Chapter 181: The Next Night of Icy Silence

The situation had unfolded as many had anticipated. Under the Night’s dominance, the Empire, which had already gained the upper hand, remained dormant, allowing the Night to control the Great Vortex passage. The arrival of the Everburning Flame intimidated all the powerful beings in the Neutral Lands. In the absence of the Blood Throne, the usually arrogant and proud powerhouses suddenly realized that without the Blood Throne, they wouldn’t even have the courage to appear before the Great Lord.

Zhang Bu Zhou, the Heavenly King, was still in seclusion, striving to reach the ultimate realm of a Heavenly King. However, his seclusion now seemed like a joke.

Fortunately, the Everburning Flame only stayed for a short time and left earlier than expected. He departed before the three-day agreement with the Blood Throne expired.

With the departure of the Everburning Flame, the demon races also followed him. A massive fleet flew over the entire Neutral Lands, and anyone who cared to know could track his movements.

Finally, this Great Lord, who held immense prestige in the Night Council, had left. Countless powerhouses felt the weight on their chests finally lifted, heaving a huge sigh of relief.

Half of the vampire and spider demon forces had also departed, but many remained in the Tidal City. On one hand, some tribes hadn’t yet entered the Great Vortex, and the passage was still marginally usable. On the other hand, they hoped to defend against the Empire’s counterattack and hold until the Great Vortex passage became viable again. Everyone knew it was not easy, but some people harbored illusions.

The major powers in the Neutral Lands were all watching, eager to see who would emerge victorious in the clash between the Empire and the Night. At present, the military strength of both sides was not significantly different, with the Night slightly having the upper hand. However, most people favored the Empire. They were curious to see what kind of miracle the future War God of the Empire would create.

Many were still puzzled, wondering why the vampires and spider demons had hurriedly withdrawn more than half of their fleet. The stabilization of the Great Vortex passage was merely a matter of ten to fifteen days; couldn’t they wait that long? But they didn’t know that the battle situation on the floating continent in the void had taken a sudden turn, and under the relentless offensive of the Empire, the Night was on the brink of total collapse.

Everyone guessed correctly that Song Zining’s counterattack would come soon, but they all misjudged the method of Seven Young Master’s retaliation.

As soon as the Everburning Flame left, the strong in the Eastern Sea and much of the Neutral Lands inexplicably felt a familiar tremor, followed by a faint, heart-wrenching, and extremely angry roar.

This tremor was very familiar; those who had been in the Neutral Lands for a long time had felt it more than once. It was the Shattered Years resonating, controlled directly by that person, in full force.

The roar, however, was unfamiliar. Yet, this sound almost spread throughout the entire Neutral Lands, echoing in the souls of the strong. The terror of the person who roared was beyond everyone’s imagination.

Speculations arose, and various rumors flew around. At this moment, the vampire fleet stationed in the Tidal City suddenly moved, with another batch of main warships leaving the Eastern Sea and heading into the void. Thus, many speculated that there was another great battle between the Blood Throne and the Lightless King.

No matter how people speculated, they would never know the truth and could only remain in conjecture.

While the idle spread rumors, countless Imperial warships appeared from the horizon, swarming towards the Tidal City like a horde of bees.

Flames of war raged across the Neutral Lands, and within the Great Vortex, Qian Ye was facing another harsh test: how to survive the night.

Even if he was willing to use the most primitive method, it was difficult to sustain the vitality of Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan unless they drank a large amount of the white fruit wine brewed by the four-armed race. That would make the situation even worse. Although Qian Ye still didn’t know Ji Tianqing’s identity, he was certain that her true status was no lower than Li Kuanglan’s. Her unpredictable personality made her even harder to deal with than Li Kuanglan.

But it was hard for Qian Ye to just watch them die in the cold and silent night, especially when he still had means to act.

As the night grew darker, Qian Ye’s mood became heavier.

Li Kuanglan, who had been meditating, opened her eyes and said to Ji Tianqing, “Tianqing, why are you still disguising yourself?”

Ji Tianqing also opened her eyes, saying, “What disguise?”

She was obviously feigning ignorance, but Li Kuanglan didn’t give her the chance to continue. “There’s no one else here now, so showing your true self isn’t a big deal.”

Ji Tianqing’s body trembled slightly, and she fell silent. However, her aura fluctuated, indicating an intense internal struggle.

Qian Ye was somewhat confused. Revealing her true face should be a trivial matter, so why was Ji Tianqing so persistent? Was it because she was actually ugly? But whether ugly or beautiful, it made no difference to Qian Ye. Still, he knew better than to say such things out loud, even though he was no good at consoling girls.

Li Kuanglan then sighed softly, saying, “It’s almost midnight.”

Li Kuanglan extended her hand to Qian Ye, “Give me a jar of wine.”

Qian Ye felt a chill, “What do you want to do?”

