Chapter 1365: I’m Back (Part 2)
A battlefield between great dark monarchs wasn’t for idle people to spectate. Only a duke would have the power to protect himself; those below the marquis realm could hardly hope to survive. Nighteye had only recovered to the vice-duke realm. Although she might be able to take part in a battle between dukes, Qianye was as weak as a newborn child after waking up from the blood pond. He might lose his life at the slightest touch.
Nighteye hesitated for a moment, gazing deeply into the Azure King’s eyes before running back in Qianye’s direction. She noticed something in her hands as the king’s voice echoed in her ears, “Use this, it’ll take you part of the way.”
Nighteye saw an azure crystal as limpid as the sea and skies. It was covered in an intricate web of origin arrays and contained a terrifying amount of power. It even caused her hair to billow upward.
She felt a bit of uneasiness in her heart, yet she couldn’t explain the reasons why. The Azure King might be nearing the end of his lifespan, but he was one of the few experts who had inherited the primogenitor’s authority. Few could match him in the same realm.
Even now, he was still unfathomable. The Lightless Monarch Medanzo would arrive very soon. With two dark monarchs working together, they could probably even flee from a supreme.
Qianye was the one in real danger at the moment. Nighteye’s senses were incomparably sharp after her awakening, allowing her to sense that the Azure King was right. The enemy’s target was very likely Qianye.
“Could it be those humans again?!” Nighteye clenched her teeth and activated the crystal!
A terrifying wave of power erupted from the crystal and spread out to level the entire garden. Qianye and Nighteye were enveloped by a layer of green energy which took them thousands of meters into the air.
Another ring of light exploded in the sky, and this time, the duo was transported thousands of meters away. The next ring of light took them over ten thousand meters away.
One azure ring after another erupted from the crystal, taking Qianye and Nighteye further and further away. By the time the last one appeared, they were tens of thousands of meters from their starting point.
Moreover, the azure rings started s.h.i.+fting directions later on, which would serve to shake off any potential pursuers.
In the blink of an eye, Qianye and Nighteye were in a secret realm filled with bright sunlight, chirping birds, and the scent of flowers. There was a wooden house in the woods, and next to it was a simple stone hall.
Once at the location, the azure jade produced a ma.s.s of green light and slowly carried the duo to the ground in front of the house. The stone then flickered and dispersed in the form of green smoke.
The dispersion of the light was like an invisible switch that brought the stone hall and wooden house to life. The lights lit up, rows upon rows of books appeared on the shelves, and the cabinets were filled with all kinds of supplies.
The well in the courtyard began to bubble with spring water. Within the stone hall, the beast head embedded in one of the pillars began to pour out a stream of sanguine fluid into an empty stone pond, stopping only when the water level was enough to cover a person.
The surrounding scenery also began to undergo subtle changes. An invisible barrier rose up and sealed the secret realm off, preventing even a bit of aura from leaking out. The barrier was mild and gentle; even a pa.s.sing great dark monarch might not sense it easily.
Nighteye’s expression changed a bit after seeing the surroundings. Qianye also went silent.
This secret realm wasn’t big, but the setup was well thought out. That isolation barrier alone was a magnificent piece of work.
The two also noticed some subtle differences in the worldly laws. They had both experienced entering a small world back when they were searching for Andruil’s treasure. This place was precisely one of those rare half-dimensional small worlds.
The Pond of Azure Darkness in the stone hall was small, but that was a hidden card the Azure King prepared for his own recovery. How could it be normal?
This secret realm was clearly the Azure King’s final hiding place. That crystal would send the user to this location no matter where he was. Such a treasure was far more valuable than normal treasures, catching right up to magnums and holy weapons. Did the Azure King sense something by giving them this item?
Nighteye forced herself to remain calm as she said, “This blood pond can be used once. You’ll recover completely afterward.”
“Wait, something’s not quite right with my body.”
“Don’t bother with other things yet, just recuperate first.” Nighteye gently and firmly pushed Qianye into the Pond of Azure Darkness. Once inside, Qianye felt indefensible exhaustion well up over him. In the end, he could no longer withstand the tiredness and fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing Qianye lying quietly at the bottom of the pond, Nighteye walked out of the stone hall and closed the door softly. She then sat down on a stone chair in the garden, dazed.
Her heart grew increasingly restless.
…
When Anwen and Predica walked into the great hall, the Demon King was standing before an intricately crafted model of the world.
This apparatus was different from the metallic ones commonly seen outside; all of the parts were made from a material that looked like stone. However, it was more l.u.s.trous and cold compared to ordinary stone. The material was similar to that of the thrones of the six-armed creatures in the new world but much more polished.
The entire model was mobile, with each miniature continent and planet slowly moving along its trajectory. Upon careful observation, the black connecting threads were almost ephemeral and made up of extremely condensed demonic energy.
Anwen and Predica had seen it many times, but they couldn’t help but feel attracted by its profound beauty.
“You guys are here,” the Demon King said softly.
White light flickered in the duo’s eyes, following which they found themselves standing in boundless darkness. Above, below, left, and right, there was only boundless darkness. This sable s.p.a.ce did not cause one to tremble in fear like a dark baptism. Instead, it filled one with a wave of great comfort, as though their bodies had grown lighter.
“My latest travels took me to a small asteroid belt at the top of this world.”
These ordinary words stirred up great winds and waves in the duo’s hearts. They couldn’t tell whether the emotion was excitement, shock, or adoration.
For the longest time, the planets and continents higher up in the world had been a forbidden region for the various races. Every great dark monarch yearned to explore the void, and even on the human side, there was a king who went missing on the path to the peak.
