Chapter 1182: Such a Nation

Even Qianye could see that this was a strategic problem, but Lin Xitang’s plan itself was fine. Song Zining had also divined the situation several times and found no loopholes.

That was it! The changes on the battlefield! Even if a strategy had ten different scenarios written into it, one could only progress in a single direction and adjust constantly depending on the actual situation.

Then who was in charge of intelligence and planning? Qianye thought with a serious expression.

Duke Wei’s new information was more detailed than the eastern army. Qianye and Song Zining learned that Marshal Lin had arrived on the void continent to reorganize the entire strategy. At the same time, Evernight’s mobile fleet and duke-grade experts all vanished from the void, causing the tables to turn.

At this point, Song Zining glanced at Qianye and saw him in deep contemplation.

Qianye wasn’t as calm as he seemed on the surface; his firm heart was tightening bit by bit. There was naturally no need to discuss Lin Xitang’s strong strategic capabilities, but the entire matter was too unbelievable. The Evernight faction had invested an outrageous amount of resources into each battlefield. No matter how capable Lin Xitang was, he couldn’t turn the power gap around in such a short time.

All of the Empire’s maneuverable forces had been mobilized for this battle, and the total military power couldn’t be considered weak. Yet the Evernight side had poured in far more forces than the norm and even targeted the Empire’s generals in a coordinated manner. They were probably able to do this because of the pause in their civil war.

In the end, why was this war initiated under such unfavorable circumstances?

Duke Wei, of course, knew more than what he was saying. For instance, about how Lin Xitang had killed the Minister of the Right. Killing a general before the army was never a good thing, and Duke Wei wasn’t about to tell two juniors about it when he himself still hadn’t figured out what was going on.

The duke refused to give more details, almost as though he didn’t want to discuss it anymore.

Song Zining asked about Duke Wei’s plans. At this point, both the central and eastern armies had fought their way through the void continent and converged at Whitetown. The duke’s position was the highest, so he naturally held the right to command. The plan was to leave a part of their forces to clean up the battlefield as the main force headed further north to capture the last airship port and its surrounding areas.

The remaining Evernight forces on the continent had been cut off. A small part of the transport fleet that had charged into the continent managed to escape, but most of them were destroyed along the way.

As Duke Wei saw it, the war on the void continent was over at this point.

After sending the duke off, a contemplating Qianye felt as though he had caught onto something vague. He suddenly recalled the information he had obtained before the battle, about how the Imperial court had attacked Lin Xitang, and that the Minister of the Right had negotiated for him to produce this battle plan.

Marshal Lin was never part of this war, yet he had appeared at the most dangerous moment. He went through all the events one-by-one until his expression changed when he recalled the falling stars from just now.

He turned toward Song Zining and asked, “How do we confirm your calculations?”

Song Zining hesitated for a moment before sighing. “Since Marshal Lin is at the void continent and all of our communication channels have been restored, you’ll soon hear of all news good and bad.”

Qianye stood up. “I’m going to take a look.”

Song Zining stopped him. “Where are you going? What about your blood energy?”

Qianye had broken through two realms with the help of the Book of Darkness and was now at the vice-duke rank, and that was according to ancient vampire standards. How could such impatience be without repercussions? He couldn’t sense the River of Blood at all during this breakthrough. The deluge of darkness origin power brought incomparable power but also near-tangible darkness. The balance between Daybreak and Evernight in his body was tottering on the brink of collapse.

Fortunately, Whitetown was surprisingly peaceful after Qianye’s breakthrough, and there was no dangerous situation that required him to take action. That was why he could still control the violent darkness origin power. However, no one could guess what would happen after the dark and light went out of control.

Song Zining gripped tighter after seeing Qianye’s insistence. “There was no news of him taking part in any battlefield. Where are you going to look for him? You should be thinking of a way to control your condition, or your origin power will just go out of control in front of Marshal Lin.”

Qianye froze up. If his current duke-grade origin power were to erupt, the resultant shockwaves could easily level a fortress. Regardless of his own fate, he might end up injuring Lin Xitang.

