“Your Majesty, I dare not assume the title of Imperial Tutor.” Lin Xitang remained still.
However, Emperor Hao leaned forward and grasped Lin Xitang’s arm. Mist swirled around him, its color a deep, almost black, green, filling the entire hall in just a few breaths. At the center of the mist, a violent surge occurred, like a storm brewing, faintly revealing the illusory image of a nine-scaled flying serpent.
In a moment, two enormous shadows swept past, as wings unfurled from the shoulders of the flying serpent.
Lin Xitang’s usually calm expression was shattered in that instant.
The flying serpent is the family crest of the Great Qin Imperial House, with golden claws and a dark body. Yet, no totem ever depicted it with wings on its back! Only a select few knew that the inherited totem of the Imperial Family was incomplete.
“The flying serpent of the Du Guang wilderness, bathed in water, emerges with golden claws, lightning horns, and wings that shield the abyss.” Emperor Hao spoke slowly, “This is the complete form of the Ancestor’s inherited totem.”
Lin Xitang’s arm trembled slightly under the grip, and suddenly, a layer of pale blue ice appeared out of thin air at his elbow, rapidly spreading to his fingertips.
The nearby green-black mist immediately split into several strands, forming five fingers, plucking away the thin ice. The moment the ice left his body, it transformed into black flames, each core red as a drop of blood, then crushed by the five fingers in the palm.
“Without Gu Tuohai’s tiger-wolf elixirs, can you not suppress your old wounds?” Emperor Hao’s face showed no emotion.
Lin Xitang leaned back into the sofa, weakly closing his eyes, saying nothing.
“Are you not happy? Finally, we know that we are on the right path. From the time the Ancestor planned the ‘Carrying the Dawn’ until now, a full 1,120 years have passed, with countless imperial blood and heavenly opportunities sacrificed, yet no one knew if it was meaningful. Now that the inherited totem has awakened, it means that the dawn is truly resurgent and growing stronger. In this eternal night world, darkness is no longer the only divine favor, and the revival of humanity requires only time.”
Lin Xitang’s expression softened, and he said softly, “Congratulations, Your Majesty.” He paused, then sighed lightly, “Then, regarding the opening of the new world, Your Majesty should understand what it means?”
Emperor Hao’s gaze flickered slightly. The rumors of the new world had begun after Lin Xitang entered the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, but he did not ask from where Lin Xitang learned this, simply replying, “It is true, but the nature of the world itself is unknown.”
“If the situation changes so drastically, expanding the floating land war is not a good choice.”
“When the tree wants to be still, the wind will not stop. Given the current situation in the floating lands, it is not something we can easily halt.” Emperor Hao explained patiently, “So let them fight if they wish, for otherwise, their hearts will not be appeased. If there is no opportunity here, they will seek it elsewhere.”
Lin Xitang suddenly opened his eyes.
“Since they desire your power, let us see if they have the ability to seize it.” Emperor Hao said indifferently, “The Duke of Qingyang once said that with so many strong men and great scholars in Great Qin, it is not fair for you to claim all the glory. I believe he was right.”
Lin Xitang frowned involuntarily. Zhang Boqian’s original words were probably along those lines, but much harsher in tone.
“This time, the military has ample reason to request battle, and even the Longevity King is not stingy with his guard forces. Let them have their way. If we can bring the floating lands under our control, it will not be a bad thing. As for who is plotting what, the course of the war will reveal it.”
Lin Xitang looked at Emperor Hao with a slight change in expression, as if he was seeing his ruler for the first time, and asked gravely, “Then, who leads the other main front?”
Emperor Hao replied slowly, “As long as you can walk down the mountain on your own, no one will stop you.”
Then, the hall fell into a deathly silence.
When Emperor Hao walked out of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, the moon was already high in the sky. He stood on the white jade steps, overlooking the imperial capital in the night, then raised his hand before his eyes, clenching it into a fist, as if he had grabbed the lights of thousands of homes.
“Father, look, I have finally become the person I used to hate the most.” The Supreme Ruler of Great Qin, draped in moonlight, murmured to himself.
Below the steps, in the shadows, stood several eunuchs, deaf to everything, silent and motionless, like puppets.
In the void, there was no day or night, only intense battlefields.
There was still some time before the Eternaria reinforcements arrived, and the empire’s warships were almost mad, frantically firing at their opponents. Seeing the reinforcements, the two grand ducal flagship changed their strategy, no longer fighting to the death but instead charging towards the periphery.
When they were determined to break through, the empire was almost powerless. Two destroyers that desperately blocked their path were blasted in half by the grand ducal flagships’ main cannons. The grand ducal flagships plowed through the burning wreckage, breaking free from the encirclement of the empire’s warships.
