Moments later, a middle-aged demonkin appeared. His looks were almost comparable to Qianye’s, with an indescribably romantic bearing.
“Hailing from the Dark Abyss, I am Pentheus, Prince of Barota. If you must find the person responsible for this warfront, that would be me,” the man said with a wry smile.
Qianye found it odd. “I’m looking for the highest commanding officer in the area.”
Pentheus sighed. “That can only be me. Perhaps the person you want is the council’s representative in charge of the inner world.”
“Your attitude is a bit strange.”
“Not at all. To be honest, I would rather let go of the glory here and head back to Evernight. I’m more looking forward to dating some foreign ladies, drinking wine, and writing poetry. But… since you’ve called me out by name, I have no choice but to step forward. I do have my clan and my honor to consider after all.”
Qianye hadn’t expected Pentheus to be so straightforward. He touched his face, thinking if he was that terrifying.
Pentheus seemed to have noticed Qianye’s thoughts. “Did the Lightless Monarch fall in your hands?”
“Yes, he has paid the ultimate price for betraying the vampire race.”
“There you go. Medanzo has fallen, and Progia’s badly injured and nowhere to be found. Say, do you think I want to fight you? I’m a poet, and my blade is reserved for my love rivals, not for the filthy battlefield.”
Qianye was speechless, but of course, Pentheus’ words weren’t enough to move him. The other party was a prince—he might be a bit eccentric, but his cultivation was still above Qianye’s.
Qianye said, “I’m here to suggest we stop the fighting here. Both sides shall retreat and not fight again within three days. What say you?”
Pentheus said, “Can you guarantee it?”
“I can.” Qianye was quite straightforward.
The Attawa had suffered heavy casualties during this attack, so they wouldn’t have the power to attack again anyway. The natives were sparse in population, and their fertility rate wasn’t exactly high. Losing a thousand men had set the three tribes back considerably; it would probably take hundreds of years to recover.
Pentheus laughed. “I really shouldn’t agree, but it just so happens that I hate fighting. Very well, I will agree to your three-day ceasefire.”
“You won’t go back on your words, will you?” Qianye felt that this prince wasn’t all that reliable.
“How can a prince’s reputation be exchanged for a mere three days? Then again, you have to know that the outcome will be no different whether we pause for three days or thirty days.” Pentheus glanced at Qianye with an expression of pity.
Qianye said, “Can you be more specific?”
“It’s fine to tell you. The council’s ultimate victory is a given, and the reason is simple. Qianye, you might be one of the top experts since ancient times and even the supreme realm is not beyond your reach. However, you are alone, how do you intend to fight the council and its ten thousand years of accumulation? The allies you chose… haha… I think they will disappoint you. The only one worthy of our respect has fallen on the void continent.”
“Whatever they do, it’s a choice that I made.”
Pentheus bowed. “Very well, I wish you all the best.”
Qianye stood in the air, watching as the Evernight experts receded like the tide. The surviving Attawa gathered around him during this time, waiting for their orders.
“Return to the holy land for now.”
Having received the command, the warriors cremated their comrades’ remains and set out on the way back.
Qianye simply stood there without any movement.
A voice echoed through the air, “Young Friend, were you waiting for me.”
Qianye slowly turned around to face the man who had just appeared. This person appeared forthright and sincere, with a constant smile on his face. There was, however, a hint of coldness and pride as well.
His aura was boundless and ephemeral; even the current Qianye found it difficult to fathom his power. Needless to say, he was a heavenly monarch.
Qianye cupped his hands according to Imperial customs. “May I know your name?”
“Fang Shunxuan, better known as the Profundity Monarch.”
“It’s an honor to finally meet you.” Qianye performed proper salutations.
The Profundity Monarch swung his sleeves. “You’re not my subordinate and we’re also in foreign lands, so you can ignore the formalities.”
“Very well.” Since the Profundity wished to keep him at a distance, there was no reason for Qianye to approach the man.
“Such a young man injuring the Masefield Clan Lord and killing the Lightless Monarch. Your accomplishments are unprecedented. The Empire will definitely reward you in the future.”
Qianye shook his head. “I have no interest in rewards. Are Zining and Jundu doing well?”
The monarch stroked his beard. “One is a marshal and the other is now a duke, they’re definitely doing good. The Empire will have to rely on them in the future. Some say the next twin paragons of the Empire are slowly taking shape.”
“Will they come here?”
“That’s not certain. The inner world is full of danger, so it’s better for old people like us. It might not be a good thing for the future to risk sending them in here. We’re not so short on men that we would need to bet the Empire’s future pillars.”
The Profundity Monarch was polite and calm. Qianye said expressionlessly, “You’ve long since discovered Evernight’s tower, haven’t you?”
The monarch was stunned for a bit, but he wasn’t willing to lie. “Correct.”
“Why did you not attack? Why wait for Evernight to complete their construction?”
“This is an important matter that requires careful deliberation.”
Qianye stared at the monarch without even blinking, but the latter was also calm and unmoved.
Moments later, Qianye said, “Did you not know that the Empire would still have to step in if the Attawa and I failed to stop them? Are you still scheming at such a juncture?”
The Profundity Monarch’s smile remained unchanged. “Young Friend, this monarch has always acted impartially. I would’ve taken action if it warranted me taking action. I see that your fighting power is shocking, capable of taking on two great dark monarchs, killing one and injuring the other. There was simply no need for me to act.”
Qianye pointed at the pile of Attawa corpses on the ground. “They wouldn’t have needed to die if you had stepped in.”
“Those are foreign tribes, what’s so important about them?”
“But…”
“These long-limbed creatures would be no different from beasts if they hadn’t developed some knowledge. Do you consider them your own?”
Qianye was speechless. A frustrating feeling churned in his chest for a good while before he spat out, “The wise ancestors have said before that all life is equal. Even the Evernight Council would give an intelligent race an equal place. Don’t tell me the great Empire is inferior in this regard?”
“Young Friend, since you know of the wise ancestors’ words, how can you not know of the Founding Ancestor’s words? Those of a different race will always have different intentions.”
Qianye had heard these words countless times. He looked closely at the Profundity Monarch’s unchanging smile and said, “Since that’s the case, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“I won’t see you off.” The monarch was still smiling.
