[V6C13 – Sorrow of a Silent Parting]
The demonkin stood still after speaking thus, patiently awaiting a response.
Moments later, a boundless suppressive might escaped from the coffin. It was as though an entire world had awoken to look down upon the three lowly life forms below.
The grand duke of the Perth clan immediately went down on one knee.
The Lightless Monarch’s face grew even paler. The two large rings on his index and ring fingers suddenly knocked against one another to produce a light clack.
That member of demonkin royalty remained in place and bowed slightly, his vertical eye flowing with shifting brilliance. The space behind his body was somewhat distorted, as though something was raring to charge out. Even his innate totem was about to appear—this went to show that he was using his full strength and not having as easy a time as he seemed.
The impact on Medanzo was beyond expectation. He and the Queen of the Night were both born of the same long bloodline, so the effects of her suppressive might upon him were exceptionally profound.
“What does the council want with me?” The queen’s voice was distant and slightly hoarse, but it was inexplicably pleasant to the ears and almost seemed to resonate with the deepest parts of one’s origin power.
The demonkin spoke respectfully, “Sky Demon has descended upon Evernight Continent once more. The council has confirmed that it is searching for the ancient essence of the void colossus primal chaos. As such, the council has decided to contest with full force. Only you can obstruct Sky Demon and allow us to obtain the primordial essence.”
“That thing is useless to me, but my descendants might need them. I want three parts.”
The demonkin’s expression immediately became quite awkward. In the end, he clenched his teeth and said, “That won’t be a problem!”
Seeing the demonkin agree in a fairly straightforward manner, the suppressive might within the space lessened a bit. The Queen of the Night’s voice rang out once more, “My beloved Medanzo, it would seem we haven’t met for several hundred years. Have you prepared everything needed for my awakening?”
The Lightless Monarch had completely recovered his calm. He nodded politely and said, “Revered Lilith, everything has been prepared.”
“Well done. Moreover, put all these expenses on the council’s tab.”
The demonkin’s face couldn’t help but turn pale after hearing this. But he broke into a rueful smile immediately afterward because he didn’t dare say anything against her. The price needed to awaken the Queen of the Night, Lilith, from her long slumber, wasn’t just any kind of exorbitant sum. However, this headache was best left for those major characters in the council.
After the matter was settled, their vision turned into a blur before they were back in the valley.
The chains within the mysterious space started to rattle, and the ancient bindings around the coffin broke apart and fell off one by one.
A slender, pale hand with nails as dark as the night stretched out from the boiling blood—it was extremely eye-catching. The part most upsetting to the eyes was that this almost perfect hand was actually missing a pinky.
Considering the regenerative abilities of the vampires, such a defect shouldn’t have remained. But it was there, there on the body of a great dark monarch who stood at the pinnacle of power.
This hand grabbed the borders of the coffin, and an inexplicable woman gradually sat up from the blood.
At this very moment, countless vampires from Twilight Continent above to Evernight Continent below felt their hearts throb.
On each and every continent, the true powerhouses who stood at the summit of all living beings—be they from Evernight, Daybreak, or neutral factions—all heard a soft but distant sigh seemingly transmitted over through antiquity.
That was Lilith, the Queen of the Night, announcing her return.
A small town in the northern part of human-territory. There was still alternating day and night beyond the Iron Curtain, and the afternoon was when sunlight was at its brightest.
Lin Xitang was sitting in this study and going over some documents. The sunlight coming in through the long french-window flowed over his shoulders and lit up his dazzling silver hair.
Lin Xitang closed the heavy folder and added it to the stack of already-read documents on the left side of his desk. He then proceeded to open the next one; this thick document was the latest battle report. His hand froze all of a sudden as the paper emitted an almost ear-piercing rustle.
A person standing on the western balcony turned back in alarm.
Lin Xitang’s expression as he gazed at the report was calm and emotionless, as though nothing was out of the ordinary. However, from the number of military affairs he had to process each day, one could say that he had been lingering on this page for too long.
Zhang Boqian walked over and took that military report directly from Lin Xitang’s hands. He browsed through it rapidly and said with an indifferent voice, “Song Zining? Not bad, the Fueled Fire Spear didn’t fall to the bottom after all. As for the Zhao clan, they are indeed producing heroes in every generation. This Qianye is truly a rare genius to have accomplishments on par with Zhao Jundu despite being born of a secondary residence. Perhaps he will become a pillar of the empire ten years later.”
Lin Xitang spoke not a single word. He stood up slowly and strolled to the other end of the desk wherein lay a fairly old wooden box. He didn’t open the cover and only reached out to touch the firm but crude patterns upon it.
It was at this time that their expressions changed slightly. What on Evernight could’ve alarmed these two experts of the empire at the same time?
Zhang Boqian’s aura soared abruptly into the skies. Lightning and thunder emerged in the clear skies above the small town, the rumble traveling hundreds of kilometers away. A giant cloud formed out of thin air and pressed down upon the walls, revolving slowly as it enveloped the entire town.
Lin Xitang’s response was quite bad. His face turned pale and his fingers slipped, almost sweeping the wooden box onto the floor. He staggered back unsteadily and had to grab the table to prevent himself from falling over.
Zhang Boqian’s phoenix eyes flared up with battle intent as he looked up through the long window. His gaze pierced the tall skies and seemed to traverse a million miles toward that certain place in the distance.
