian Ye stood still in his original place, his sword tip pointing to the ground, as if he had not moved at all. However, on the blade of the Azure-Gold Blood Sword, nine tiny nicks appeared, each as small as a grain of rice.

If it weren’t for these nicks, no one would have been able to tell that Qian Ye had just blocked nine powerful strikes.

Each strike was met with a hard block, not a single step back.

The Ancestor Wolf’s pupils constricted, his chest rising and falling several times before he slowly calmed down, saying, “Excellent swordsmanship!”

Qian Ye smiled, replying, “Do I even have a sword technique?”

The Ancestor Wolf’s pupils constricted again, and he said no more, holding his sword horizontally across his chest, taking a defensive stance.

Qian Ye had only defended without attacking, clearly holding back his deadliest moves. The Ancestor Wolf knew that if he attacked fiercely again, and failed, Qian Ye’s counterattack would be utterly devastating.

But Qian Ye did not immediately attack. Instead, he said, “What about your ancestral power? Show it all.”

Without further ado, the Ancestor Wolf let out a deep roar, and with his left hand, he pointed into the air. Each time he pointed, a totem appeared, and on each totem, a shadow of a werewolf emerged. In an instant, the entire sacred ground was filled with a primordial, ancient, powerful, and brutal aura.

The Ancestor Wolf summoned seven ancestral totems in one breath!

Each ancestral totem either bestowed a formidable ability or enhanced a physical attribute. Together, the seven totems raised the Ancestor Wolf’s strength to a terrifying level.

With the power of his ancestors, the Ancestor Wolf sneered, “Let me show you if I’m old or not!”

Qian Ye slowly raised his sword to his brow, then ran his fingers along the blade. The nicks on the Azure-Gold Blood Sword smoothed out, and a faint flame of crimson gold ignited.

Looking at the flame, Qian Ye said slowly, “In fact, it’s not that you’re old.”

The Ancestor Wolf burst into laughter, saying, “Trying to change your mind now? Too late!”

Qian Ye smiled, “Let me show you my Heavenly King’s power.”

As he spoke, he raised the Azure-Gold Blood Sword high above his head, then slowly lowered it, moving sluggishly towards the Ancestor Wolf.

Yet, as the sword blade moved, a sharp, piercing sound rose within a hundred miles, like the wailing of ghosts and the roaring of gods!

Threads of black energy wrapped around the blade of the Azure-Gold Blood Sword, making it seem almost insubstantial. All the great lords changed color, and even the Flame of Eternal Burn, who set aside his pride, rushed toward Qian Ye, intending to rescue him. But in the midst of the ghostly wails, the Flame of Eternal Burn’s movements became abnormally slow, even slower than Qian Ye’s slow, sluggish sword strike!

The Ancestor Wolf’s face was filled with horror, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. His long fangs twisted in an eerie manner, no longer seeming hard at all.

The Ancestor Wolf slowly turned, clearly wanting to escape, but wisps of blackness appeared from nowhere, spreading over his body, making his movements as slow as a turtle, even slower than the Flame of Eternal Burn.

Qian Ye held the sword with both hands, his hands trembling slightly. The world was too fragile; he had to control it with all his might to avoid prematurely shattering the very structure of the world.

With this sword, Qian Ye intended to turn the Ancestor Wolf and the space he occupied into nothingness. Even with three great lords by his side, they could not change the Ancestor Wolf’s fate.

As for how he would escape afterward, Qian Ye did not think about it. At this moment, his heart was entirely focused on this single strike of the Heavenly King!

The Ancestor Wolf had no way to escape.

In a moment of crisis, the Ancestor Wolf roared, his body swelling, growing several times in size. Seven shadows of werewolves burst from his giant-like body, merging into one, forming an incredibly huge werewolf.

Qian Ye’s sword fell, slicing into the massive werewolf silently. Wherever the blade passed, everything turned to nothingness, leaving only rippling, fog-like blackness behind.

The Ancestor Wolf let out a wail as his body rapidly shrank, finally breaking free from the layers of black energy entwining him, and quickly retreating behind the three great lords. His face aged visibly, and his aura constantly declined, as if it could stop at any moment.

Qian Ye’s strike had destroyed all seven of the ancestral spirits that possessed him, inflicting a wound so severe that the Ancestor Wolf would never fully recover. Moreover, the Ancestor Wolf had summoned the strongest of the werewolf ancestors, and losing seven of them at once was a heavy blow to the entire werewolf race.

As soon as Qian Ye’s sword strike landed, the Flame of Eternal Burn’s speed returned to normal. He appeared before Qian Ye, extending a fist from the azure flames, aiming for Qian Ye’s chest.

Qian Ye raised his left hand lightly, blocking the Flame of Eternal Burn’s punch. Upon contact, Qian Ye’s face turned pale, and he floated back a step.

The Flame of Eternal Burn, seizing the advantage, unleashed another punch! But just as the punch was about to land, he suddenly saw the expression on Qian Ye’s face, a chill running down his spine, and he swiftly retreated, stepping back among the great lords.

Qian Ye covered his mouth, coughing lightly, and a streak of dark red appeared on his fingertips. But he paid it no mind, and when he lowered his hand, the blood had already vanished.

The Ancestor Wolf, panting heavily, glared at Qian Ye with twisted hatred, roaring, “You dare…!”

Mid-sentence, his voice suddenly faltered, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Sausa and Palochia both paled, realizing that the Ancestor Wolf’s injuries were even worse than they had imagined.

Now, their gazes toward Qian Ye carried a hint of shock and fear. Qian Ye had blocked the Ancestor Wolf’s nine strikes, impressive as it was, but it was still within their understanding. But how could his sword strike suddenly become so overwhelmingly powerful? How could such a strike, capable of annihilating all of creation, be countered?!

The same thought arose in the minds of Palochia and Sausa: What exactly is his Heavenly King’s power?

The Flame of Eternal Burn watched as Qian Ye’s aura began to steadily rise, letting out a soft “heh,” and said slowly, “So, the human race has produced another Qingyang.”

Qian Ye’s gaze swept over the four great lords before him. Apart from the Supreme of the Holy Mountain, most of the key figures of the Evernight realm were gathered here. Figures that once seemed like lofty mountains were now on equal footing, and more than half had fallen to him.

And all of this had happened in less than ten years.

Qian Ye sighed, saying slowly, “Dawn and Evernight, the two extremes of the world, yet the ultimate realms are vastly different. For Evernight, becoming a great lord is the end, with no hope of further advancement. But for us humans, attaining the rank of Heavenly King is just the beginning of the true path!”

“The end of Evernight, the beginning of Dawn. So, Ancestor Wolf, it is not you who is old, but Evernight itself.”

Evernight is old.