When Qian Ye stood by the Well of Stars once more, all the Evernight denizens were gathered high above, silent and watching. Though the Witch’s figure was unseen, the extraordinarily powerful experts could sense her faint, peculiar fluctuations. By now, the Witch no longer concealed herself, allowing everyone to know that she, too, was watching Qian Ye.
All wanted to see what Qian Ye could still do after plundering the great star of the Blood Race.
There was still Dawn energy left in the Dawn Great Star, corresponding to the Dark Star. Unlike the Evernight stars, which An Wen had divided into those of the Blood Race, Spider Demon, and Demonkind, the Dawn stars not only outnumbered them but were also of a single type. Even with minor differences, anything bearing Dawn attributes was detestable to the dark races, though the degree of aversion varied.
The remaining Dawn stars held enough power to condense two more primordial crystals. Originally, Qian Ye would have been busy, but last time, he had ignored the Dawn stars, instead sweeping away the Blood Race star power and seizing a large chunk of Dark Star energy, making the Evernight folk grit their teeth in hatred.
However, Qian Ye, with his Blood Race bloodline, could justify sweeping the Blood Race stars. But if these Evernight experts sought revenge, would they dare to sweep the Dawn stars? And even if they could, what use would it be?
It was precisely because there was no avenue for retaliation that it was especially infuriating.
Qian Ye slowly sank into the Well of Stars, pausing at the same spot as before, then took out the Skywind Cloud Pearl. For a moment, he did not act, but instead, began to ponder.
The Evernight crowd exchanged glances. Lingering in the Well of Stars consumed origin power every moment, and time was precious. Why hadn’t Qian Ye thought it through before descending, and why was he musing now? A whiff of conspiracy filled the air, and everyone’s expressions darkened, their attention on Qian Ye’s every move intensifying.
After a brief contemplation, Qian Ye’s aura finally changed. His emanations flickered, shifting from grandiose to obscure, oscillating between Dawn and Evernight, more often lingering in the latter.
Rolo suddenly felt nervous, instinctively saying, “Is he planning something against our race?”
Their expressions were complex, and Dusk seemed to take some pleasure in their misfortune. Qian Ye’s actions had most affected the Blood Race, followed by the Demons. Among the three, only the Spider Demons were unaffected. If Qian Ye also swept the Spider Demon stars, it would be welcomed.
By now, the presence of the Evernight denizens was becoming redundant. The Dark Star had little energy left, and even if the Witch intervened again, it would be hard to condense Duke-level source blood. Given her nature, she would likely only intervene once more before withdrawing.
With the Blood Race stars entirely swept, Edward no longer needed to stay; a drop of ordinary source blood might not even reach the level of a Baron. As the Holy Son of the Blood Race, he had ample resources without needing this.
At present, Rolo was the only one who could still benefit.
In the Well of Stars, Qian Ye’s aura continued to roil, with no action taken. The Evernight hearts above the well fluctuated, sensing Qian Ye’s ill intent toward their star power.
In truth, Qian Ye was also in a quandary. With the movement of the Primordial Wings, his sensitivity to the Blood Race stars heightened, yet the wings refused to draw any of their star power, as if deeming it unworthy. Repeated attempts failed, and he had to abandon them.
He tried other secret techniques, even the lesser-known Mountain Cleaving Technique, but none were effective. It seemed that drawing star power was not as easy as imagined.
After multiple futile attempts, much time had passed. Knowing he couldn’t delay further, Qian Ye prepared to use the Dawn Enlightenment again, intending to condense another primordial crystal. Though he already had one, one could never have too many superlative primordial crystals.
At that moment, an idea struck him. He recalled something he hadn’t tried. His mind shifted, and the Book of Black appeared.
As soon as it materialized in the Well of Stars, the book opened by itself, pulling the Skywind Cloud Pearl towards it.
The Book of Black was intangible, and Qian Ye, seeing the pearl fly towards him, had no choice but to swallow it. The pearl, upon entering his body, was engulfed by the book.
Instantly, Qian Ye’s perception expanded, tenfold larger than before, encompassing almost the entire infinite starry void beneath the well, with each star crystal clear. Some stars’ star power was vast, far exceeding ordinary ones—these were the seven primordial stars Li Kuanglan mentioned. Qian Ye counted; there were actually nine, with two having such potent star power that they distorted the surrounding space, rendering them invisible.
A ludicrous thought crossed Qian Ye’s mind: Could the Book of Black aim to seize all the stars?
No sooner had this thought arisen than the book began to flip pages rapidly, endlessly as if possessing infinite pages.
An invisible wave spread, sweeping the entire Well of Stars, causing all the stars to simultaneously burst with light, the star power boiling!
From small, chaotic stars to the great stars, and then to the bright and dark twin stars, they lit up layer by layer.
As all the stars illuminated, a massive primordial star suddenly spewed brilliance, flattening the twisted space around it, and star power poured into the Book of Black like a waterfall.
