A gentle voice echoed through the void. “Evernight has aged, huh? This is the first time I’ve heard of this, interesting.”
An elegant man appeared in the air, seated in a tall chair and holding a book in one of his hands. He seemed deep in thought, almost as though the world were his study. He was positioned somewhat higher above the great dark monarchs, but not one felt that he was being rude.
Even the Eternal Flame was no longer as dazzling before this person.
Qianye glanced up at the man with a sigh. “It’s His Majesty the Demon King, I wasn’t expecting you to grace us with your presence. Have your injuries from the last battle healed?”
The Demon King smiled. “Of course not. The Lord of Evernight’s attacks are indefensible and extremely difficult to treat. Even I will need a considerable amount of time to recover. However, the matter here is too important, and Rosnia is unwilling to come, so I had no other choice.”
Qianye glanced around. “Looks like it won’t be easy for me to leave.”
“What’s the rush? It’s not so bad to have a chat. We rarely get to meet, after all.” The Demon King closed his book and placed it on his lap. He then said gently, “Xitang paid you the most attention when he was alive. He would mention you quite often too. I’ve always wanted to see what kind of person he had pinned all his hopes on. You managed to accomplish much later on, but I always missed the occasions due to various reasons. This should be the first time we’re really meeting face to face.”
Qianye hadn’t imagined the Demon King would mention the name. “You knew my adoptive father?”
“We met only a handful of times, but that doesn’t matter. Not many in this world know me full well, and it’s funny how all of them are humans.”
“Which three?”
“The first is Xitang, the other is that kid Radiant, and if I must find a third, probably you.”
“Me?”
“I saw Xitang when you spoke just now. He saw farther than you did, but he couldn’t let go of certain things. I later realized why he chose you.”
“What couldn’t he let go of?”
“The human race, of course.” The Demon King sighed. “It wasn’t the human race’s current survival that he was working toward, but its future pathway. I once asked him why don’t we just let go of whatever we’re doing and watch the two factions develop naturally? What he said was that the human race shouldn’t be constrained in this corner, that one day, a new path will appear and allow them to leap to unknown new worlds. He was willing to be the stepping stone in this endeavor.”
Qianye was silent as that tall and elegant figure appeared in his eyes. It was because he subconsciously wanted to follow in Lin Xitang’s footsteps that he had fought for the human race at every juncture.
“That fellow is too sentimental. Not only did he sacrifice himself, but he also turned the people around him into stepping stones. We had discussed this matter before, but his reply never changed: as the path is, so should all life be. Being his friend is definitely not something to be happy about.” The Demon King shrugged.
“If I heard right, my adoptive father died in your hands, didn’t he?”
The Demon King said, “I didn’t want to kill him, he wanted me to. If he doesn’t die, the Sacred Mountain will never feel relieved. In truth, I regret it whenever I think back to the past. If I had steeled my heart and killed him back in the year, there wouldn’t have been so much trouble later on.”
The Demon King stood up. “You might not believe me, but I never found out what he was planning all these years. I only had a strong feeling that I couldn’t let him succeed. All of Evernight’s prophets added together weren’t his match, how comical! Perhaps Evernight’s downfall was destined, otherwise, why would humans produce such a person?”
Qianye said, “If my adoptive father had friends, you would probably count as one.”
The Demon King smiled wryly. “I must’ve been out of my mind to have made such a friend.”
“Thank you for letting me know all of this. I guess it’s time to get back to business.”
The Demon King nodded, and the book in his hand drifted over and landed in the Eternal Flame’s hands. He stood up and gazed at Qianye, saying, “Killing you and destroying all of Xitang’s plans is my utmost respect for him.”
Qianye laughed. “I thought there might be a threaten-and-recruitment phase.”
The Demon King drew his sword. “That was my initial plan, but there’s no other choice since you’re the key piece he left behind.”
Qianye was shaken when the sword appeared. “Awakening Dream?!”
“How could she escape from the Queen of the Night?”
Qianye felt a chill surge out from deep within. “Lilith, that means she knew everything?”
“You could say that.”
“She knew about the war on Twilight Continent?”
“Not at first, but she didn’t object after she found out.”
Qianye said slowly, “In truth, I never had any lofty aspirations, and I’m not willing to fight to the bitter end for some ideals. I just wanted to be with the one person I love and see my brothers and friends well. Yet, why am I repeatedly denied this simple wish?”
“You’re a key piece in his plan, there’s no way you could escape the chessboard.”
Qianye held his sword pensively.
The Demon King didn’t attack immediately, either. “What are you thinking?”
“I was just thinking what Zining would do in my shoes.”
The Demon King’s brows moved. “Song Zining is also one of the pieces, but he’s optional. You are the key piece.”
Qianye raised his azure blade. “I’ve decided.”
“I don’t suppose you’ll just surrender?”
“She might have some hope of survival if I live, none if I die.”
The Demon King nodded. “That is true. I might be injured, but attacking you is still an act of bullying. Yet there’s no choice since none of them can handle you. In Xitang’s words, we were all born for the great dao, it’s just that we stand on different sides of the path. There’s no choice.”
Qianye nodded. “I understand. But all I know is that my adoptive father fell in your hands, and I don’t want to go into profound theories to explain this fact. I will still seek vengeance for him.”
The Demon King laughed. “It’s a good thing that you can think of it that way. Ah right, there’s something I must tell you. There might not be a chance once we start fighting.”
“Go ahead.”
“Daybreak and Evernight were the two poles of this world. They both opposed and existed alongside one another. Darkness origin power might have the advantage in the Evernight World, perhaps daybreak would be stronger in a different realm. In the myriad worlds, however, everything would return to their origins where neither is stronger than the other. That’s why it’s not Evernight that has aged, it is us, the sacred races.”
