Chapter 20: The Earth-Shattering Battle

A veil suddenly appeared before Qian Ye, like a misty pane of glass. As the Grand Mystery Art of War flowed through him, an invisible hand seemed to wipe away the fog layer by layer, revealing the world of the void behind it, vast and boundless, as if it would swallow his insignificant consciousness at any moment.

Qian Ye’s will was like a tiny boat amidst turbulent waves, perilously tossed up to the crests and then down into the troughs. The surging waves of primal force, towering a hundred meters high and stretching endlessly wide, came from unknown distances.

The turbulence in the depths of the void had already affected Eternity Night. Suddenly, a blood-red rift appeared in the sky, from which ferocious void primal force poured out. As soon as they entered Eternity Night, they instantly turned into raging fires, cascading down to the earth like a waterfall.

The thousand-meter-long flowing fire, still burning upon landing, spread in all directions.

More and more rifts began to appear in the sky, like scars on the world, with streams of fire falling from the heavens, turning both the sky and the earth into an inferno.

Qian Ye stared at this apocalyptic scene, momentarily overwhelmed. Could anyone withstand such a calamity between heaven and earth?

An irresistible thought rose in Qian Ye’s mind: Could this be the result of the battle between the Dark Monarchs of Eternity Night and the Heavenly Demons?

Time seemed to pass for a long while, or perhaps just an instant. The primal force finally calmed in the void, the wounds in the sky gradually mended, and the earth stopped shaking. Without the void primal force, the heavenly flames on the ground slowly extinguished. However, viewed from above, the charred marks on the land still remained, recording the agony that Eternity Night had endured.

On the distant horizon, a heavy lead-gray cloud surged in, a familiar sight that Qian Ye had seen countless times—the Iron Curtain. But at this moment, the reappearance of the Iron Curtain carried an unusual meaning.

Could it be that the Dark Monarchs of Eternity Night were defeated?

Just as the Iron Curtain swept across half the sky, a brilliant star suddenly rose in the far distance! This star ascended to an indeterminate height, abruptly shattered into dozens of beams of light, shooting in all directions.

Most of the light beams vanished almost immediately after appearing. The remaining dozen or so beams traveled some distance before starting to disappear one by one. With each beam’s disappearance, Qian Ye could feel a formidable aura flash and fade.

These auras, though unique, were all incredibly powerful. Qian Ye, still in the state of the Grand Mystery Art of War, felt a slight sting even from miles away.

Finally, only a few beams of light remained, flying over great distances before vanishing somewhere in the Eternity Night continent.

From the star that rose in the far distance to the beams of light spreading in all directions, there was a strange power, their light penetrating thousands of miles, visible to all. Yet, Qian Ye distinctly felt that this was not a real sight but more like a summons. These lights were calling to the strong across the entire continent, even the entire world, casting images in their minds.

At this moment, Qian Ye’s body jolted, and the Grand Mystery Art of War slowly ceased. The faintly visible corner of the void also completely withdrew from his awareness.

Qian Ye retracted his dimming light wings and slowly descended to the ground. He had a realization: the star he saw earlier was likely what the Heavenly Demon sought, having split into many fragments for some reason. The fragments that vanished halfway were actually taken by unparalleled beings using their powers.

As for why the star shattered, it was probably the result of that earth-shattering battle.

No! There were still a few fragments that were not taken! Qian Ye suddenly thought of the last few beams of light. They did not disappear into anyone’s hands but vanished somewhere.

At this moment, the Iron Curtain rapidly spread, dark clouds rolling, and thunder rumbling. Behind the Iron Curtain, the will of the Heavenly Demon swept across the world again, and this time, Qian Ye could clearly feel the indescribable anger in its will.

The Heavenly Demon’s will swept over Qian Ye, ignoring him and moving swiftly in the direction where the last few beams of light had vanished.

Qian Ye thought for a moment and ran back the way he came. Whatever those lights were, they meant nothing to him now. Since he could see where the lights vanished, so could all the other strong beings who were present. A battle at the level of the Great Monarchs and Heavenly Kings was beyond his reach.

Although Blackstream City was still several thousand miles away, Qian Ye couldn’t be certain how far the effects of the battle would reach.

As Qian Ye ran at top speed through the wilderness, the aftermath of the battle had already left a trail of destruction, with mountains and rivers altered.

Yet, most people wouldn’t know that the center of the battlefield was calm, with a vast void in the sky, showing the distant firmament, as if the missing part of the Iron Curtain could never be repaired. The ground below had completely disappeared, replaced by a bottomless vortex slowly spinning.

The edges of the vortex stood like cliffs, with black, swirling mists below, and occasional stars twinkling, as if the void hung upside down, its depth immeasurable. On either side, a dozen figures stood in the air.

In the face of such a cosmic anomaly, their figures seemed as small as pebbles, yet their auras were either as majestic as cliffs, as ominous as mountains, or as vast as the heavens, as if even the bottomless vortex was not an insurmountable abyss.