The first primordial star activated, followed by the second, third… until the ninth.
The astonished crowd, whether from the Evernight Empire or elsewhere, watched in bewilderment. Qian Ye himself was bewildered, facing the surging star power, unsure of what to do.
The Book of Black was like a bottomless abyss, accepting all incoming star power but giving nothing back. It was also picky, only drawing the star power of the nine primordial stars, ignoring the others, even the bright and dark twin stars.
Qian Ye could only let it be. The Book of Black was extremely mysterious, and even Anduya had been vague. Qian Ye had to explore its uses bit by bit.
The Book of Black continuously drew the star power of the nine primordial stars, flipping faster and faster.
Above the Well of Stars, An Wen’s face darkened, his thoughts a mystery. The Witch’s voice rang in his ear, “What is he doing?”
“… I don’t know.”
Rarely was An Wen so clueless. After a moment’s silence, the Witch said, “Those are the primordial stars you mentioned, right? There are nine in total.”
“Indeed, two were almost impossible to detect. How did he find them?”
“Is he using himself as a vessel to absorb the star power?” The Witch’s voice was puzzled. “The star power of the primordial stars is too intense; directly channeling it into the body is unbearable. Even I wouldn’t dare do this. Is he trying to kill himself?”
An Wen pondered, then sighed, “He seems foolish but is actually very smart. His only weakness might be the human trait of being deeply emotional. Unless someone captures his loved ones, he’s unlikely to harm himself. Maybe he can use the primordial star power?”
“Impossible! Unless his body is stronger than Rolo’s. A mere Blood Race, how could he?”
“Don’t forget, there are Ancient Blood Races,” An Wen said.
“Even an Ancient Blood Race can’t surpass Rolo. He’s a pure-blood Royal Spider Demon. According to your classification, he could be called an Ancient Spider Demon. Even an Ancient Blood Race can’t handle the star power of the primordial stars.”
An Wen nodded, watching Qian Ye below, frowning in silence.
Now, the star power of the nine primordial stars gradually waned, dimming one by one. When the last primordial star exhausted its star power and faded into the infinite starry void, the Book of Black slowly closed.
The entire process took only the time of a hot tea, swift enough that the Evernight crowd couldn’t react. The star power of the nine primordial stars was depleted.
On the cover of the Book of Black, a crystal-clear gem, the size of an egg, now shone, with countless facets sparkling within.
Qian Ye’s heart pounded, knowing he had expended too much origin power. He flew back to the surface without checking the book’s changes, unable to linger in the well.
The atmosphere at the well’s mouth became subtle. The Evernight strongmen, both intentionally and unintentionally, moved closer to the well’s mouth.
Rolo, leading the way, abruptly stopped, staring at a sudden bloom of the Netherflower, his expression fluctuating.
He glanced back, looked up, and finally stopped in anger.
By then, Qian Ye had flown out of the well, returning to the Imperial group, beyond the reach of any ambush.
The Netherflower then quietly vanished.
When the Imperial group returned to camp, Rolo called, “Now, it’s my turn, right?”
Zhao Ruoxi’s voice responded, “Go ahead and use it freely.”
“Freely?” Rolo was puzzled, not understanding her meaning.
“Use it however you like.”
“Could it be…?”
“We’re leaving.”
Rolo was startled. There was still Dawn star power left, why were they leaving? Had they used up the Skywind Cloud Pearl?
The distant figures quickly disappeared over the mountain. Qian Ye and his group truly left.
Rolo, stunned, then laughed, “Haha, then I won’t hold back!”
He strode forward, reaching the well, and looked down, freezing in shock.
The star power in the well churned like storms, roaring back and forth. In the enclosed environment of the Well of Stars, the star power storms had nowhere to go, relentlessly buffeting. The danger below was now several times greater, and even Rolo hesitated to descend.
“Those damned humans!” Rolo cursed, clearly realizing the change was Qian Ye’s doing, explaining their sudden departure.
Rolo turned to An Wen, “What now?”
An Wen, peering down, said, “It will take at least ten days for the star power storms to subside.”
Rolo was dumbfounded, “What should we do? Wait?”
An Wen shook his head, “We’re leaving. Goodbye.”
An Wen and Aiden departed.
Rolo looked to the Blood Race, and Edward shook his head, “I have nothing to do here. Let’s go.”
The Blood Race stars had been thoroughly swept by Qian Ye, and Edward had no reason to stay. Rolo, holding many spider eggs, was reluctant. Gritting his teeth, he said, “I’ll wait here!”
Edward, walking away, reminded, “This is human territory. Stay too long, and they might return.”
Rolo, pondering, finally followed Edward, glancing back repeatedly, extremely reluctant.
Once everyone left, and all was quiet, a giant wolf with a golden mane appeared, sneaking to the well, and, seeing no one, plunged into it.
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