Volume 4 – Perpetual Conflict, Chapter 29: The Great Monarch’s Treasure
Bai Aotu nodded in agreement at the old general’s theory and had the chief-of-staff put away the military intelligence map. However, something continued to weigh persistently on her mind as if it was being pressed down by a huge rock.
Similar misgivings arose in several other theatres and even back at the expeditionary army headquarters. Those in charge of the war on Evernight Continent, Duke Ding and the expeditionary army commander-in-chief Marshal Luo Mingji, were also constantly discussing this matter but to no avail.
They had exhausted every method at their disposal and had even destroyed a certain arachne count’s consciousness with cruel torture in order to obtain a confession. However, the results were disappointing. The dark race count was never made aware of the reason behind this war. The order he received was merely to rush toward a certain battlefield and kill as many human warriors as possible.
From this, it was obvious that only those at the duke level would know whether or not there really was a certain conspiracy in the background. It was also possible that the authority level of this secret was even higher and perhaps only the Evernight Council members were privy to the details of the plan.
Finding no clues even after repeated discussions, the major human characters on the battlefield drew similar conclusions. And that was to continue fighting and observe.
Qianye carefully made his way through the war-torn Evernight Continent. He traveled, fought, and cultivated—half a month pa.s.sed by in the blink of an eye. As the battles in all regions turned white-hot, he no longer dared to intervene so casually. This might easily draw fire from both parties at the same time.
Qianye had killed off two dark race patrol squads on the way. It took him quite some time to gradually refine the blood essence into darkness origin power, over half of which was devoured by the new-born dark golden blood energy. The remainder was shared between the purple blood energy, the seven dark red blood energy, and the two advanced dark red blood energy.
Qianye immediately discovered that the darkness origin power he had refined from the Song Clan Ancient Scroll had actually boosted the evolution of his blood energy a great deal. Within a short period of time, the number of ordinary blood energy had recovered to nine strands and two of them had been upgraded to rank two. The upgraded purple blood energy had also become more abstruse and seemed as if it would advance once again.
The dark golden blood energy had inherited the golden blood energy’s characteristics but was growing at a much slower rate. It was only slightly stronger than its new-born state even after consuming so much darkness origin power. However, Qianye felt that two more illusory runes had appeared within the trail it left behind while roaming about.
Qianye had coexisted with the blood energies for a significant length of time and was already quite familiar with their uses. Ordinary blood energy would increase in number or upgrade, granting Qianye a slight boost in const.i.tution while at the same time protecting and repairing his internal organs when they receive damage.
The purple blood energy was clearly the source of his vampire const.i.tution ability rune. Its growth and upgrade would bring about a significant strengthening in Qianye’s body. Additionally, the highly damaging “toxicity” of his blood to the dark races and especially vampires could probably be attributed to it.
The golden blood energy was originally the source of his eye ability rune but also came to possess strengthening properties after its upgrade. The extent of this effect fell between that of the ordinary and purple blood energies.
As for the new-born dark golden blood energy, it had apparently taken over the runic ability of the golden blood energy. It wasn’t quite evident how it would develop in the future, but one thing was extremely evident—its strengthening effect on Qianye’s const.i.tution was even greater than the purple blood energy.
Its origins were also quite puzzling. Qianye still wasn’t quite certain whether the golden blood energy advanced after engulfing the dark vortex or if he had a.s.similated the golden blood energy after cultivating the Mystery chapter of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll.
However, Qianye was slowly beginning to form a system after fumbling about with his cultivation. Daylight origin power was still dependent on the Combatant Formula for acc.u.mulation and then purified by the Song Clan Ancient Scroll’s Glory chapter.
Since gaining an abundant supply of darkness origin power, the blood energies in Qianye’s body no longer devoured daybreak origin power. Although he would have to waste some time circulating the Mystery and Glory chapters of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, he would no longer lose daybreak origin power. Thus his cultivation speed, as a whole, wouldn’t be affected.
Qianye would sometimes laugh ruefully at his weird origin power system. However, this newly-constructed equilibrium based on the Song Clan Ancient Scroll felt much more dependable than anxiously fumbling around for ways to make daybreak origin power and dark blood energy exist together.
Qianye’s somewhat relaxed mood was once again enshrouded in a layer of darkness after he entered the county seat of the Shadowhill County.
This city, located in the hinterlands of Evernight Continent, was also a famous black crystal production zone under human control. This place was always heavily garrisoned. Although the whole of Evernight Continent was in a strained situation, the flames of war hadn’t reached this place. The city was still in good order and bustling with heavy traffic.
Qianye had planned to cross the Profound Jade Peak, a branch of the mountain range running through this area, and head toward the next battlefield to check on the situation therein. As such, he had chosen to enter this city and replenish his supplies. There was a small business here run by a va.s.sal family of the Song clan and also one of Song Zining’s secret contacts.
There wasn’t even a signboard on the storefront of this small manual workshop which specialized in weapons repair. Qianye’s original plan was merely to head over and replenish his physical origin bullet supply, however, he unexpectedly found out that Song Zining had been trying to get in touch with him via each and every branch organization since seven or eight days ago.
