The slaying of the Celestial Emissary, and the subsequent repositioning of the Radiant Sun, became the top priority.
On that very day, Emperor Hao and Empress Li had already calculated the time. After all the Seers perished, the Radiant Sun would lose its guidance a moment earlier than scheduled, entering a new orbit around the Evernight World. Although the new orbit was unstable, it was far enough to provide more room for maneuver for the inhabitants of the Evernight World. Therefore, Qian Ye still had time to make further adjustments to the orbit.
The next day, in the Imperial Palace.
Qian Ye and the Night Lady sat facing each other, silent for a long while.
The Night Lady scrutinized Qian Ye with great care. Not knowing what to say, Qian Ye remained silent.
The Night Lady broke the silence first, saying, “Let me tell you about myself. Our ancestors were once generals under Lord Xu. By the time my turn came to serve in the Evernight, our clan had already accumulated enough merit to be ennobled as earls. Most of our young members accumulate their merit through battles, and I am no exception. Once you become an earl, not even the Heavenly Dao Court can easily condemn you.”
Qian Ye nodded, asking, “Is your injury still severe?”
“The Blood Curse has been lifted, and otherwise, there are no serious issues. In three more days, I should be fully mobile again.”
“Regarding the matter of the Celestial Emissary, how should we proceed now? Should we prepare to deal with the Celestial Heaven’s army?”
The Night Lady smiled and said, “Xu Ran had his own selfish motives and wanted to hoard treasures, which is already a sin. His death can be considered self-inflicted. Even if he were to be reported to the Heavenly Dao Court, the Xu Clan would not have any grounds. Moreover, Xu Ran’s actions this time might not have been ordered by the Xu Clan but rather his own initiative. The Heavenly Dao Court always upholds justice. As long as we report the truth, there should not be any major issues. At most, they might offset the punishment with our merits, and we could get through it.”
Qian Ye felt relieved, saying, “I thought we would have to wage a war against the Celestial Heaven.”
After witnessing Xu Ran’s performance, Qian Ye had no confidence in fighting the Celestial Heaven.
“How do you plan to handle the human population here?” the Night Lady asked.
Qian Ye had already formulated a strategy, saying, “I plan to let those who want to go to the Celestial Heaven go, and those who don’t can stay in the Evernight. However, it seems that returning to the Celestial Heaven requires some merit, which we not only lack, but we also killed a Celestial Emissary, making it quite difficult.”
“Who said we have no merit?”
“What merit do we have?” Qian Ye was puzzled.
“Actually, using Obsidian to power machinery, enabling ordinary people to possess the strength to move mountains and fill seas, this path itself is a great merit.”
“Is this also considered a merit?”
“Of course! Even in the Celestial Heaven, how many people can enter the Heavenly Dao Court? And those accomplished cultivators, either busy guarding the four realms, waging wars, or focusing solely on their own cultivation, desiring eternal life, often retreat for hundreds of years. These powerful beings likely never spare a thought for ordinary people.”
“Ordinary people in the Celestial Heaven aim to ascend to the Heavenly Dao Court, and those with a bit of talent focus entirely on cultivation. Those without talent struggle to survive, hoping the next generation will have a gifted one. Whether it’s resource harvesting or farming, the output is minimal. Over millions of years, there has been no progress, nor is progress necessary.”
“Therefore, although the Celestial Heaven is vast and boundless, compared to the Evernight, it is sparsely populated. Most ordinary people live in hardship, with little surplus, unlike here in the Evernight, where there are so many entertainments and pleasures. These four continents of the human race can support a population of over ten billion, but in the Celestial Heaven, the limit is a few million.”
Qian Ye was surprised, saying, “Isn’t the Celestial Heaven all-powerful and infinitely mighty? Couldn’t a mere powerhouse spend some time to modify the environment? In the Evernight, the Sacred Mountains and the Great Lords also modify their environments themselves.”
The fact that the Dusk Continent is so suitable for the Blood Race to live in is largely due to Lilith’s efforts. The Queen of Night, if she stays in a place for a long time, can make it habitable for the Blood Race. Other races do the same, using their domains to alter the environment, something every lord and noble has done.
