The cabin doors opened and out walked a tall, slender man with silver hair. He was clad in a black, stiff-collared uniform characteristic of the Empire but no military insignia.
His face didn’t look too old, but he wasn’t young, either. Time itself had little meaning on his body. His eyes were deep, clear, and as calm as still water, almost as though they were reflecting the world itself. A single glance would draw the spectator’s eye and make it difficult to cast their gaze away.
The frustration and jitter Habsburg had accumulated to the point of explosion suddenly disappeared, replaced by his usual indifference and calm.
He gazed deeply at those eyes and said after a good while. “Why must it be at this time?”
Lin Xitang didn’t look at Habsburg after walking out. Instead, he observed the surroundings carefully, almost as though the vast emptiness was filled with myriad scenery. His eyes, when they looked towards the Empire’s direction, were filled with undisguised familiarity and love.
He said slowly, “Why would I be in this state if not for the time?”
At this moment, an invisible fluctuation appeared in the void. It was as though the supreme who had been paying attention to this place was moved, accidentally revealing his thoughts.
Lin Xitang gazed at the depths of the void, saying, “How rare for the Demon King to have time to spare.”
A black sun slowly rose up through the emptiness, depriving the entire world of light.
The massive Evernight fleet was robbed of all radiance. Be it their origin arrays, illumination equipment, or their metal or crystal shells, be it things that emit, reflect or refract light, everything was plunged into darkness. This included Lin Xitang’s small airship as well.
All Evernight experts felt as though they had returned to their coming-of-age ceremony where they were baptized in darkness. All they could see and touch was darkness. None of them remained standing as they submitted to this vast and invincible will.
Only Habsburg and Lin Xitang remained unaffected.
A figure slowly walked out. He didn’t look that tall or strong, but his aura filled the heaven and earth, and each step of his would shake the void. The man’s body and face were shrouded in a darkness that even Habsburg couldn’t see through.
The prince quickly averted his gaze and took half a step back, bowing to show his respect for the supreme.
The Demon King stood before Lin Xitang and observed him. “How can I not come after seeing that you’re headed to the void continent.”
The supreme’s voice was unexpectedly gentle, and his tone was rather casual, almost as though he were talking to an old friend.
Both the Empire’s own defense network and the Evernight blockade led by a great dark monarch were full of openings before Lin Xitang.
Only the will of the Sacred Mountain was a force to be reckoned with. Who would’ve thought, though, that the demonkin would avert his gaze from the Empire on the eve of the Sanguine Funeral?
Lin Xitang smiled. “Thanks to Prince Habsburg, this Lin has been injured for many years. What can I do even if I did get to the void continent?”
“I was only one step too late, allowing you less than half an hour on the continent. Yet, you know what you did.”
With that, the Demon King glanced at Lin Xitang in surprise. “You only have a year or so left to live?”
“This isn’t a secret anymore is it?”
The Demon King remained silent for a while. “Calculating from your age, you should have had a bit less than six years.”
Lin Xitang smiled calmly. The Demon King probably doesn’t remember his own age, yet he remembered an enemy divine champion’s age so clearly. It was clear that he was privy to certain things.
The darkness shrouding the Demon King’s body dispersed, revealing a face of near-perfect features. “You are a great calamity to Evernight, but you’re worthy of me facing you directly.”
Lin Xitang was a bit surprised when he saw the Demon King’s appearance. “Thank you.”
The Demon King laughed self-deprecatingly. “Rosnia’s mind is on the new world, and Lilith is still asleep. That was why I came the moment I found out that you were headed for the void continent, I’m also the only one who can come.”
Lin Xitang glanced at Habsburg. “The Flaming Crown is probably enough to stop me.”
The Demon King said, “No preparation is too excessive when it comes to you. I wouldn’t feel easy if I didn’t come in person. Besides, I also wanted to see you, there might not be an opportunity later on.”
The Demon King paused for a moment. “See? Even Habsburg brought all the forces he could muster to stop you.”
At this point, it was difficult to figure out whether these words were praise or admonition. Habsburg’s expression, however, only listened with a calm expression.
Lin Xitang said, “He might not be able to stop me if he doesn’t bring enough men.”
The marshal was well-known as a strategist who could conceal entire armies, let alone himself. As long as he was mobile enough, finding him on the big void continent and the endless void would be akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. There was nothing special to discuss regarding the net strategy; all they needed was for the mesh to be as fine as possible.
The Demon King, however, understood something different from Lin Xitang’s words. “Ah, so that’s how it is. Minister Lin wants to exchange his life for a complete victory on the void continent.”
Lin Xitang sighed emotionally. “How can there be a perfect victory under present circumstances? This battle began with me, so it must end the same. This ending will be for the best.”
