Everything began during ancient times.
Andruil had yet to become the Black-Winged Monarch. He was just a youngster with wild ambitions, talented but not at the peak by any measure. The Monroe clan was full of powerful talents, and that made it hard for him to stand out.
All changes began when Andruil awoke.
After his awakening, Andruil’s bloodline reached the extreme of strength, and his cultivation improved meteorically. Looking at his bloodline talents, the prince in charge of the Monroe Clan announced that this youngster had awakened the bloodline of a second-generation primogenitor. Thereafter, he came to be known as Andruil.
After the awakening, memories related to this world appeared in Andruil’s mind. Back then, he only remembered the existence of the new world and that experts had made their way there before. He was one of the pioneers.
The new world changed after that attempted invasion, driving off all outsiders and hiding itself in the depths of the void.
Yet the experts knew that the world would appear again, so they had been waiting for this opportunity.
Whatever he remembered about the new world was blurry and fragmented. Whatever he could recall was no different from an old man recounting his childhood.
According to reason, this shouldn’t happen to experts like Andruil. He should’ve been able to remember everything down to the smallest detail.
Seeing Qianye’s puzzled expression, Andruil said, “Have you realized it? Be it Evernight or the Empire, their memories of the past are now blurry, and many historical facts are contradictory. None of this should’ve happened. After all, there are some old monsters still living to this day.”
Qianye felt that this really was the case. Humans of the Empire used to be slaves and livestock before their rise to power, but why would Evernight have the same problem? At the very least, their three supremes had lived through the long millennia.
Ignore those distant characters, even Nighteye couldn’t remember her identity after awakening, either. The Azure King never mentioned anything about it despite frequently accompanying Nighteye. Perhaps he wasn’t trying to keep it a secret, but rather, he didn’t remember things clearly, either.
“In fact, the rise of the human race was the dividing line, that period where the Empire was established,” Andruil said in a relaxed tone.
The Lightless Monarch was an awakened second-generation primogenitor. He had personally witnessed the Founding Ancestor of the human race rise from the lowest rungs of society. He watched as the man swept through all adversaries, walking out of the Twilight Continent and onto the path that would lead to the Empire’s founding.
“The Lost Season?” Qianye had never heard of this name.
“This is a legend known only amongst the higher echelons of the Evernight Council, it’s natural that outsiders are not privy to it. I just happened to be qualified enough to hear of it. The so-called Lost Season was a wave of forgetfulness that struck the most powerful experts. Just like a dream, we saw and experienced many inconceivable things, but we forgot them in the blink of an eye, so much so that I can no longer recall whether certain events were dreams or reality.
“Only after the Lost Season ended did we realize that the humans had risen up in rebellion and mustered several impressive armies. Almost overnight, they had found suitable cultivation techniques and possessed top experts of their own. Even the supremes couldn’t say they could beat the Founding Ancestor back then! How did these experts appear out of nowhere?”
According to the Empire’s history, the Founding Ancestor had led the twelve generals—pillars of the human race—across thousands of kilometers. He first defeated the pursuing army, then fought the Evernight alliance to a draw with both sides sustaining heavy damage. The council was forced to recognize the human race’s status, allowing the Empire to build their first home on Evernight Continent.
Thinking back on it, things had been all too easy. Qianye understood that the humans had managed to get through the calamity only because of the Lost Season, during which the strongest great dark monarchs and supremes were unable to take action.
Andruil recalled the matter in silence. “Actually, I sensed the daybreak origin power of the world becoming much denser for no good reason, it used to be beyond sparse. All of this came about after the fall of the Void Valley Star. My memory of that time is rather fuzzy, and I simply don’t remember when or why the star fell.
“That time period was called the Lost Season because all top experts could no longer recall the events clearly, almost as though some great power had wiped away our memories. With each passing day, more gaps appeared in our memories. The Queen should’ve been the most resistant to this erosion of memories, but something happened to the River of Blood. She was deeply impacted by the event and had to hibernate for long periods of time since then.
“Because of the Lost Season, everyone’s memory of the new world is unclear. Only a handful of people remember its existence and kept on waiting for the next opportunity to enter. To the supremes, there is nothing more important than the new world because the darkness origins are here.”
Qianye finally took the opportunity to ask, “What exactly is the darkness origins?”
Qianye looked up in surprise.
“That’s the darkness origins?! Even if it is, what use does anyone have for it?” Qianye couldn’t help but say.
The black sun was more of a natural phenomenon than a resource. He had only heard of people seeking to occupy certain islands and continents. No one has ever tried to conquer the upper continents, let alone the sun.
Qianye gazed at the black sun, thinking how the darkness origins could be utilized.
Andruil broke out in laughter. “Who said you need to ‘use’ the darkness origins? Its existence is the most meaningful thing in and of itself.”
“I don’t understand,” Qianye said honestly.
Andruil said, “It’s not hard to understand. Think, what would we do if we wanted to wipe out the humans entirely?”
As someone who had led armies and conquered numerous territories, Qianye replied immediately, “Of course, you would have to muster a great force. First, keep the divine champions and heavenly monarchs in check, then destroy the Empire’s army. Lastly, you’ll have to wipe out the civilians and round up the escapees.”
“Will that even work?” Andruil asked.
