Maidenzo’s cry, filled with a murderous intent, nearly caused Qian Ye to stumble. He couldn’t help but laugh and say, “Do you think it’s possible to surrender now?”
“Why not? There is no unresolvable enmity between us. Even blood feuds, when placed within the span of hundreds or even thousands of years, are nothing significant. With our achievements, what do bloodlines matter? There are at least dozens of geniuses in the direct line; losing half of them would be no big deal,” Maidenzo said with a smile.
These words, spoken by the Lightless King, were said with such naturalness, and there was some truth to them. When one reaches the level of a Grand Duke or Overlord, life would be much longer than that of their descendants. It was not uncommon for the original ancestor to still be alive and well while the descendants’ descendants had long since passed away. Similarly, the long life of the Overlords made it very unwise to become enemies with them. In the river of time, many enmities would fade.
The tip of the blue gold blood sword in Qian Ye’s hand slightly drooped, and Maidenzo secretly rejoiced, quickly saying, “My existence can bring you many benefits. At the very least, I can teach you a lot of knowledge. This knowledge, after being accumulated and refined over thousands of years, is something even the Queen and Anduya cannot provide.”
Qian Ye said lightly, “Are you saying that your strength surpasses theirs?”
Maidenzo shook his head, “Of course not. Don’t even mention the Queen; after the Dawn War, Anduya was infinitely close to becoming a Sacred Mountain, and I am simply no match for him. Not to mention him, even the Blue King has more strength than me. But precisely because they are so strong, my accumulation of knowledge is more extensive. This is also why the Emperor of the Demon Race was willing to accept me rather than Renno.”
“Is it because of this? Not because Renno wouldn’t surrender?” Qian Ye said with a sneer.
Maidenzo did not get angry but instead spoke seriously, “If you have heard of the Lost Season, you would not think this way.”
Qian Ye remained calm, “What is the Lost Season?”
“The Lost Season is the supreme secret of the entire Eternal Night world, without exception. It only exists in those Great Dukes and Sacred Mountains who have survived from ancient times to the present. Those who are not Great Dukes cannot even sense its presence.” As Maidenzo spoke, an involuntary deep fear appeared on his face. There were not many things in the entire Eternal Night world that could make him feel fear.
Qian Ye showed a curious expression, “More specifically, please.”
“The Lost Season, how to describe it? It is like an intangible and formless force that instantly covers the entire Eternal Night world. As a force, its essence is far above the Eternal Night, high and all-encompassing, yet due to its exceedingly high nature, only the Great Dukes and Sacred Mountains who possess part of the authority of the Eternal Night world can feel it. Its duration is not long; after covering the entire Eternal Night world, it retreats like a tide, disappearing without a trace. It feels like… passing by.”
“Passing by?” Qian Ye found it hard to believe.
Maidenzo nodded firmly, “Exactly, like passing by, as if searching for something, and then suddenly leaving, no one knows where it came from or where it went.”
“Just like that?”
“Of course not just that. Although it was just passing by, its mere existence has had an indelible impact on our world, even decisive. One of the consequences it brought about was the sudden awakening of the human race.”
Qian Ye looked at Maidenzo, and his aura suddenly rose, causing Maidenzo’s face to change drastically.
Qian Ye said coldly, “Put away unnecessary thoughts. You should be able to see that I have recovered much faster than you. If it were the Everburning Flame, perhaps it could withstand the third shot of Manjushaka, but unfortunately, you are not.”
Maidenzo’s face changed several times, forcing a smile, “I seem to have done nothing.”
“Don’t you think you know too much and too detailed about the Lost Season?”
Maidenzo was taken aback, “This is something I experienced firsthand, so I naturally know.”
Qian Ye did not intend to go around in circles with him and straightforwardly said, “Anduya did not tell me anything as detailed as you did.”
Maidenzo was slightly stunned and said in surprise, “You have seen Anduya?”
“It was his residual consciousness.”
Maidenzo wanted to say something but held back, then said, “That mysterious force is very special. Only those whose power reaches the point of being connected to the world can sense its existence. Once sensed, one is influenced by it. The stronger one is, the deeper the connection to the world, and the more intense the impact. So, on the Sacred Mountains, almost all memories of the ancient period have become blurred. Although Anduya had not fully matured at that time, the essence of his power was already close to the level of a Sacred Mountain, so the impact on him was not much less. Among the Great Dukes at that time, I was the one least affected.”
As he spoke, Maidenzo gave a self-deprecating laugh. This was equivalent to admitting that among the surviving Great Dukes from the ancient times, he was the weakest.
This explanation was logical. The mysterious force that appeared during the Lost Season impacted and eroded the Eternal Night world at a higher level. The Great Dukes were already connected to the world’s origin, and the Sacred Mountains were almost partially integrated into the Eternal Night world. As the world itself changed, they were affected, so the stronger the being, the greater the impact.
“Tell me more about the nature of that force.”
This question made Maidenzo look troubled, and he said with a bitter smile, “I only indirectly felt its existence. How could I possibly touch its essence directly? If I did, I might have been assimilated, lost my will, and become a part of it. If I were to describe it, it… is closer to the Dawn Force, but it is definitely not the Dawn Force. After it came, the Dawn Force in the Eternal Night world increased greatly, so some of the Supreme Beings believed it was the cause. But that was only speculation, because any part that had come into contact with it, including consciousness and foundation, had all been assimilated.”
Qian Ye was surprised, never expecting such a powerful and domineering existence. If it had stayed in the Eternal Night for a longer time, perhaps the entire Eternal Night world would have been completely changed. If that were the case, the human race might have risen to become the ruler of the Eternal Night, as humans are the most talented Dawn beings. By natural lifespan, the talent of the human race is even higher than that of the four major dark races of the Eternal Night.
Of course, by then, the Eternal Night world would no longer be called Eternal Night.
Further questioning yielded no more. The greatest influence of the Lost Season was not in making the strongest of the Eternal Night lose their memories, but in changing the distribution and structure of the primal force in the world, leading to the rise of the human race and the emergence of great figures like the First Ancestor and the Martial Ancestor.
“So, last question. Why did you come here?”
Maidenzo sighed, “I originally wanted to find Anduya’s final hiding place and see what he left behind.”
“Anduya’s legacy is of no use to you, right?” Qian Ye was somewhat surprised. Each Great Duke had to forge their own path, and at this stage, the things of others were mostly useless. Only tools like the Ten Great Firearms and the Primordial Wings could offer some help, but their effect was limited. With Manjushaka in hand and the Primordial Wings enhancing it, it was like two Great Firearms combined, driven by the Chaos Primal Force, and even then, he could only fire twice. And those two shots only managed to severely injure and knock down Maidenzo.
A Great Duke, no matter how weak, was not so easily killed.
Maidenzo said, “I came not for his relics, but for his path.”
Qian Ye was surprised again, waiting for the rest.
Maidenzo took a deep breath and slowly said, “Anduya left behind a path that anyone can reach the peak of the Sacred Mountain!”
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