The message was disseminated akin to casting a fis.h.i.+ng net, and thus, its contents were naturally quite vague. Qianye could only determine that Song Zining had a matter he needed help with and it was quite urgent.
This kind of situation was absolutely abnormal!
The haze in his heart grew even thicker after recalling the fragments he had picked up from Song Zining’s letter last time. The latter likely wouldn’t seek out Qianye like looking for a needle in a haystack if he hadn’t encountered a problem for which he couldn’t even mobilize his own men.
This tiny contact point wasn’t able to provide much more information. Qianye hurriedly finished resupplying and immediately headed toward Weiyang City through the night. That was the empire’s largest city in Evernight continent. Not only did it boast airs.h.i.+p bases connecting toward the empire, but it was also home to the branch organizations of virtually every influential major power.
Qianye climbed atop a mountain peak north of the county town and, gazing toward the north, compared the landscape before his eyes to the map of the Shadowhill County he had just memorized. He finally decided to take some risk by crossing through a region under dark race control about 100 kilometers in the distance—this was the shortest path toward Weiyang City.
Meanwhile, deep underground. The mysterious city once opened by the Black-Winged Monarch Andruil was already strictly guarded by the soldiers under the direct command of the Evernight Council. No living creature was allowed to pa.s.s through apart from those with special authorization.
This batch of warriors directly subordinate to the Evernight Council were rather few in number, and yet they were the most powerful elite warriors of the Evernight faction—even an ordinary captain was a champion rank expert. The officer selection process for this unit was extremely stringent. Not every champion rank dark race expert would receive such an honor. Only true experts of slaughter were qualified to enter their ranks.
This unit was a legend even in the Evernight faction and very few have ever seen their members. This was Black Sun, the sword-bearers and protectors of the Evernight Council.
Black Sun was actually mobilized to guard this grand underground city and even those elite warriors were only allocated on the city borders. There seemed to be an invisible boundary in place which they dared not pa.s.s.
The interior of the city was still empty without any signs of life or activity. There was only a small group of people standing near the central altar.
From a distance, these people looked to be of different physiques and were standing quite a distance from one another. However, the enormous s.p.a.ce wherein the altar was located seemed incomparably narrow for them, with each possessing an aura comparable to the boundless oceans.
Every casual movement caused their tremendously powerful auras to crash against each other—it seemed as if perilous tidal waves were rolling through the air. And even this was the result of them showing some restraint. Perhaps this whole underground city was extremely small before any one of them.
Even champion rank captains of Black Sun didn’t dare to cross over the invisible boundary, so much that they didn’t even glance toward the central altar as if their eyes would be burnt just by looking.
The most shocking part was that there were 12 such terrifying existences.
A whole 12 Evernight Council members! They weren’t just ordinary council members. There were several senior members among them. A certain majestic figure among them even resembled one of those legendary powerhouses.
There were a number of young people among these major characters of the Evernight faction. All of them, without exception, were ill.u.s.trious characters of the Evernight faction’s younger generation. Their future prospects were judged to be unlimited, and the prestige of the most excellent among them stood toe to toe with some of the ordinary members of the council.
Nighteye stood at the very center of this group formed of genius among geniuses. She was the focus of all attention and was also one of the core members of this lineup.
Fresh blood was flowing through the grooves which weaved together to fill the whole of the altar hall, climbing and crawling as if they were alive. This suffocative gigantic origin array had been completely activated.
The blood running through the array gave off such an especially vivid aura of vitality that it made the vampire council members glance at it a couple of times.
Blood energy was particularly dense above the altar where it had condensed into a ma.s.s of glistening mist. It was still rolling continuously akin to the pulsating heart of a primordial beast.
After witnessing this scene, a vampire council member so old that it seemed as if he would collapse any moment couldn’t help but say, “The foolish humans are probably thinking about how they should fight a few more battles and see just what kind of arrangements we have made. Hehe, how can they know that we only needed seven battles?”
A certain demonkin council member said slowly, “The humans are indeed stupid, but there was also a certain honorable lord who was repelled by those foolish humans.”
Another council member suddenly turned and said coldly, “Farah, keep going if you insist on inciting a war!”
The man who had turned around was, in fact, Ge s.h.i.+tu. Back then, he had gone alone to the pillar of the human territory, Darkblood City, and was shot by a human girl wielding the Red Spider Lily. He was badly wounded and had no choice but to escape. This incident became a weak point for his political enemies to attack.
Farah snorted and said disapprovingly, “I was only stating a fact.”
Ge s.h.i.+tu’s replied with a cold voice, “It is indeed a fact. If a certain other fellow were to take a direct hit from the Equinox Flower, I fear he wouldn’t be returning at all.”
Farah snorted deeply with a sour expression but didn’t retort. Everyone here was a major character—certain superfluous things need not be articulated. Defense was indeed his weak point. If he was, indeed, struck by the Red Spider Lily, one of the ten Grand Magnums, it was likely that he would be gravely wounded on the spot. He wouldn’t even be able to escape.
It was at this time that an old voice akin to the sound of chafing metal rang out, “Silence! The treasure of Great Monarch Andruil has appeared.”