Frowning, Lin Xitang walked over to the table with brisk steps where he opened up a blank military order. Zhang Boqian held down the brush in his hand and asked coldly, “What happened just now?” The cloud mass above the town was still rotating; Zhang Boqian still hadn’t retracted his aura.
“Backlash.” Lin Xitang knew he couldn’t hide it. Zhang Boqian, stirred by the aura emitted by the Queen of the Night, had deployed his domain just now. This happened to help Lin Xitang block out most of the backlash from the Art of Heaven’s Mystery.
Zhang Boqian’s expression sank. “Are you looking to die? You even dare to scry Lilith!”
Lin Xitang didn’t say anything, but he sighed deeply in his heart. He was scrying Song Zining and Qianye just now when the fates were unexpectedly thrown into chaos. Moreover, he wasn’t a heavenly monarch—according to reason, the message announcing the Queen of the Night’s return shouldn’t have reached him at all. However, Lilith’s aura had suddenly appeared for some reason, and the two superimposed matters almost caused a backlash.
Seeing Lin Xitang remain silent, Zhang Boqian laughed coldly and said, “Try not to court death so often, will you? You haven’t fulfilled your promise to me. You should know what will happen if something goes wrong.”
Nighteye, who was running swiftly through the northwestern wilderness of the dark race territory, halted her steps and fell to her knees, screaming in pain with her head between her hands. She seemed to hear a sigh, followed by boundless pain which almost split her head apart.
Fortunately, the agony left just as suddenly as it had appeared. She gasped fiercely and felt weak all of a sudden.
Several vampires who were running along with her were caught unprepared. They rushed out for quite a distance before realizing the change and hurrying back. “Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”
Nighteye stood up. “I’m fine. Let’s continue.”
The vampires here were all viscounts. They could only obey Nighteye’s commands and follow her forward with due swiftness.
On the other side of the mountain range, far in the distance, a beam of green light surged into the sky. It pierced right through the grey Iron Curtain to stir up layer upon layer of ripples throughout the sky.
The vampires were shocked upon seeing this might. Someone cried out involuntarily, “Blue Firmament! It’s Zhao Jundu!”
Zhao Jundu’s fame wasn’t limited to the empire. In truth, it was even more resounding among the dark races. Earlier on, there were many dissatisfied young geniuses who had gone to challenge and kill this so-called number one genius of the empire. To the dark race members who worshipped absolute strength, there was no better way to prove themselves.
However, none of those who went to challenge Zhao Jundu returned, regardless of who they were. The entire world of darkness was shaken after he successfully launched a long-range assault into the Dark Nation and went back completely fine. After that, no one else dared challenge him again under the Iron Curtain.
No one knew who Zhao Jundu was fighting on the other side of the mountain.
Nighteye immediately said, “Let’s go and take a look.”
A vampire viscount barred Nighteye’s path and said hurriedly, “Your Majesty! That’s Zhao Jundu over there!”
Nighteye frowned. “So?”
An older viscount decided to speak indirectly, “Your Majesty, I heard that Zhao Jundu is already equal in power to a first-rank viscount of the sacred blood. This person’s name rings across the entire human empire and is someone with true ability. Although Your Majesty does not fear him, it’s not wise to attack him all of a sudden. You are, after all, losing out in terms of origin power rank.”
Nighteye glanced over in the direction of the battle and said coldly, “I don’t feel anything unwise about this.”
Some of the other viscounts were fairly anxious, but they didn’t actually dare block Nighteye’s way. They could only dissuade her continuously, “Your Majesty, you have the potential to surpass the prince-level and is our Monroe clan’s greatest safeguard. Even if you wish to kill Zhao Jundu, why rush? Won’t it be the same two years later?”
“It’s fine. I only want to take a look.” With that, Nighteye’s figure flashed past them and shot straight toward the battlefield.
The viscounts were shocked out of their wits and followed along in a hurry. Should something happen to Nighteye, bodyguards like them would be executed without exception.
When Nighteye arrived at the summit, she saw two figures locked in an all-out battle in the plains below.
In Zhao Jundu’s right hand was the Blue Firmament, and in his left was the short Blue River Edge. His expression was calm as the eight streams of violet qi flickered in and out of existence around him. Apparently, his domain had reached a level of perfection.
A figure was moving so quickly around Zhao Jundu that it couldn’t be seen clearly—only countless afterimages were left behind in various positions. This person was running around Zhao Jundu at lightning speed, the black sword in his hand whistling mournfully as he slashed at Zhao Jundu like a tempestuous rainstorm.
The shadow launched dozens if not hundreds of attacks at Zhao Jundu every second. Meanwhile, the latter would only counterattack occasionally with the Blue River Edge or a shot from the Blue Firmament. But every retaliatory strike would force the other party into a miserable situation.
Under the Omniscient Seal, only small scattered flashes of red remained of the other person’s domain; it couldn’t even take form. Moreover, his movements would suddenly slow down whenever the eight streaks of violet appeared. At such moments, the Blue River Edge would always appear before him with the utmost mastery and timing. Moreover, whenever the Blue Firmament rumbled, a vast swathe of green water would pour down and envelope the places where he would reappear, making it impossible for him to evade.
Nighteye had immediately figured out that Zhao Jundu had the complete advantage in a battle of domains. He had thrown the opponent into complete disarray, and victory was only a matter of time.
At this moment, the Omniscient Seal emerged once again to drag that person down, allowing Nighteye and her followers to clearly see the man fighting against Zhao Jundu. Everyone’s expression changed, and a viscount whispered, “His Excellency Faras?”