“Millions of people are like ants; it’s not just a saying. Why would those powerful beings pay attention to them? Once you advance further on the Heavenly King path, you’ll find yourself different from ordinary people. In the Evernight, it means you’ll become a different level of life, no longer the same species as ordinary humans.”
“I see.”
“Therefore, the Evernight’s method of utilizing basic resources far exceeds that of the Celestial Heaven. If it were to spread there, it could support a hundredfold increase in the number of ordinary people, and the prosperity and happiness of the masses would greatly enhance the Heavenly Dao Court’s fortune.”
Finally, the Night Lady said, “The path of the Evernight is close to the Great Dao. If offered to the Heavenly Dao Court, even ten rivers of blood would not compare. It’s laughable that Xu Ran only saw the treasures and ignored the Great Dao right in front of him.”
Qian Ye sighed with relief, saying, “If it can offset the remaining sins, those returning to the Celestial Heaven won’t have to worry.”
At this point, the Night Lady sighed, “Actually, looking at Xu Ran, you can see what the bigwigs in the Heavenly Dao Court are like. Normally, they wouldn’t even glance at ordinary people, let alone care about their fates. Perhaps the time it takes for these powerful beings to ponder a question is equivalent to several generations passing. If not for the elders in my clan reminding me to pay attention to the Evernight, and having lived here for fifty years, I might not have discovered this path. My predecessor stayed in the Evernight for a hundred years, only retreating twice during that time.”
Since the Celestial Heaven is sparsely populated, Qian Ye doesn’t need to worry about the survival of those returning humans. In a world dominated by Dawn Force, they would actually live better.
“So, how many people can return to the Celestial Heaven?”
The Night Lady calculated, saying, “The transport ships attached to the Radiant Sun, or as they call it in the Celestial Heaven, the Nether Palace, can hold about twenty thousand people. If we need to take more, we would need to open the Celestial Palace, which is a super-large interstellar transport ship, capable of holding five hundred thousand people.”
The number five hundred thousand stunned Qian Ye.
“Wait, I’ll call Anwen and Zining. They have probably finished calculating the new orbit for the Radiant Sun.”
A moment later, Anwen and Song Zining also settled down in the room, along with Nighteye and Pratertick.
Nighteye remained silent, leaning lazily against Qian Ye.
Pratertick projected a virtual image of the Evernight World. This image was even more detailed and complete than the Empire’s version, as the Holy Clans of the Evernight had been living here for countless years, with successive generations of Sacred Mountains and Great Lords exploring the void. Although they didn’t understand the principles, they at least thoroughly researched their own dwellings.
Anwen drew an orbit on the image, saying, “This is the current orbit of the Radiant Sun. The problem is, the Radiant Sun continuously releases Dawn Force. We need to move it to a farther orbit and find a way to widen the passageway into the Inner World, introducing more Dark Force to neutralize the Radiant Sun’s influence. Otherwise, the entire Holy Clans of the Evernight will eventually perish. But in the long run, a world balanced between Evernight and Dawn is more in line with the reality of the universe, and it will have broader development. Since we still lack Dawn Force, the Radiant Sun can remain in this orbit for three more cycles before we change it.”
Qian Ye nodded, asking Song Zining, “How many people do you think would be willing to go to the Celestial Heaven?”
Song Zining said, “Probably more than you can imagine. Regardless of the actual conditions, the Celestial Heaven at least appears very appealing. Moreover, it’s a world dominated by Dawn Force. Returning to the Celestial Heaven, everyone’s cultivation speed would increase, and they would have a longer life. Why wouldn’t they go back? Furthermore, we humans value returning to our roots, and our ancestors’ hearts always long for the Celestial Heaven.”
The Night Lady said, “No problem, after we return, we can dispatch two more Celestial Palaces. That can transport another million people to the Celestial Heaven.”
Song Zining shook his head, “That’s still not enough.”
Anwen suddenly said, “I have an idea.”
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