Habsburg kept his silence for a long while. Finally, he could no longer bear it. “I simply cannot understand you. You clearly have a good year to live, why must you do this? Besides…” At this point, he suddenly came to and stopped talking.
“What’s so bad about exchanging my crippled life for the void continent?”
Habsburg could no longer suppress his anger. “The moment you let out news of your arrival, both His Majesty the Demon King and I came to stop you. Tell me if your crippled life is more important or the void continent?”
This question threw Lin Xitang off-guard, not knowing how to answer. Moments later, he said with a wry smile, “I guess enemies rate you higher.”
“We know your value precisely because we’re enemies.” Habsburg’s voice was extremely gloomy.
The Demon King interrupted the conversation. “Habsburg is correct. Even if you have only half a year left to live, I would still trade the void continent for you. I remain worried every moment that you’re alive.”
The supreme’s voice was exceedingly gentle, almost as though he were talking about a garden tea party with an old friend.
Habsburg’s face suddenly turned pale. Habsburg could sense the Demon King’s perception sweep over him, even though the supreme was watching Lin Xitang intently.
At this point in the conversation, Lin Xitang had already figured out that the problem was with the Longevity Monarch. A conspiring heavenly monarch was a great loss to the Empire. He might not have gone so far as to shake the Empire’s foundations before, but after realizing that the Chronicle of Glory had succeeded, the Longevity Monarch immediately realized that Lin Xitang had kept the Wheel of Glory propped up for the crippled sect all these years. Whether it was out of revenge or his deluded wish to topple the Wheel of Glory, the monarch passed this information to the demonkin. Fortunately, the Wheel of Glory was already irreversible.
There was a question on Lin Xitang’s mind. He glanced at the Demon King and decided to sate his rare curiosity. “Since Your Majesty Kane decided to come here personally, you must’ve seen the Empire’s heavenly monarch replacement before?”
“Barring a once-in-a-millennium event, what else can be more important than you?” The Demon King said frankly, “Besides if we miss this opportunity, it’ll be quite troublesome if you remain on the Qin continent for the rest of your days.”
Lin Xitang laughed self-deprecatingly. “It seems I’ve underestimated myself.”
Habsburg said, “Not you, it’s your human race and your Emperor.”
Lin Xitang laughed while shaking his head. His expression became somewhat relaxed as he said, “This matter has nothing to do with His Majesty.” At this point, he thought of something else. “There are also some smart people in the Empire who don’t underestimate me. They might not be able to sleep or eat well if I don’t come over and clean up the situation.”
“You humans really love infighting,” Habsburg said.
The Demon King laughed helplessly. “Our four races aren’t any better.”
This supreme was a rather unique character, devoid of an expert’s usual overbearingness. One was a divine champion from the enemy faction, and one was a prince from his own. There was a big status gap between them, yet the Demon King was cordial, frank, and calm, speaking casually as though he would in daily life.
The lightless void around them, however, reminded everyone that Demon King Kane was at the peak of this realm, one of the strongest existences.
Lin Xitang asked, “Does Your Majesty have any interest on the void continent?” Clearly referring to something, he continued bluntly, “I just killed someone who was dealing with Evernight.”
The Demon King said, “Why not ask Habsburg?”
Lin Xitang replied with a question, “Does that mean you know that the envoy that person had been dealing with was from the vampire race?”
The Demon King couldn’t help but laugh, realizing that he had fallen into a word trap. “Fine, all benefits shall be yours.”
The Demon King’s declaration was extremely important because all of the schemes the Evernight Council had set up on the void continent would be abandoned.
Having reached his objective, Lin Xitang no longer asked about the schemes that were in place. He said in a straightforward manner, “It’s about time to end this, but don’t expect me to take it lying down. A soldier’s best ending is to die on the battlefield.”
The Demon King asked, “Do you have any last wishes?”
Lin Xitang looked momentarily distracted. “I wanted to go and see someone at first…” He glanced at Habsburg with a smile, “It’s just that Lord Habsburg arrived too quickly. He didn’t leave me much time. Ah, it’s fine, makes no difference in the end.”
Having said that, Lin Xitang’s aura rose sharply, and specks of starlight started to flicker in the lightless world. Although they were extremely weak and faint, they still managed to break through the boundless darkness in the end.
Domain: “Celestial Transpiration!”
Lin Xitang had deployed his domain at full force before these two powerhouses.
The Demon King’s hands moved slightly, but after some hesitation, he said, “Habsburg, please send him on his way.”
As his voice fell, the space before them suddenly transformed. The three standing men were now a hundred meters apart, the attack range of a divine champion.
