Atop the Sacred Mountain, the three figures remained as still as the hills. The council members below began to whisper among one another, discussing the situation around Blacksun Valley.
Many of them had received the intelligence before the meeting and knew what Blacksun Valley was. It was quite normal for such important issues to be announced only when necessary.
That duke belonged to one of the most marginal members, and it was already quite fortunate that he was able to sit here in the council. There was an entire line of experts at the same rank, waiting to take his place.
Normally, it would never be his turn to speak in the extremely hierarchical council. Who would’ve thought he would aim straight for the Sacred Mountain directly?
It was the Demon King who spoke up amidst the silence, “Then who do you think is responsible?”
It would seem this duke was intent on shocking people to death. “I believe that the responsibility lies with you, Your Majesty Demon King!”
A commotion broke out in the great hall. Members whispered, gasped, and used origin power to exchange secret conversation, causing a fair bit of ruckus. The undercurrents of origin power flowed about into a chaotic mess.
The Demon King’s projection made a light pressing motion, suppressing the agitated origin power with a rain of demonic energy. All those conversing in secret could no longer hear the other’s voice. Some of the members noticed that the Demon King hadn’t even released his suppressive might.
When the great hall became silent, the Demon King said, “Why do you say that the responsibility is mine?”
“The reason is simple, Sire Jaero’s suicidal attack was too reckless! As a celebrated general of our holy army, how could you sacrifice him? Who else should be held responsible if not you, Your Majesty?”
The Demon King only sighed after a moment of silence.
The duke continued, “The second reason is still about Jaero, his death wasn’t worth it! While fighting Zhang Boqian, Duke Jaero also crippled the human army’s mobility. But ten days have passed now, what has changed? The humans have replenished their fleet and are once again undefeatable. They’ve also discovered Blacksun Valle, and even destroyed our fortress. This is akin to occupying the gateway to the new world. So I ask Your Majesty, what did Sire Jaero even die for?”
The Demon King still did not reply. In addition to being moved, many of the council members picked up the hidden meaning in the exchange. Their gaze couldn’t help but drift up to the Sacred Mountain.
In the end, that duke channeled his origin power and raised his voice. “Since the three races have made a promise to share the two quotas, let me ask where the other sacrifice is right now? How come he has not appeared even as the humans break into Blacksun Valley? How can those humans be so unrestrained if not for the protection of their heavenly monarchs? If Blacksun Valley is not important and we’re only looking for someone to fill those quotas, why must we sacrifice Sire Jaero? Could it be that the other race’s candidate is so much more outstanding? Let him step out then! I wish to see who this person is!”
These words were spoken quite vehemently, prompting nods from many of the council members. The Spider Queen could no longer sit still. “So you’re actually trying to blame me.”
The duke said loudly, “I’m not blaming anyone, but there will be a general consensus on who’s responsible.”
“Consensus, haha.” The Spider Queen sneered, then stopped talking.
Many people stole glances at that duke, secretly feeling sorry for him. The Spider Queen has always been the most vengeful of the lot, and she would definitely take this insult to heart. As a supreme, she had too many ways to kill a duke in secret.
The man went pale. “That’s all I have to say. Everyone, please make a decision.”
The three supremes said nothing, so some of the council members stood up to speak. Their suggestions were more balanced, mostly covering topics on how to deal with the human attack. However, none of them could come up with a tangible plan.
There was simply no easy way to repel the combination of Song Zining and Zhao Jundu. Their supply of airships seemed endless, and at least three dukes would be in their army at all times. Besides, the situation in the new world was different from before. Because of the limited supply of holy tree sap, their faction could no longer maintain a superior flow of troops.
Song Zining’s divination skills exceeded everyone’s expectations, so much so that they could do nothing against him without mobilizing the council’s resident experts. In terms of fighting power, the duo’s combined strength could easily defeat a duke.
With a group of human divine champions gathered in one place, it was beyond difficult to besiege any one of them. The only way to block their advance was to send a powerful duke with a strong bloodline, someone like Jaero.
Then again, the human heavenly monarchs were waiting in the shadows, and no one knew when they would attack. A powerful duke or grand-duke taking the field would simply be throwing their lives away.
The other option was to gather an army of experts, led by someone of comparable talents to Song Zining and Zhao Jundu. A frontal challenge of soldiers vs. soldiers and generals vs. generals.
The only ones with such talents in the Evernight Faction were the Demoness and Anwen, and perhaps William and Basil to a certain extent. William was a werewolf, and they definitely weren’t going to help the other three races in this matter. Basil alone wasn’t enough, either. In the end, it was only up to Anwen or the Demoness, but the demonkin would never risk losing their two young geniuses after sacrificing Jaero for the cause.