Song Zining sighed. “Just wait the night, the war on the continent will have settled by tomorrow morning. I’ll send him a message through the military’s communication channels. The marshal will reply if it’s convenient.”

Qianye understood that Song Zining was being reasonable, but he still couldn’t suppress the worry in his heart. It was as though the yearning he had suppressed all these years had ignited into nervousness.

When Qianye woke up at dawn the next day, he still couldn’t get used to the absence of cannon fire. The first rays of dawn had just arrived, but the entire base was already busy. The soldiers Duke Wei had left behind were clearing out the battlefield. There were a hundred and fifty thousand corpses in this small city, which they had to dig out layer by layer.

The fortunate survivors gazed at the heaps of dead bodies, stupefied. Many of them were once their comrades and brothers, but now, they were being concentrated for processing just like the dark races, unable to return to their homeland. Even the combined forces of the eastern and central armies didn’t have enough manpower for individual burials.

Qianye strolled out of the main camp and climbed atop a temporary sentry tower to observe the ruined city. He had never imagined that things would turn out so bitter.

Although Qianye was relatively young, he had experienced numerous battles at the forefront, and this wasn’t the first time he had fought in life and death situations. It was just that most of his battles were fought among experts, or as a part of the army on the battlefield. A battle of ten thousand men wasn’t too shocking in the vast wilderness, but this time, there were over a hundred thousand corpses in a single city.

Qianye’s eyes suddenly fell upon a certain figure.

That person sauntered through Whitetown, moving swiftly in Qianye’s direction.

Qianye noticed the guest’s presence only when he was halfway through the city. He had no idea when this person had appeared or when he had entered the city. Qianye also realized that he would only notice this person if and when he wanted him to.

Even after leaping up an entire major rank, Qianye still felt the same as when he had met this man for the first time—that he was not a match at all and even retaliation was not a certainty. The number of people with such strength could be counted on one’s fingers.

Qianye jumped down and waited respectfully for this guest.

That person didn’t waste time, either, arriving before Qianye in a single step. He then sized Qianye up from head to toe, saying, “Your strength has increased again, but what’s with the surging darkness? I’m alone, no need for excessive formalities.”

Qianye replied, “My respect for you is born from your contributions for the human race and your relationship to Marshal Lin. You’re also my senior.”

This person was Prince Greensun, Zhang Boqian. He nodded after hearing Qianye’s words. “Not bad, no wonder Lin Xitang thinks highly of you. I only came here to see you, I won’t be staying long. The war on the Empire mainland isn’t over yet, there might be some accidents if I leave for too long.”

“There’s a war back in the Empire?” Qianye was astonished.

Zhang Boqian snorted. “It’s just a Sanguine Funeral, what else can they do? Perhaps I didn’t beat them up enough, so they’re here to probe us.”

Qianye was startled when he heard about the Sanguine Funeral. “This… has the Longevity Monarch passed?” Judging from the current state of the Empire’s heavenly monarchs, he was the most likely to have fallen. He spent so much effort to collect life-extension materials, but that didn’t last him very long, it seems.

Most Great Qin citizens had never experienced a Sanguine Funeral, but they remembered well that the Evernight faction would launch a probing assault whenever there was a replacement of heavenly monarchs. If the defensive response wasn’t good enough, it could easily turn into an all-out war that would decide the fate of the Empire. Qianye had never imagined that the Evernight faction would still fight the Empire even after investing so much fighting power on the void continent.

Zhang Boqian’s eyes flickered with a cold glint. “Of course, it’s him. I’d have to kill him myself if he didn’t die fast enough!”

This was an absolute top-secret. Hearing about a conflict of this degree between heavenly monarchs, Qianye didn’t quite know how to ask about it.

Zhang Boqian shot him a glance. “If it wasn’t for him, how could the void continent fall into such a state? Jundu wouldn’t be heavily injured, and Xitang wouldn't…”

Qianye was so shaken that even his voice was quite sharp. “What happened to my foster father?”

“Xitang remapped the situation on the void continent single-handedly, cleaning up the inside and stopping powerful enemies outside. You guys survived because of this, but he paid the ultimate price.”