Up to this point, the Queen of the Night, Lilith, was the only one confirmed to have been to that place. That was also one reason why she was considered the number one expert in Evernight.
The Demon King said, “The profundities of this world are truly fascinating. Looking up at the sky from the top of the world will show you a completely different starry sky. It’s so beautiful that words cannot do it justice. I was only one step away from crossing over to the other side, to experience that kind of beauty. It would have been worth it even if destruction is the price to pay.
“But, at that moment, I looked back at our own world… and saw the truth.”
At this moment, the boundless darkness around Anwen and Predica started to change.
The world was dark.
Yet that pure darkness came alive in their senses, filling them with vital energy. Two black suns hung in the sky, bathing everything below with their light. They were the fountains of energy that kept all living beings alive.
The indigenous people harvested energy in the form of gra.s.s, rocks, and liquid. This energy entering their body would give them joy, and their joy, in turn, would activate the surrounding darkness element.
The entire world was full of life.
All of a sudden, a bright speck appeared in a certain part of the world. This bright spot gradually expanded like rippling water, distorting the darkness element in its wake. The ripples finally stopped and some places returned to normal, but there were also some places that had grown pale.
After an unknown period of time, some creatures stood up in the pallid regions.
Those creatures staggered into the wilderness after standing up. They probably didn’t know where they were going, nor did they have any objective; they just walked in a random route. Wherever they went, a greyish-white mark would be left behind on the dark ground.
Those creatures disappeared after a long time.
After some time, a group of aboriginals appeared yet again. They had no idea what that greyish white track was. Some people jumped over, while others kept on harvesting energy.
Just like that, the white mark spread like poison. They eventually climbed onto the aboriginals’ feet and were carried to places farther away.
As time went by, the earliest natives who had come into contact with the white mark began undergoing some changes. They were no longer of pure darkness. Some of the places they went to were tainted, while others were not. The places they stayed for prolonged periods began to fade in color.
This process went on repeatedly in many places of the world.
A speck of light would fall, and the white patch creatures would appear.
The natives eventually discovered the problem and no longer dared to touch the white marks. They ran after the trails as they were made and shouted after them. Yet it would seem the natives and the creatures couldn’t see one another. Everything was in vain.
The aboriginals tried to clear away those marks, but the effect was rather limited. The worst part was that the white marks would slowly cause the area to fade if left alone.
Up until one day, the entire world seemed to light up just a little bit. The brightening might be negligible in the eyes of ordinary people, but experts knew that the darkness was now different. The world was no longer as pure.
Some of the natives would come to discover this fact. One such terrified person was facing a patch of seriously tainted land. A large white patch had appeared and was spurting out a luminous aura. The world there began to crack, and the laws changed beyond recognition, much like a disorderly giant beast.
The native panicked. He ran and shouted before finally flying into the air, but the bright energy was so fast that it devoured him not long afterward.
After an unknown length of time, that ma.s.s of still light spat out a creature that looked the same as that native, but its body was translucent like gla.s.s. The creature began moving around, but his movements were inexplicably strange and twisted.
He seemed to remember where his tribal village was. He walked and walked until he arrived at a small village. The moment he stepped into the village, the entire place turned into a sphere of light.
The changes came to a sudden stop with a wave of the Demon King’s hand. The boundless darkness reverted to when Anwen and Predica arrived.
The two were sweating so much that their s.h.i.+rts were drenched. Their beating hearts only recovered after returning to the quiet darkness.
The Demon King’s voice almost seemed to come from another world. “You two once foresaw very different futures leading to the same outcome, destruction.”
“What you saw just now is the truth of this world. The darkness that had given birth to us is being tainted. The laws of darkness are being twisted, and its people are turned into monsters. Through the countless years, our ancestors have been trying their best to turn our fate around. Yet we keep losing our knowledge of this world and forgetting the inheritance of s.p.a.ce and time.
“Every race has legends about powerful experts reaching the top of this world. I can tell you for sure that it is true, there is a world outside of this world, and the strong can choose to leave this tainted, twisted world. But… how about our people?”
Anwen said, “One thousand two hundred years ago, the War of Daybreak…” His voice started to tremble.
“That is the weeping of our world. The darkness origins had been tainted to its limits.” The Demon King continued, “The great elders have waited for thousands of years for the coming of the new world. For the past ten thousand years, the darkness origins could no longer repair itself. There’s something in the new world we need, something that can help us.”
Anwen and Predica became silent.
These young men were the core of the demonkin race’s upper echelons, so they were privy to some of the grand plans. Although they didn’t know the deep meaning behind them, the Demon King’s words today cleared things up for them.
At the same time, they understood why the Demon King had called them here to explain the truth of the new world.
“Pure, strong power deserves respect. We are the same in that respect,” the Demon King said. “I pa.s.sed by k.u.mara on the way back from the peak and met Lin Xitang there. He was an enemy worthy of our utmost respect.”
“Back then, someone told me that Predica has placed him among the most dangerous people of the Daybreak Faction.” The Demon King’s perfect countenance revealed a bitter smile. “See? I made a grave mistake once again.”
The Demon King’s sigh filled the entire s.p.a.ce, seemingly coming from the sh.o.r.es of the vast darkness itself. “When the world collapses, we can head to the new world, but how about our people? How about the origins that gave us life?”
When Anwen and Predica returned to their senses, they were standing in an empty hall. The two exchanged glances as they walked out.
The sun was s.h.i.+ning splendidly. Who would hear the world crying?