Monarch of Evernight

Lilith’s figure appeared before the great hall in the depths of the void. She walked through the chamber and entered the valley at the rear, finally stopping at the lakeside.

Nighteye was seated there with her chin propped up on her hand, playing with a leaf. No one could tell what she was thinking. When Lilith arrived, she said without even looking up, “Spare the effort and kill me. I won’t tell you anything.”

“The final battle between Evernight and the humans is about to begin. We might have a chance of survival if you tell me now. If you’re not willing to speak, the people you want to protect won’t survive, either.”

“None of them is related to me.”

Lilith said nothing. With a wave of her hand, she expanded the projection the Demon King and Anwen had used back in the council. Nighteye gazed at it with a serious expression.

“See? The humans and demonkin have been colluding with one another since a thousand years ago, planning to destroy the vampire race from the source. If it weren’t for the situation we’re facing right now, I would have them pay for what they’ve done!”

With that, Lilith gazed at Nighteye with a gentle expression. “It’s no longer important whether or not we know about the Lost Season. Our chances of victory are close to zero even if we do. I’m letting you go, do whatever you want. After all... we used to be of the same bloodline.”

With a wave of Lilith’s hand, the countless strands of blood energy surrounding Nighteye fell apart. She was finally free.

Nighteye didn’t leave immediately. “I’m more Nighteye than I am myself right now.”

“I know, and that’s what makes me angry. You’ve now lost the chance to reincarnate again. Then again, it’s no longer important because we will be burned to nothingness by the incoming daybreak origin power. There is no place to hide.”

Nighteye said after a moment of silence, “I don’t have anything I can tell you about the Lost Season. All I remember is that I saw a woman before I lost my memories.”

“Then?”

“That’s all I remember.”

“A woman...” Lilith rused.

“Yes, she’s human.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Intuition.”

Lilith fell into deep thought, and a helpless smile appeared on her face. “That means the Lost Season was their doing. I was always curious why their race transformed overnight after the Lost Season. All kinds of cultivation arts appeared that were tailored for them, producing experts in all levels of society. And this happened in a mere decade. In either case, I believe there’s a superior existence helping them with all of this. Now I can finally confirm it.”

She reached out to Nighteye in the air and pushed her gently toward the exit. “Go.”

...

Imperial Capital. The Radiant Emperor and Zhang Boqian were standing side by side in the void.

“Monarch Zhang, by now, you probably know what the Chronicle of Glory is.”

“Your Majesty is truly composed. You managed to hold out until now.”

The Radiant Emperor sighed. “Actually, I only found out the true nature of the Chronicle of Glory when it was finally completed. Before this, I only knew some parts of it. The Founding Ancestor laid down restrictions when he drafted the plan, only allowing his descendants to know what they should do, never why. It was only after the plan’s success that the truth was revealed. By that time, the die is cast and nothing can be changed.”

“That’s a necessary step. If Evernight were to know the truth, they would mobilize all their races to attack us. At that point, even the Founding Ancestor might not be able to save us.” Zhang Boqian’s voice contained a bit of strange mockery.

The Radiant Emperor coughed briefly, a bit of blood seeping out of his mouth.

Zhang Boqian glanced at him, saying, “Is the chronicle affecting you that much?”

The Radiant Emperor wiped away the blood nonchalantly. “The so-called Chronicle of Glory naturally requires a medium to carry it. And our Ji family bloodline is that medium, the cornerstone of the wheel of glory. Now that the sun is about to arrive, the weight has increased considerably. By the time Evernight arrives en masse, I might not have the strength to fight. I’ve already issued the command for all human forces to gather on the Qin Continent. We will hold our ground here and fight them to the death. I’ll rely on you for this battle.”

“Of course, I’ll do my best.”

The Radiant Emperor sighed. “Once the sun arrives, all of the dark races will be reduced to ashes. I feel a bit bad about that.”

“This move indeed disrupts the harmony of this world. The Evernight World was the dark races’ home to begin with. It was already a great loss in survival space after we took over four main continents and the void continent. Then again, there’s no use thinking about that at this point. If the dark races want to take us down with them, just let them try.”

The Radiant Emperor said, “We only need to hold out for a few days. Reinforcements are on the way.”

Zhang Boqian was moved. “Do you mean...”

“Correct, an emissary will come with the sun. They come from the Immortal Ancestral Land.” magic

“Who would’ve thought the legend of the Ancestral Land was actually true?!”

“Of course, a legend only known to heavenly monarchs is true.”

“I do want to see what these immortal emissaries are capable of.”

The Radiant Emperor and Zhang Boqian exchanged glances. In addition to the will to fight, they each could see a bit of worry in each other’s eyes.

It was at this moment that a high-speed airship appeared in the void. It sped frantically toward the two powerhouses and came to a spinning stop near them. A general flew out from the aircraft and performed his salutations from a distance. “Your Majesty, the Imperial Guard has found several Evernight fleets approaching us. What do we do?”

The Radiant Emperor waved his hand. “Fight!”

The general felt his blood boiling. “Rest assured, Your Majesty, the Imperial Guard will fight to the last man!”

The Emperor nodded and watched as the airship left.

“It has begun, we should go back.”

Zhang Boqian asked, “What is your plan for the Divination Pavilion?”

The Radiant Emperor said honestly, “We will perform a great sacrificial ceremony at the last moment to ensure the radiant sun enters the designated orbit.”

“All the participants will die, won’t they? Won’t Empress Li be involved as well?”

“She is the leader of the pavilion, so that is the price she has to pay.” The Radiant Emperor was unmoved.

“Why go so far?”

“When the Founding Ancestor clipped the soaring serpent’s wings, it was for the Wheel of Glory. And the Ji bloodline was required whenever the Chronicle of Glory reached an important juncture. People very close to the Ji family will also be affected, just like my Empress.”

At this point, the Radiant Emperor rubbed his short beard. “That position was, at first, reserved for Concubine Zhao. The Zhao family has received the Empire’s grace in every generation, and the two families were gradually becoming one family as planned. This sacrifice is something they should shoulder. Yet Empress Li managed to rob the position, and now she wants to help the Li family upgrade to a major clan. There’s always a price to pay for such an upgrade, but they haven’t done enough just yet. Which major clan didn’t pave the way to the top with bloody sacrifices?”

“I see, no wonder princes and princesses keep dying in every generation. No wonder the Ji bloodline is progressively thinning out.”

The Radiant Emperor sighed. “The Founding Ancestor said, ‘the Ji clan shall be the vanguard in all matters of the world.’ He didn’t say that for fun.”