Qian Ye stood still for a long time, pondering what had just transpired. No matter how hard he tried, the details eluded him.
With his current strength, how could he not have known that he had fallen victim to Teng She’s covert attack?
However, the shadow beast guarded the source of the Crimson River. If it were not destroyed, one could not approach the river. Moreover, with Qian Ye’s keen eyesight, he had already discerned that the shadow beast’s essence was not one with the Crimson River; in other words, it was an external entity.
If it were truly the guardian of the Crimson River, then as the manifestation of the Crimson River in Evernight—bloodkin—how could they be attacked by it when their consciousness returned to the river?
In the shadow beast, Qian Ye saw more of the demonspawn’s influence. Thus, he did not resist instinctively when slaying it, allowing Teng She to take control.
Now, with both Teng She and the shadow beast vanished, the path to the end of the Crimson River lay unobstructed. Qian Ye mobilized the primordial force of chaos, setting up layers of protection around his consciousness before proceeding.
Control could only work once. With Qian Ye now prepared, anyone wishing to target him would need to break through multiple barriers of chaotic force. And by the time they achieved this, they would discover the true measures Qian Ye had laid down.
With everything in place, Qian Ye continued forward, standing by the pond.
The end of the Crimson River was this very pool of water.
Gazing at the shimmering waves, Qian Ye couldn’t help but feel curious. What lay behind these ripples? And what was the true source of the Crimson River?
Because Qian Ye had the eyes, he saw the deep pool. Because he had a systematic perception, the source appeared as a pond. In other words, Qian Ye “believed” the source of the Crimson River should be a pond, and thus he saw a pond.
If An Wen were here, he might see more or perhaps directly perceive the essence of the Crimson River.
Alas, despite his brilliance, An Wen’s strength was slightly lacking. Entering the Crimson River with his physical body would cause it to rapidly expand, and without enough demonic energy to support it, the result would be a catastrophic explosion.
Only the Great Sovereigns, and that too, the top-tier ones, could enter the Crimson River in their true forms.
As Qian Ye’s gaze fixed on the pond, imprints began to surface. Among them were the Fire Crown of the Speck clan and the Seven-Star Formation of the Ronald clan. All twelve ancient clans’ imprints, save for the Movi clan, emerged one by one.
Suddenly, Qian Ye’s gaze sharpened, spotting the imprint of the Monroe clan.
This mark of the Dread Flower Mandala was not at the edge of the pond but had reached the exit, slowly moving away from the source and about to merge into the Crimson River.
Another exile-bound imprint? And it was the Monroe clan!
Qian Ye descended, reaching out to touch the imprint. Just like with the Movi clan, a different path to harnessing the power of blood revealed itself to him.
Qian Ye could comprehend but not influence or move the imprints.
He then flew a circle around the pond, comprehending all the imprints, and closed his eyes, lost in thought.
Twelve imprints, twelve paths, each verified yet distinct, collectively formed the complete interpretation of the Crimson River.
In Qian Ye’s consciousness, the twelve paths merged into the Book of Darkness, evolving rapidly. In a fleeting moment, eons passed, and the twelve paths gradually fused into a single, tangible form of the Crimson River, ready to burst forth.
But then, Qian Ye noticed something missing. The final barrier remained unbroken. Could it be that the twelve imprints were incomplete?
Qian Ye recalled the legends of the bloodkin, which spoke of thirteen ancient clans. However, the thirteenth clan had mysteriously disappeared. According to the Demon Emperor, this clan was the closest to the dark source, but after the Crimson River was tainted by the primordial force of dawn, they lost their power and perished.
Was there really a thirteenth clan?
Looking back at the pond, now imbued with the understanding of the twelve blood imprints, the water became clearer, allowing Qian Ye’s gaze to penetrate deeper.
Deep within the pond, a faint imprint lingered, though it was not entirely clear.
As Qian Ye focused, the imprint gradually sharpened. It seemed to emerge from nothing, yet it also felt like it had always been there, only appearing when Qian Ye realized its presence.
The imprint was an eye, with a full moon as its pupil. The moment Qian Ye recognized it, he understood the path it represented: the deepest darkness and purest destruction.
This was the thirteenth clan’s imprint, the Moon-Gazing Eye.
Upon seeing it, Qian Ye’s pupils changed—one turned azure, the other deep red. The Pupils of Destruction and Control appeared together for the first time in one person.
However, with a blink, the blue reappeared in both pupils. The Pupil of Control was truly suited to him, as the Pupil of Destruction required pure dark primordial force, becoming more powerful the closer it was to the dark source. Since Qian Ye’s internal primordial force was primarily chaotic, not aligned with either dawn or Evernight, such extreme-attribute-reliant secrets no longer fit.
But now, it was confirmed that the Moon-Gazing Eye was indeed created for Yen Pupil, or perhaps because of Yen Pupil, the Moon-Gazing Eye came to be.
The name of the thirteenth clan, Chanting Moon, emerged from the ancient river.
Compared to the Paz clan, the Chanting Moon clan’s power leaned more towards the dark source, while the Paz clan was more akin to pure blood power. Thus, the Chanting Moon clan was most affected by the changes in the Crimson River and perished first, only reappearing with Yen Pupil’s second awakening.
Knowing the secret of the thirteenth clan, the last mystery of the Crimson River remained: where was its true source?
With Lilith, the Queen of Night, being the second drop of blood in the Crimson River, what was the first drop, and where was it?
At this moment, Qian Ye was simply curious, driven to uncover the ultimate secret of the Crimson River. In the face of the boundless wonders of the universe, the conflict between humanity and Evernight seemed trivial.
Qian Ye had seen to the bottom of the pond, finding no more secrets there. So where was the true source?
He suddenly looked up, seeing the waterfall cascading into the pond from the void.
Leaping into the air, he followed the waterfall upward. But it was unexpectedly long, and even after flying for a day and night, he could not see the end.
Qian Ye lowered his head, and with a thought, the pond reappeared beneath him, as if he had never moved.
Qian Ye was certain he had flown for a long time, covering a great distance. His void flashing was indeed instant, covering a thousand miles in a flash, without exaggeration.
The appearance of the Crimson River indirectly confirmed his theory. In this special realm of space and time, the river was omnipresent, only appearing when Qian Ye willed it to.
What did the first drop of the Crimson River represent?
Qian Ye realized he had never seriously considered this question. With a thought, in the Book of Darkness, the thirteenth imprint joined the evolution process, merging with the twelve existing imprints.
When Qian Ye opened his eyes again, in the depths of the pond, he saw a point of endless darkness.
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