The grievous news had been confirmed.

Qianye felt a chill pierce through his entire body, and for a moment, he couldn’t tell where the vague pain was coming from. Great sorrow brings no tears, great revelation brings no words, so much so that he couldn’t even feel whether he was sad or angry. Only a throbbing pain raged on continuously, dripping into that empty space in his heart.

He looked up at the lofty man. This prime-aged heavenly monarch was different from before. He wasn’t exuding his usual aura of sharpness and seemed to have returned to his natural state. He was like a sheathed divine-weapon from ancient times, just as powerful even when his brilliance was retracted.

Zhang Boqian’s calm expression was suffused with a hint of desolation. He and Lin Xitang were equally famous throughout the years. From the army to the Imperial court, the Twin Paragons of the Empire had been opponents for three decades. It was only when Zhang Boqian became a heavenly monarch did Lin Xitang’s name fell behind.

However, Qianye had sensed during his limited contact with Zhang Boqian that the two of them were both friends and rivals. There were shadows of Lin Xitang wherever Prince Greensun’s brilliance shone. Now that the Empire’s glorious Twin Paragons were no more, who could say what Zhang Boqian was feeling?

After a good while, Qianye’s numb and colorless world noticed something other than pain. The grief swept away everything in his being, leaving a frozen yet burning heart.

He slowly thought back to Zhang Boqian’s words and noticed a deeper meaning. “You said he cleared out the inside, what does that mean?”

Zhang Boqian said, “This isn’t a big secret or anything. The first thing Lin Xitang did after reaching the void continent was to kill the Minister of the Right.”

“Minister of the Right, Longevity Monarch…”

Qianye realized at this point that the masterminds behind this plan had been executed, and their assistants had been eliminated one-by-one. Only those ant-like characters remained. These people were fence-sitters, to begin with, and there was simply no end to them.

The raging flames in his chest turned cold all of a sudden. It felt as though he had walked over a cliffside and stepped into empty air. It seemed he couldn’t even seek revenge for that man. Qianye was overcome by an extremely uncomfortable sensation, unable to vent his depression and anger.

However, this was the giant Empire’s path ever since its founding—rough, winding, and bumpy. When the founding ancestor took the first step in the darkness, no one knew where the correct path was. Humans might be united in opinion, but there were many differences among them. The only way to unite millions of people and establish the land of Daybreak was by correcting one’s mistakes and holding fast to aspirations.

Qianye heaved a long sigh. “Did foster father leave any words for me before his departure?”

Zhang Boqian said after a moment of silence, “He was in the Demon King’s domain when he left. Even the Evernight fleet nearby never saw a thing.”

That night, Zhang Boqian had chased the fleet down to the borders of the upper continents and intercepted a warship that had taken part in the capture of Lin Xitang. But the Demon King’s domain had covered the entire void during the last battle. Even the Evernight nobility were plunged into darkness and had no idea what had happened.

The Demon King! A supreme had taken action in person!? Qianye took a deep breath in astonishment, a sanguine hue flickering in his eyes.

Zhang Boqian shook his head. “Lin Xitang had always been one to show his love with actions. He had too many things to do, but there was never enough time in his short life. Even if he was missing someone, he wouldn’t say it. That was why I came to see you after his departure.”

Qianye could no longer speak at this point. He looked up at the sky and felt as though he could see yesterday’s celestial phenomenon, that shower of stars.

Since leaving Yellow Springs, Qianye had never seen Lin Xitang face-to-face. Every time, there would be a reason not to.

Qianye had once wondered nervously whether his foster father had abandoned him. After all, he wasn’t the first person Lin Xitang had saved, nor was he the last. As ordinary as he was, what did he have to impress that peerless character?

After getting to know more about Lin Xitang from other people, Qianye discovered that this person was even more generous and impressive. His great success in the Art of Heaven’s Mystery allowed him to see through countless people, yet he never recruited them under his wing. Neither did he require the people he had promoted to work for anyone in particular.

