Chapter 1365: I’m Back (Part 1)

“Qianye... Qianye...”

The calling appeared once again. He moved ever so slightly in an attempt to open his eyes, but it felt as though there was a mountain pressing down on his eyelids. He couldn’t open them no matter how hard he tried. He was gasping, but not as a normal person would. Every part of his body was respiring, so he didn’t feel as great a discomfort.

Just like an origin array coming back to life, he gradually began to sense some parts of his body and could command them to make small movements. Energy rolled into his body, seeping in through his skin and rousing his slumbering shell.

He finally opened his eyes.

Before him was an azure screen of water, and on the other side was a familiar countenance—Nighteye.

Qianye struggled to sit up, but all he managed to do was raise a single hand. Overjoyed, Nighteye reached out and carried him out of the water.

Qianye looked around in puzzlement and realized that he was in a dark, ancient hall. The walls were covered in relief sculptures, which seemed worn despite them being indoors. It would seem this hall had been around for countless years.

The sculptures depicted numerous historical battles, none of which was familiar to Qianye. It almost seemed like another world to him.

Some of the enemies in the sculptures were races Qianye had neither seen nor heard of before. They looked strange and grotesque, but the armor and weapons they were wielding proved that they were a highly intelligent race and not primitive beasts.

These sculptures caught his full attention. From the contents, it would seem that the vampires suffered grave casualties during that war. Entire legions would end up in mutual destruction with the enemy forces, but the sanguine moon flag never fell.

When had the vampires fought such battles before?

Qianye turned toward Nighteye. He didn’t look at her immediately, not because he didn’t want to, but because he didn’t dare. He was afraid that this would be another fleeting dream, just like the River of Blood.

What came into his eyes was a familiar face, a countenance that brought joy every time.

Qianye reached out. He wanted to caress her face at first but ended up hugging her tightly. He closed his eyes and felt a familiar scent creep into his senses.

She was the first to speak after a long while, “Do you not plan to come down?”

Qianye suddenly realized that he was still being carried in her arms. Startled and embarrassed, he tried to jump down in a hurry, but his legs gave away, nearly causing him to fall.

His struggle to stand was ultimately in vain. He thought he had found his footing when he stumbled forward. Just as his forehead was about to hit the ground, an odd power within his body reacted to his thoughts, dragging him back to his feet.

Qianye was dazed after returning to his feet, puzzled as to where that power had come from. This energy was unusual and strange—it was neither Daybreak nor Evernight; it wasn’t a neutral grey, either.

The power vanished once he was standing properly, much like a hazy dream after awakening. Qianye looked down at himself and found that his body was still intact, although being buck naked felt a bit embarrassing. Nighteye chuckled when he tried to cover himself with his hand.

“Still trying to cover up, huh?” She laughed.

Qianye blushed. “Erm, where are my clothes?”

“Of course they’re totally ruined, I’ve thrown them away. There are new ones outside.”

“Where is this place?” Qianye noticed that the place he was lying in was a small stone pond, just big enough for three people to lie down in. It was half-filled with a clear azure liquid that gave off a soothing feeling.

“This is the Azure King’s secret realm, a place he prepared for his next phase of hibernation. This Pond of Azure Darkness can be considered his primordial blood pond. It was full of powerful blood energy, but almost all of it has been used up in your recovery.”

Qianye was stunned. “Then what about the Azure King?”

Nighteye said, “I owe him for this and I’ll find a way to repay him later. Don’t worry.”

Qianye frowned. This Pond of Azure Darkness seemed to be close to ten thousand years old, who knew how long it would take to fill it up again? Moreover, hibernation was related to a vampire’s lifespan. How could it be easy to compensate him for such a priceless pond?

Nighteye said, “Well, you’ve already used it up. If worse comes to worst, you can help me repay him.”

Qianye’s frown relaxed. “Okay!”

Nighteye rushed into his arms and held him tightly. “I thought... you wouldn’t be back. If it wasn’t for the Azure King’s help... I wouldn’t know what to do.”

“I’m back.”

Nighteye wiped her tears away before leaving the embrace. “Don’t do such stupid things anymore and I’ll forget what happened. It’s decided.”

Qianye nodded. He had gone through life and death, but the most important thing was that she had returned to his side. Qianye felt that life was more or less perfect.

The two left the chamber. Qianye changed into the full set of clothes that had been prepared for him. He checked the mirror in passing and saw an elegant vampire youth in the reflection. Every little detail was up to the strictest of vampire aesthetic standards, a great match for Nighteye.

Of course, there was only vampire attire in the Azure King’s secret realm. Although Qianye wasn’t quite used to the ornate formal attire, it was still acceptable. As he walked out of the ancient hall with Nighteye, the vampire attendants outside fell on one knee. This was a form of utmost respect paid to the strongest.

These vampire maids were performing an ancient rite, but as someone who had partially inherited the River of Blood’s inheritance, Qianye was familiar with them. He glanced at Nighteye, surprised that others would salute him in such a manner.