These were the strong beings of Eternity Night and the Empire, clearly divided and standing apart.

On the Eternity Night side, the most numerous were the Blood Clan, but the three Mages, shrouded in their robes, exuded the strongest auras.

On the Empire’s side, the most noticeable were Lin Xitang and Luo Mingji in their marshal uniforms, with several other strong beings of equal rank standing nearby.

Neither side’s Great Monarchs or Heavenly Kings were present; clearly, after the battle, the Heavenly Demon had retreated, and they had gone to rest.

Luo Mingji, gazing at the bottomless vortex, frowned. “There is a void presence on the other side. Could it be a passage for spatial leap?”

Weigong, who had just used the Profound Heaven Ten Thousand Wonders Technique three times in succession, looked somewhat weary. “This place was chosen by the void beast as its burial ground. It must have a contingency plan, possibly a natural void passage. But the barrier’s aura is too fierce. My probes can only reach five hundred meters before being completely confused by the chaotic flow. I don’t know what lies on the other side.”

All eyes turned to Lin Xitang, who had remained silent.

Lin Xitang slowly said, “This seems to be a prism flux.”

At these words, the expressions of the strong beings changed. “Prism flux” was one of the most dangerous void phenomena. Floating ships crossing continents would be in mortal danger if they encountered it. In the great battle that brought Lin Xitang to the pinnacle of fame, he led the Northern Legion to successfully land amid the violent weather, saving the collapsing imperial battlefield.

However, if it truly was a “prism flux,” it meant the void beast had indeed prepared a contingency for its graveyard. The other end must lead to some part of the void. The Chaos Remnant, which had mysteriously vanished in the recent battle, and the ancient essence fragments that fell with it, were likely there.

At this moment, an imperial warlord flew closer and bowed. “My lords, the Eternity Night side just sent a message. Duke Habus wishes to exchange information with Marshal Xitang. They believe this bottomless vortex is a prism flux.”

The imperial strong beings exchanged glances and then looked at their Eternity Night counterparts. A black-haired man, leading several Blood Clans, approached and stopped near the invisible dividing line between the two camps.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Xitang said, “I’ll go and hear what they have to say.”

Luo Mingji, Weigong, and the others nodded. Cooperation was the quickest way to resolve the situation. The Heavenly Demon could return at any moment, and if they couldn’t quickly understand the situation and formulate a strategy, this mission might fail.

Lin Xitang’s figure flashed several times, stopping a hundred meters from Duke Habus, a safe distance for Divine Generals.

Duke Habus, still a few years away from entering middle age for a Blood Clan, did not maintain a youthful appearance. In fact, this prodigy of the dark world, though quite handsome, did not stand out much in terms of appearance due to his Blood Clan heritage.

Many would not guess that such an ordinary-looking Blood Clan was the current head of the famous Spurk clan, one of the twelve ancient families.

Duke Habus raised his hand, and the accompanying Blood Clans immediately retreated to several hundred meters away. He then walked forward, as if treading on flat ground, approaching Lin Xitang within ten meters in a blink.

Lin Xitang watched him silently, standing still without any action.

Duke Habus bowed slightly, smiling. “Marshal Lin Xitang, it’s been a few years since we last met.”

Lin Xitang returned the bow, saying lightly, “Duke, it means that Eternity Night and the Empire have been at peace, I suppose.”

Duke Habus’ smile deepened. “Is there no other topic between us besides war, Marshal Lin?”

Lin Xitang pointed to the bottomless vortex, speaking directly. “That is a type of prism flux, leading to some part of the void. If this is the second resting place set by the Chaos Beast for its undisturbed grave, it should be a tangible location in the void, a planetary fragment or a natural enclave, or even a small world.”

A small world is a fragment of a lost world, formed by unknown reasons, existing independently in the void with rules that may differ greatly from the present world.

The small worlds possessed by the various factions are legacies from ancient sages. In the past thousand years, aside from the Blackwing King Anduya of the Eternity Night faction, no one else has been known to possess such abilities. Even the technologically advanced Mages can only maintain and operate them, not create new ones.

If the other side is a small world, it would be a costly endeavor for the two factions to explore and understand its rules.

Duke Habus, however, shook his head, still smiling. “It’s not a small world, but it’s not much better. It’s likely a famous wind tunnel.”

Even Lin Xitang couldn’t help but frown. The wind tunnel is a natural danger between the middle and lower layers of the continent. Due to the constant strong winds eroding any primal force, no one has successfully landed there.

He nodded. “Thank you for the information. Our side will send someone down to investigate. Let’s discuss further once we have a clearer understanding.”

Seeing that Lin Xitang wanted to end the conversation, Duke Habus chuckled. “Lin, seeing you, I’m sure that the fools who tried to trap you a few days ago were actually setting a trap for me.”