Chapter 302: The Enigma of a Past Life

Moments later, Song Zining could only force a smile and say, “Can’t you do me this favor…?”

“Do you think this is something that can be handled with a favor? They sent you to see me. Was it to give you face, or to send you to your death?”

“I came of my own accord.”

“Why?”

“If I didn’t come, no one else would have.”

Qian Ye nodded, “Alright, let’s hear what this is about.”

“Qian Ye, why don’t you trust me anymore?”

Qian Ye smiled and said, “It’s you who doesn’t trust me.”

Song Zining was taken aback for a moment. After some contemplation, he said, “Indeed, I’ve become more anxious and doubtful.”

“You’re planning to inherit the position of the Fathian Tactic from your godfather, so why are you still so hesitant?” Qian Ye was puzzled.

“Because when it comes to matters involving you, I can’t just let go.”

Qian Ye nodded, standing with his hands behind his back, and said, “Go on, I know how to handle it.”

Song Zining said, “Nighteye is now in the hands of the Night Queen.”

“Her?” Qian Ye was taken aback, then said, “Being in Lilith’s hands is not much different from being in the Demon Emperor’s. We’ll have to fight regardless. But…”

Qian Ye paused, then said, “I’m rather curious as to why she was captured.”

“The Empire’s Tactic Masters and the Evernight Prophets joined forces. She was careless, thinking it was you summoning her, and accidentally revealed her whereabouts, which were then locked onto by the Great Prophet Pradetick.”

Qian Ye did not get angry nor lash out; instead, he asked, “Tactic Masters can work with Prophets? How?”

“It’s actually quite simple. What the Evernight Prophets can’t do, our Tactic Arts might. The Empire used Tactic Arts to roughly determine Nighteye’s location. Of course, the so-called determined range was very large, almost a third of the continent. But once the range was narrowed down to that extent, we could move on to the second step.”

“What’s the second step?”

“Using your aura to simulate a calling signal, which the Evernight Prophets would then release into that area.”

“So, she thought I was calling her?”

“That deception would only last a brief moment. If Nighteye had listened carefully, she would have found the flaw. If she had remained calm, even the Three Holy Mountains wouldn’t have been a problem. However, I heard that despite knowing it was a trap, she still acted impulsively.”

“What kind of call did you use?”

“…A dying scream.” Song Zining replied.

Qian Ye was surprised, “She fell for that?”

“I didn’t think she would either, but…” Song Zining sighed bitterly.

Qian Ye fell silent. After a long while, he looked at Song Zining and asked, “Whose idea was this, and was it related to you?”

Song Zining sighed, “I used to dislike her and hoped she would leave you. But you should know, I wouldn’t really do anything to harm her.”

“Really?”

Song Zining’s forehead slightly perspired, “Let’s not talk about the things in the Great Vortex.”

“Fine.”

Song Zining breathed a sigh of relief, “There’s really nothing else.”

Qian Ye spoke slowly, “I never understood what she did that made the Empire want to eradicate her. Did they think I would never find out? Or that even if I did, I’d forgive them for the greater good?”

Song Zining smiled bitterly, “If you really want to know, I can tell you, though I don’t know everything. First, that. As for the second, I’ll tell you after I finish.”

“Go on, I’m listening.” At this moment, Qian Ye seemed unperturbed.

“During Nighteye’s second awakening, her true identity might not even be clear to the Evernight Council. The Empire, unaffected by the Lost Season, retained many records from before it. By comparing her abilities with ancient records, the Empire finally confirmed her true identity in ancient times.”

“A Sovereign?” Qian Ye guessed.

“No, a Holy Mountain.”

Qian Ye was truly shocked. He knew all too well what a Holy Mountain of the Evernight meant.

The standard for a true Holy Mountain is breaking through the natural limitations of one’s bloodline and reaching an unprecedented level in some aspect. This is a power that shouldn’t exist in the world, so every Holy Mountain possesses immense power. Even Qian Ye, with his dark golden blood, could barely touch the edge of a Holy Mountain.

Of course, with the Chaos Primordial Force, Qian Ye no longer needed to ascend to the Holy Mountain in the Evernight.

At this point, Song Zining didn’t need to say more. Qian Ye understood why.

Since Nighteye was a Holy Mountain in her past life, the difficulty of re-ascending to the Holy Mountain in this life was much less. Even if she didn’t reach the peak, just the possibility of doing so was enough for humanity to try every means to eliminate her.

For the Empire, it would rather endure the emergence of two or three more Sovereigns than let a new Holy Mountain appear.

Qian Ye sighed, “She never saw the Empire as an enemy.”

“Who can guarantee that? A Holy Mountain’s life is too long, and Nighteye is too young. It’s possible for her to live another ten thousand years. Can you live that long?”

Qian Ye was taken aback. This was indeed a problem.

Qian Ye, with human blood, had a lifespan significantly shorter than an Evernight powerhouse, even with his accelerated cultivation. Even now, Qian Ye couldn’t say he would live for a thousand years. If pessimistic, even four or five hundred years were in question. This was far too short compared to Nighteye’s ten thousand years.

Even if the Empire trusted Qian Ye and believed Nighteye wouldn’t trouble the Empire during his lifetime, what about after his death?

Moreover, no one wants to live under someone else’s shadow, especially for ten thousand years.

Qian Ye sighed, “You never told me this.”

If Song Zining had told him earlier, Qian Ye might have done things differently. He might have taken Nighteye to a neutral land, hiding until she regained her Holy Mountain strength, or lived in seclusion until his end.

“I just found out, so I came to you immediately. If I had known earlier, would I not have told you?”

Qian Ye looked at Song Zining with some suspicion. After a moment, his expression turned calm, and he said, “Since you told me, you should know I plan to kill. The Empire’s Tactic Masters designed this, right? The department in charge of Tactic Arts is called the Tactic Pavilion, right? Whatever it’s called, it’s in the capital, so I’ll pay a visit.”

“What are you going to do?”

Qian Ye said calmly, “The Empire, in its current state, still remembers us. Some people need to learn a lesson. I don’t bother to find out who led the Tactic Arts, so I’ll randomly pick one out of every three Tactic Masters and kill them. Once I’ve killed enough, I’ll leave.”

“You’re crazy!”

“I’m not. If the Empire refuses, I’ll test the methods of the Qingyang King and the Emperor, and also try the power of that great array in the capital.”