Li Kuanglan was calm, “You can’t help both of us. If we can’t make it through midnight, you’ll try to push our vitality, knowing it won’t work, right? So, if we don’t drink more, we will all die here. The bad effects of drinking too much are just that. I don’t want to die, nor do I want you to. Even if something happens, I will forget everything once we leave here.”

Hearing this, Qian Ye’s heart filled with mixed emotions.

Seeing Qian Ye’s lack of response, Li Kuanglan turned to Ji Tianqing, “Bring the wine.”

Ji Tianqing was startled, “Why should I give it to you?”

“Then will you drink it?” Li Kuanglan countered.

“I…”

Seeing Ji Tianqing’s reaction, Li Kuanglan leaned closer, whispering in her ear, “For the past two nights, I did this…”

Despite her disguise, Ji Tianqing’s face flushed. She had guessed the general idea, but hearing it made her feel embarrassed. However, Ji Tianqing quickly remembered Qian Ye was nearby and that this display would be unsightly. She immediately straightened her chest, remaining motionless, putting on a facade of indifference.

Qian Ye found himself at a loss, deciding to pretend he didn’t understand and let the two of them decide.

After whispering to Ji Tianqing, Li Kuanglan said, “Now, choose: drink or not drink?”

“Not drink?” Qian Ye felt strange. Li Kuanglan glared at him, “Of course, one drinks enough, and the other doesn’t. Do you think we should split it, and then you get all the benefits? Dream on!”

Qian Ye understood, his face burning. He wanted to explain that he didn’t intend to take both, but knew it would only make things worse.

“Wait, I don’t think we need to drink first. We can try and see if we can make it through the night,” Qian Ye said.

Li Kuanglan shook her head, “It’s useless.”

In fact, all three were top-tier young powerhouses, qualified to challenge the older generation. They clearly saw that with Qian Ye’s current abilities, he couldn’t sustain both. Carrying Li Kuanglan through the cold night was already astonishing.

Ji Tianqing suddenly said, “I’ll drink.”

“Huh?” Li Kuanglan was completely surprised by her choice. Originally, there was nothing between Ji Tianqing and Qian Ye, unlike the intimate relationship she had with Qian Ye. Li Kuanglan thought that if Ji Tianqing went through the same experience as she did, but without crossing the final line, she might accept it. As for herself, she was already prepared. But she didn’t expect Ji Tianqing to cross that line directly.

Feeling a headache, Qian Ye tried to persuade her. Now, it was a big problem for either of them to drink, and it would be better to get drunk himself. But if he did, he wouldn’t be able to boost their vitality.

So, as Li Kuanglan said, one day, even excuses wouldn’t be enough.

Ji Tianqing suddenly took out a jar of wine, shattered it with a palm, and then sipped all the wine into her mouth, so fast that Qian Ye and Li Kuanglan couldn’t stop her.

Both Qian Ye and Li Kuanglan knew how potent the wine was. Drinking it would indeed fend off the cold, but there would be no way to suppress the instinctive desire.

Li Kuanglan’s eyes showed a complex expression, looking at Ji Tianqing, not knowing what to say. She felt like a tangled mess, surprised but mostly disappointed, like a little girl whose candy had been snatched away.

For a moment, she had the impulse to ask Qian Ye for a jar of wine to drink as well.

Let the fool have it, what’s the harm?

Indeed, except for being a bit foolish, the fool was not bad at all.

Vaguely, Li Kuanglan heard the words passed by Eunuch Liu. Given her understanding of her sister, the wording was unusually severe. If she went against her wishes, what Queen Li would do was uncertain. She had ascended to the throne, so family ties weren’t a priority.

But what now?

Li Kuanglan bit her lower lip, looking at Ji Tianqing and Qian Ye, her mind in turmoil, unable to think clearly. In this cold night, she, who cultivated the icy origin power, should have been calm, but her heart raced faster and faster.

Could she just watch Ji Tianqing take him?

Li Kuanglan somewhat hated herself for giving the choice to Ji Tianqing. Why couldn’t she be more proactive? Always decisive and swift, why was she hesitating now, in this critical moment?

Qian Ye was silent, helpless. Whether it was one or the other, it was the same to him. Suddenly feeling restless, he stood up and walked aside, gazing at the night sky. In the depths of the sky, there was no moon or stars, only the image of Ye Ying filled it.

Ji Tianqing suddenly smiled mischievously, saying, “Do what you will, I’m drunk.”

With that, she slumped to the ground, seemingly asleep.

Now it was Li Kuanglan’s turn to be shocked. She rushed over, throwing all her chaotic thoughts aside. In this cold night, sleeping meant death.

Unexpectedly, Ji Tianqing raised her head, “When you do it, remember to stay close, so I can benefit too.” Then, she fell back asleep.

Li Kuanglan suddenly had the urge to strangle her.