“You convinced all vampires with your last battle. This is something you deserve, accept it.”

Qianye was somewhat at a loss, but he didn’t ask more about it. The duo walked along a long corridor and arrived outside.

There was a garden outside of the door. Every tree, stone, and blade of grass here seemed natural and inexplicably elegant. Gazing at the distant peaks from the garden filled the heart with a distant mood of leisure.

A person was standing in the garden. It was the Azure King.

Nighteye’s expression became complicated upon seeing the man. She said to Qianye, “Wait for me here, I have something to say to the Azure King.”

“Okay.” Qianye nodded.

The garden was half-open, the other side being a steep cliff beyond which lay green mountains, lush valleys, and rising clouds.

Nighteye and the Azure King arrived near the cliffside.

“Thank you.”

The Azure King smiled. “What’s there to thank? He happened to have that treasure on him, and I happened to know how to use it. That’s what saved him. This is called fate, according to human words.”

Nighteye sighed. “But your blood pond has been used up, you won’t be able to hibernate for the next decade at least.”

The Azure King said, “I’ve lived long enough, what is a decade to me?”

“Don’t say such things.”

He said with a smile, “I still prefer the past era, although she rejected me back then as well.”

Nighteye sighed. “I don’t have much of those memories left.”

“You don’t need to care about that. You are the same now as you were back then, and I never changed, either. Since neither of us has changed, the outcome will be the same even if you awaken again.”

“But I owe you too much.”

“I was willing, so it can’t be considered a debt.”

At this point, Nighteye had nothing left to say.

The Azure King said, “Okay, let’s get back to business. Are you both willing to take on more responsibilities now? He’s already a vampire, is there a problem?”

Nighteye shook her head. “I don’t want to force him to do anything.”

“Very well.”

Nighteye felt that something was off. “Did some problems arise?”

“There are always problems, the only difference is how we deal with them. If you’re willing to look, you will naturally see the dangers.”

Nighteye frowned. “What dangers, please tell me clearly.”

The Azure King laughed. “I guess I don’t need to explain anymore, you’ll see very soon.”

A flare shot up in the distant valley, flying high up into the sky and bursting into the image of a full moon. The scene was both dazzling and tragic.

“It’s a signal flare! How did people find out about your secret realm?” Nighteye was surprised.

The Azure King was calm. “No secret can be kept forever, this place is no exception. You leave with him, I’ll keep them busy for a while.”

Nighteye shook her head. “I won’t go, let’s fight together.”

The Azure King said, “We were young during the ancient era, and we’ve fought together before. There’s no need for you to fight now, this battle is not one you can take part in. Since they dare come, that means they’re confident of victory. You’ll only drag me down if you stay behind.”

“Who is the enemy?”

“You don’t need to know right now, you’ll surely know in the future.”

“Why won’t you tell me?”

“My guess might not be right. Besides, it’s no use even if I do tell you, it might be an enemy neither of us is expecting.”

Another flare shot up at the moment. This time, there was an additional signal—the invaders were from a foreign race!

This time, the flare was just outside of the valley. These sentries had been cleared away at such shocking speeds. As someone familiar with the vampire race’s usual defensive arrangements, she couldn’t help but feel surprised...

The Azure King said with a smile, “Don’t worry. Few were our match back in the year, and it’s the same right now. It’ll be easy to escape even if I can’t win. All my azure blood is in Qianye now, there’s no point in defending this place to the death.”

Nighteye said hesitantly, “Which race dares to attack your secret realm? This is a declaration of war against our entire race.”

The Azure King’s expression darkened as he sensed something. He looked toward Nighteye, saying, “It’s a great monarch from a foreign race.”

A surge of blood energy appeared in his eyes. A message only top vampire experts could sense spread out rapidly, stirring up propagating ripples in the River of Blood. It was as though a bird had just fluttered across the water surface.

Considering her connection to the River of Blood, Nighteye felt these ripples as well. Knowing that the Azure King had just issued summons, she felt a bit relieved and a bit worried. What kind of enemy could make the Azure King call for reinforcements?

Two responses emerged in the blink of an eye—one was the Lightless Monarch Medanzo, and the other was the Flaming Crown Habsburg. The latter was located too far away, so much so that the message was unclear, but Medanzo could hurry over within moments.

The Azure King said to Nighteye, “You have to go, Qianye is powerless right now. I suspect they’re here for him.”

Nighteye’s expression shifted drastically. He clenched her jaws, saying, “Very well, you... must take care!”

The Azure King broke into a laugh. “Don’t worry, I still want to take a look at the new world.”

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 shifting 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 mass 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 passing 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 lustrous 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 space 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 grass, 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 mass of still light spat out a creature that looked the same as that native, but its body was translucent like glass. 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 shirts 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 space 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 passed by Kumara 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 space, seemingly coming from the shores 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 shining splendidly. Who would hear the world crying?