Not far away, the Right Chancellor stood in the bridge, still filled with the smell of smoke, staring at the two grand ducal flagships, lost in thought. Suddenly, he turned around and said in a hoarse voice, “Order! This ship to make a full-speed detour and intercept that one…”
He stopped mid-sentence, his voice suddenly hoarse. An old minister smiled bitterly, “My lord, our ship can barely move anymore. We cannot intercept them.”
Inside the bridge, these were strategists, skilled in plots and schemes, with little experience in direct combat even if they had elemental ranks. But what the Right Chancellor saw now was everyone wounded, with only makeshift bandages. The most severely injured, missing a lower leg, stood leaning on a table, supported by a single leg.
The Right Chancellor remembered that this man was known for his cowardice, but now, his eyes were bright, ready to kill at any moment. The injuries seemed to be completely forgotten.
On the other side of the bridge, a large hole in the bulkhead was surrounded by charred remains, and a cold draft blew in, but could not dispel the lingering heat.
The floor was littered with corpses, some of ministers and crew, more of dark race warriors. During the most intense battles, a large number of dark race warriors, regardless of casualties, launched boarding actions to capture the ship. Capturing the empire’s flagship would be a heavy blow to morale and reputation.
Those who successfully broke into the bridge were all strong. The Marquis and two Counts were personally killed by the Right Chancellor, and the other ministers fought to the death, not retreating. No matter how they behaved in peacetime, none showed fear in this life-and-death moment.
Looking at the surviving subordinates, the Right Chancellor nodded slowly, “None of you have failed me.”
This was the highest praise the Right Chancellor could give. As joy spread, he sighed, “Unfortunately, man plans, but heaven decides. I have failed the empire.”
He raised his left hand, slowly, “Order the entire fleet to withdraw…”
With the order, the outcome was sealed. Although the empire’s fleet had a clear advantage, the battle was lost. Allowing the two grand ducal flagships to escape and failing to secure control of outer space would have a fatal impact on the entire war. Perhaps the war over the floating lands would become a prolonged, devouring black hole, the worst scenario for the empire. If it persisted, the empire might soon withdraw.
Therefore, this order was especially long. Even the Right Chancellor himself hesitated to say it.
The word “withdraw” lingered on his lips several times, just about to be spoken, when a strategist suddenly shouted, “What is that?!”
Startled, the Right Chancellor turned to look in the direction the man pointed. A large shadow suddenly enveloped the battlefield, moving slowly over the still-fighting ships.
In the darkness, a brilliant light appeared, trailing a rainbow, falling towards one of the grand ducal flagships that had just broken out.
The flagship’s stern was struck by the multicolored light, causing an earth-shaking explosion. The entire ship sank slightly. When the fire subsided, a large hole was visible in the stern, slowing the ship, clearly affecting its propulsion system.
The power of this strike was shocking, but someone was even more surprised than the empire’s generals.
In a distant Eternaria warship, Lin Jia’er jumped up from his seat, gritting his teeth, “It’s him!”
A light screen suddenly appeared before Lin Jia’er, showing the stern face of an elderly demon. His sharp gaze fixed on Lin Jia’er, and he said coldly, “What has you so panicked?”
Lin Jia’er rose and bowed, “Seeing the human ambush, I was momentarily startled. Please forgive me.”
The elder demon snorted, “Running around like that, what an example! No wonder you lost half your fleet. Since you serve under me, you must show some basic decorum. If you perform poorly, I will not show anyone any favors; I will punish as I see fit!”
“I understand,” Lin Jia’er said obediently.
Satisfied, the elder demon dismissed the light screen.
Lin Jia’er gritted his teeth, his face contorted, glaring at where the light screen had appeared. A confidant beside him whispered, “Isn’t that your sunk land?”
“Shut up!” Lin Jia’er glared at him, making him swallow his words.
Lin Xitang gazed into the distance, his face grim, lost in thought.
The Eternaria fleet accelerated again, heading for the battlefield. On the battlefield, the grand ducal flagship, initially flustered by the unexpected attack, quickly recovered. It did not rush to flee but circled, defending its position and gathering the remaining Eternaria ships to reorganize the defense line.
As the grand ducal flagship established a step-by-step defense, it became extremely difficult to deal with. The imperial battleships posed a sufficient threat, but none dared to engage in a head-on cannonade. Any ship below the level of a battleship, if hit by the main cannon, would be destroyed, and even the bravest captain would hesitate to approach too closely.
At that moment, another multicolored light fell from the void. This time, the grand ducal flagship was prepared. Dozens of secondary cannons fired together, guided by a strong hand, hitting the falling light and exploding it mid-air.
But before the crew could cheer, a massive shadow engulfed the entire grand ducal flagship!
The Hall of Valiant Souls descended from the sky, crashing heavily into the grand ducal flagship. Compared to the Hall, the grand ducal flagship was a small boat, with three of them combined equaling its length. Struck by the Hall, it rolled over, the impact site caving in, obviously suffering significant damage.
But this was not the end of its misfortune; it was only the beginning.
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