Any of the human heavenly monarchs would go all out to kill the Demoness and Anwen given the chance, eliminating a future threat. If only the great dark monarchs could take action, they would never let a dangerous character like Song Zining escape, either.
There was still no answer after a long while of back and forth discussions.
Just as the situation was in a deadlock, the Spider Queen spoke, “In the end, the debate is all about a sacrificial piece. The demonkin have already suffered many losses, so let them be. But for the remaining quota, I must ask who it was that angered the new world’s consciousness?”
Most of the council members could only scratch their heads. In truth, they didn’t even know what the will of the new world was, let alone how to anger it to the point where it was targeting the great dark monarchs with such enmity.
What the Spider Queen meant was that there might’ve been other supremes or great monarchs who had contended with the consciousness of the new world. The result was obvious for all to see. The three supremes wouldn’t be so helpless, otherwise.
“What’s done is done.” The Demon King wanted to mediate.
“That was indeed the case at first, but now, I’ve been reminded of this problem. It’s fine if my people must make sacrifices, but others cannot simply stand by and do nothing.”
The Queen of the Night finally spoke, “Then how about we let you take care of the work our race should be doing?”
The Spider Queen was stopped up. The atmosphere became so tense that the hall was plunged into icy coldness.
Those below would never dare interfere in a quarrel among the supremes. Even the princes and great dark monarchs kept their gazes near their feet, never looking upward.
Seeing that the atmosphere was getting awkward, the Demon King said, “What’s done is done, let’s just maintain the status quo regarding the agreement. As for what we should do now, I think we must bring the werewolves in. That will at least give the humans more pressure.”
“Agreed,” said the Spider Queen.
At this moment, a werewolf duke stood up and said, “You people kept our race out when there were benefits to share. Now, you think of us when you can’t solve your problems? We might not agree to whatever you want!”
“I will inform the Wolf Ancestor and Sovereign on my own, I don’t need your agreement,” the Demon King said calmly, unleashing his unparalleled might.
The werewolf duke’s face turned red. He wanted to speak but couldn’t utter a single word, stopped by the Demon King’s terrifying suppressive might. He wanted to leave but ultimately didn’t have the courage to do so. The Demon King could easily take his life or toss him to the human heavenly monarchs.
The Demon King’s word choice just now was “inform.” There was never any intention of seeking the opinions of the Wolf Sovereign and the Wolf Ancestor. This went to show just how awkward of a position the werewolves were in.
This was also the reason why the Wolf Ancestor and Sovereign weren’t present at such an important meeting. Why would they come here to get insulted?
After suppressing the werewolves, the Demon King turned to the Queen of the Night. He said in a much gentler tone, “It looks like we’ll need the vampires to fend off the human army. We’ll have to count on you to alleviate Blacksun Valley’s danger while we sort out the problem regarding the human heavenly monarchs.”
The Queen of the Night said, “Fine, but the elites from your two races will have to be under our command.”
The Demon King said, “No problem. I can even make Anwen and the Demoness cooperate with you. Eden is already in your army. Let us know if you want any other genius from any clan.”
The Spider Queen could only nod since even the Demon King had already agreed. “I have no problems.”
“There’s still a problem. Where is the sacrifice? I want to see a qualified sacrifice in three days.”
The Spider Queen’s expression shifted drastically. “Don’t go too far!”
“Really? Then I’ll go back to sleep now.”
Even in her projected form, the Spider Queen’s expression of anger and frustration was clearly visible. She sighed deeply, stirring up a whirlwind in the hall. “You will see your sacrificial offering in three days.”
“I’m not talking about just one.”
The Spider Queen was furious. “How many do you want?”
“I want you to shoulder half of the sacrifices for our race.”
“How do we even do that?” the Spider Queen asked.
“This is something you need to figure out.” With that, the Queen of the Night’s figure slowly faded away. She had left.
The Spider Queen slammed the armrest. The impact shook the entire hall, but the Sacred Mountain remained entirely still.
The Demon King laughed wryly. “How about this? You, me, and the werewolves can each share a third of the vampire race’s sacrificial offerings.”
The Spider Queen said after some thought, “Is this the only way?”
The Demon King replied, “There is no other way, we can only rely on the vampires.”
The Spider Queen said after a long lapse, “Very well, let’s do it that way. I won’t compromise at all next time.”
The council members dispersed as the Spider Queen and the Demon King left. Some stayed behind to discuss the situation among close friends. The division of interests had been settled by the three supremes on the Sacred Mountain.
As for the werewolves, they could only wait for their notice.