Qianye said in a serious tone, “Thank you for pointing that out.”
“This will be the only time. Get ready, let me see if you are worth all of Xitang’s efforts!”
The blade in the Demon King’s hands shook momentarily before bearing down upon Qianye.
The latter raised his blade in defense. The azure blade was incomparably heavy, almost as though it were carrying the weight of the entire world. Every inch forward was incredibly difficult.
A hint of black could be seen at its tip. It was extremely small yet as heavy as a mountain and boundlessly deep. The appearance of this black speck affected even the great dark monarchs, almost drawing them toward the source.
“Bang!” It was at this time that the azure sword shattered into countless pieces.
The fragments fell into the dark shade and vanished, yet the Demon King’s slash kept falling unaffected.
Qianye hadn’t expected such a turn of events. This was the first time he was going all out since stepping into the realm. This was also the first time the chaos energy had appeared in this world after returning to its origins.
Who would’ve thought the blade would crumble under the unbearable stress?
Qianye laughed wryly. Was this fate?
Who would be able to block the Demon King’s blow?
It was at this moment that a series of thunder echoed through the sky. A hand arrived from over the horizon and grabbed the Awakening Dream. The Pointer Monarch appeared soon afterward and said, “Your Majesty the Demon King, Supreme of the Sacred Mountain, how can you bully a child so? Ji Wentian is incapable, but I’ve long since wished to try my hand against you.”
The Demon King said seriously, “That’s fine as well.”
He casually raised his hand and slashed at the Pointer Monarch.
The latter also drew his sword and blocked the incoming blow. His movements were carefree and unrestrained, yet every movement was accompanied by nine rumbles of roaring thunder. Apparently, he had already pushed Excavator to its limits.
The Demon King’s movements were calm and poetic, his movements seemingly untainted by the secular world. He didn’t channel his demonic energy, either.
The other great dark monarchs were also caught off-guard by the sudden development. Which of them could interfere in a battle of such caliber?
It was at this moment that the Profundity Monarch appeared and locked down Sousa with an invisible force, dragging the man away from his peers.
He attacked with the speed of lightning, roaring, “Come, wind! Come, rain! Come, lightning!”
A storm brewed rapidly and arcs of lightning descended upon Sousa.
The lightning was thin and flimsy, but it was full of vitality and had enough power to destroy heaven and earth! This was far more powerful than a heavenly monarch’s attack. Progia and the Wolf Ancestor weren’t in their peak state and also caught off-guard.
The pillar of lightning landed upon Sousa’s body, dropping his life force by half and effectively paralyzing him!
The Profundity Monarch turned toward Qianye and shouted, “What are you waiting for?!”
Qianye was stunned to see the monarch bleeding from his eyes and looking rather miserable. Apparently, this attack had affected his very foundations.
There was no time to think or this opportunity would slip through their fingertips. Qianye immediately transformed into tens of thousands of sanguine threads, passing through Sousa and reappearing behind him.
Qianye’s face was now flushed red, and his body was bulging in certain areas, almost as though something was about to burst out. The strong and powerful Sousa was now barely a skeleton.
Qianye forcibly brought the raging blood energy under control. He couldn't quite hide his surprise as he said to the Profundity Monarch, “How come…”
There was a fierce glow emanating from the monarch at this moment, growing stronger and stronger. His origin power leaked out like raging tides, shaking his body and organs.
His heavenly monarch crystal was under too much strain! This was an early sign that it might shatter.
The Profundity Monarch took a deep breath and forced down the origin power. “This fight will decide the fate of the human race. It must end with either side dead, there are no shortcuts. I might not be capable, but I’m willing to be the first to sacrifice! The path to hell won’t be lonely anyway. Next!”
He raised his finger to the sky and roared, “Come, wind! Come, rain! Come, lightning!”
A thin arch of lightning shot toward Progia.
The demonkin was shocked out of his wits and actually turned to flee!
This lightning wasn’t lethal to him just yet, but Qianye would follow up during the momentary opening with a killing blow. That black intent was simply too terrifying and definitely not something he could resist.
The Wolf Ancestor hesitated for a moment and only retreated after seeing Progia flee. He had just made his move when an invisible force grabbed him, pinning him in place for a split second.
The werewolf was shocked out of his wits. Who would’ve thought the Profundity Monarch would use this ability on him instead of Progia? He struggled with all his might and managed to break the bindings inch by inch. The Profundity Monarch let out a muffled groan, spitting out a mouthful of frothy blood.
The Werewolf Ancestor realized that he was the real target, but it was all too late. Qianye appeared in front of him and swiped at him with the black intent on his fingertips.
Darkness immediately covered the world as the Wolf Ancestor’s consciousness fell into a sable abyss, a fall that seemed to never end.
Qianye and the Profundity Monarch had never worked together before, but their cooperation was almost flawless. They had only one shot at this, so failure was not an option.
Qianye returned to the heavenly monarch’s side instead of chasing Progia. With a wave of his hand, he produced a gentle stream of origin power to support the man.
The Profundity Monarch’s entire body was shining brightly, almost like a burning sun. His heavenly monarch crystal had shattered completely, and the raging stream of daybreak origin power was burning him from within.
Each of Evernight’s great dark monarchs represented a tremendous force. The Profundity Monarch had managed to attack two of these powerhouses, disarming their defenses and allowing Qianye to kill them. It was just that he couldn’t withstand this eruption of power, either, and ended up paying the ultimate price.
The Profundity Monarch endured the agony as he stared into Qianye’s eyes. “Tell my offspring, I might’ve had my flaws regarding less important matters… but I fulfilled my duty where it matters.”