Despite having no offspring, Lin Xitang had only ever granted the Lin surname to Qianye, naming him his foster son. Qianye wasn’t dumb, either. He could still sense the trickle of warmth from that person even though he was never able to see him.

Now that Zhang Boqian had come to see him despite his time constraints, Qianye truly realized his importance in Lin Xitang’s heart.

Everything was too late, however.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Boqian said, “Where will you go after this, have you thought about it?”

Qianye’s mind went blank for a while. “Since the masterminds have been executed, it seems I have nothing to do in the Empire.”

Zhang Boqian cut him short, “The Minister of the Right isn’t the first, and he won’t be the last, perhaps it’s the same for the Longevity Monarch. What do you mean by there’s nothing?”

Qianye was stunned.

Zhang Boqian softened his tone. “Be it Lin Xitang, myself, or those people whom you’ve met or not met, everyone believes you haven’t fallen to darkness.”

After a pause, he continued, “But you don’t need to be in the Empire to be of help. I don’t want you to forget about yourself for the greater good, either. One of that kind is enough.”

These words were quite evident, but the last part was a bit too complicated. He thought he knew the meaning but still couldn’t quite understand all of it.

At this point, Zhang Boqian said in a dreary manner, “I need to be going, but I should do a bit in his stead before I go.”

With that, Zhang Boqian raised his fist and struck lightly at Qianye’s chest!

The attack wasn’t fast, but Qianye had no way to evade it. All he could do was watch as Prince Greensun’s fist blasted the area of his blood core.

A casual strike from the heavenly monarch possessed enough power to split mountains and rocks. Qianye’s blood core was shattered by the attack, breaking down into countless crystalline particles that the surrounding flesh kept in the shape of a blood core.

Qianye was severely injured by a single attack. A blood core injury was no small matter! His blood energy declined repeatedly, dropping from the vice-duke to glorious marquis, and stopping short of reaching the mighty marquis rank.

Qianye took several steps back and coughed up blood, but he was delighted. “Many thanks to Prince Greensun!”

Zhang Boqian’s attack was extremely well-timed and controlled. The strike shattered Qianye’s blood core, injuring but not crippling it. Considering Qianye’s vampire physique and regeneration, he should recover completely after a couple of days’ rest. There would be no hidden injuries. Qianye’s blood energy rank had been struck back down, freeing him of a potential imbalance between Daybreak and Evernight. Perhaps only an outstanding expert like Zhang Boqian would have this kind of heaven-defying method.

The heavenly monarch produced several hand-written notes and passed them to Qianye. “These are some insights I gained, perhaps you’ll find them useful. Take a look when you have nothing to do.”

Qianye received the documents and saw the title on the first page: Profound Combatant Formula!

“This…”

“The Martial Emperor left this art behind, but it was incomplete. I used to practice the art during my younger years, but I switched to a different one later on. I decided to pick it up again since I had nothing better to do recently. I managed to gain some new insights and added some things to the basic version.”

Zhang Boqian made it seem unimportant, but Qianye knew just how valuable this completed version was.

Only a handful of people had ever practiced the art beyond fifty cycles. The Zhang clan naturally had their own path to the heavenly monarch realm, so Zhang Boqian had no need to practice the Combatant Formula.

Just a few pages of hand-written notes, yet it was as heavy as a mountain.

Zhang Boqian said as Qianye was putting away the notes carefully, “You’re Xitang’s child, so you need not call me by my title. If you’re willing, call me uncle.”

With that, Zhang Boqian looked around him and sighed. “Such a nation…” Then, he stepped into the air and drifted away.

Such a nation, how is it worth spilling one’s blood for? If it isn’t worth it, then why do so many advance dauntlessly?

Qianye stood in place, frozen as he recalled the past.

The human race had walked through the boundless darkness of Evernight for tens of thousands of years, only seeing a sliver of light in the most recent one thousand two hundred years. The predecessors had cut through the thistles and thorns, and the inheritors would pass on the torch; through all the hardships, a spark would soon set alight an entire prairie.

There was no such thing as a victory without sacrifice, and no such thing as dignity without bleeding. As the fallen martyrs are etched into the stele, the mournful survivors can only weep in songs.