If there was one person in the Qin Empire who could ignore the Radiant Emperor entirely, it was the Pointer Monarch.

The emperor glanced at the charred fishing rod in the old man’s hand and said, “It didn’t go well?”

The Pointer Monarch tossed the fishing rod into the stream and watched it drift away. “I lost.”

The Radiant Emperor looked surprised. “We actually failed even with such meticulous arrangements? Don’t tell me that person can actually block an attack from you? Has she matured to such a level?”

“We can’t say she blocked it entirely, but the Demon King took action to protect her.”

The Radiant Emperor frowned. “Things will be rather difficult if she lives. We’ve used too many resources for her, it’ll be almost impossible to do it again. We must find some other way.”

The Pointer Monarch hesitated somewhat. Finally, he said, “Let’s see when you’ve thought of it.”

The Pointer Monarch’s wish to see the visitor out was evident, but the Radiant Emperor didn’t leave. He stood in place for a good while before asking, “Will she fall for it again if we use Qianye as bait?”

“Why not do it since you already have a plan?” The Pointer Monarch responded with a question.

“I’m just thinking if I should really do this to him? He is teacher’s only adopted son and someone who has contributed greatly to the Empire.”

“On one hand, it’s for the Empire, yet on the other, sentiments are at stake. There is really no right or wrong,” said the Pointer Monarch.

“Thank you for the guidance.”

“Go back now. I’m sleepy and want to go in and rest. I have to fish again at night.”

“I shan’t disturb you then.”

After saying his farewell, the Radiant Emperor turned about and left immediately. The Pointer Monarch picked up the empty fish basket and walked toward the distant house.

Back in the Pepper Hall of the Imperial Palace, Empress Li was reading a book at her table. Just as she was immersed in the contents, a maid walked in and said, “Your Majesty, the Emperor summons you to share dinner with him at the Bright Splendor Hall.”

Empress Li raised her head. “Didn’t His Majesty head out of the city?”

“He has just returned.”

Empress Li put down her book and said, “I’ll go then.”

The night was a tad chilly and there were only a handful of dim lights burning in Bright Splendor Hall. The depths of the building were drowned in dark shadows.

A table had been set up at the center of the hall, the dishes were laid out, and the maids were waiting nearby.

The candlelight at the center of the hall flickered all of a sudden as the Radiant Emperor appeared out of nowhere and sat down at the table. The maids weren’t shocked by the scene as they had already gotten used to it. All of them fell to their knees in salutation.

The Radiant Emperor glanced at the empty seat and said, “She’s not here yet?”

His voice hadn’t even faded away when the jingle of trinkets came from the courtyard as Empress Li walked in with her maids. After entering the great hall, she curtseyed toward the Emperor and sat down across from him. “I’m not late, Your Majesty is early.”

The Radiant Emperor laughed. “I forgot. That’s just how I am, always in a rush.”

The dinner began after Empress Li’s arrival. The two exchanged occasional words of romance or conversations about recent affairs in the Empire until the moon was high in the sky. After the dinner was cleared away, the maids brought tea and sweets. The Radiant Emperor brought the tea to his lips but remained in a daze there.

“Is something on your mind, Your Majesty?”

The Radiant Emperor returned to his senses. “It’s nothing, just annoyed by some rumors. There are definitely some things that are difficult to decide on, so I was lost in thought.”

“There’s never a lack of important matters. Don’t be too worried, just deal with them one-by-one.”

“That’s that, but we…” The Radiant Emperor suddenly realized that he was using the official self-address. “Sigh, there I go again. I…”

Empress Li reached out to cover his mouth. “Your Majesty is the supreme ruler of the world, it’s not wrong to address yourself as such. The way you’ve been addressing yourself before is wrong. Everyone is observing the decisions you make in court and your every move, how can you break the rules for me alone?”

The Radiant Emperor sighed in tacit agreement.

Empress Li asked, “What weighs on your mind?”

The Radiant Emperor said, “Of course, it’s about my teacher's adoptive son.”

Empress Li chuckled. “What trouble did he get into again? If he did, how do you punish him? You owe Marshal Lin a debt of gratitude, but you have no relationship with the young man. There’s always a limit to loving the proverbial house and its crow.”

“Qianye actually didn’t do anything. On the contrary, he has contributed much to the Empire. Besides, it’s not so easy even if I want to punish him. You have to know that the young brat is already a divine champion. He caused a huge ruckus in the Bai clan the other day, suppressing Bai Yuantu and forcing the experts of the clan to avoid fighting him. That’s not easy.”

Empress Li said, surprised, “He’s already a divine champion? That fast? I couldn’t tell that day.”

The Radiant Emperor said, “His bloodline is from the Monroe Clan, and they’re famous for their Bloodline Concealment. Perhaps he has awakened those powers. It’s quite normal for you to not notice.”

Empress Li said, “So that’s how it is, no wonder I feel that I can’t see through him and divination doesn’t work, either. But why are you worried if he hasn’t caused trouble?”

The Radiant Emperor said, “It’s about the new world. Let’s not talk about it.”

Empress Li did not press the issue since the emperor wasn’t willing. It was fairly late by the time they had finished tea and desserts, so the maids led them away to wash, change, and head to bed.

The darkness of night took over the entire palace hall. Soon, only the sounds of gentle breaths could be heard.

The maids stood outside the hall like sculptures.

…

Twilight Continent, Castle Ducasse. Only one week had passed since the recent destruction, but a support framework had been erected over the ruins. A steady stream of polished stone blocks was being shipped over to reconstruct the main building.

Nighteye had woken up from the iron coffin blood pond and moved to the auxiliary building, along with the two dukes. Her aura had mostly recovered and was once again near the threshold of the duke rank. Although she was still a marquis at the moment, the two dukes remained respectful toward her.

They knew that, in her shoes, they wouldn’t have lasted until the Demon King’s arrival. That unassuming attack was far more powerful than it looked. The more they thought about it, the more terrified they felt. They finally understood the difference between them and Nighteye, that they were no longer her match.

Just as the entire castle was in a cautious state, an airship arrived at the castle out of nowhere. The vessel was immediately surrounded by elite vampire warriors upon landing, and dozens of origin guns took aim at the cabin doors.

The door flung open and out walked a beautiful and elegant woman. The powerful aura of a marquis forced the warriors back a step. The leader of the ground forces shouted, “According to the Evernight Council’s new regulations, whoever comes to Castle Ducasse must report their identity. Otherwise, we will open fire!”

The female marquis revealed a command token. “The council? It just so happened that I was ordered to come here. Do you want to see proof?”

The count’s expression shifted drastically upon seeing the token. This was a fairly high-ranking token of the Evernight Council, issued only by the chairman and vice-chairman. Additionally, only one token would be issued for a single mission and never long term. The count retreated to the side and bowed. “How can I help you?”

“Take me to Her Highness Nighteye.”

The count weighed the token’s authority in his mind before saying, “Please follow me.”

The top floor of the auxiliary building. Nighteye was seated on the sofa, reading that unfinished book, when a knock came from the door. She said without even looking up, “Come in.”

The female marquis walked in with large strides and closed the door behind her. She then gazed silently at Nighteye for a good while, wearing a complicated expression all the while.

Nighteye’s gaze remained on the page she was on. She turned it only after some time, saying, “You didn’t come here just to stand around, did you?”

The marquis sighed. “The first time I saw you, I wondered why the Black-Winged Monarch’s inheritance picked you even though I was much stronger.”

Nighteye flipped another page, almost as though she wasn’t listening.

“Later on, I did my utmost and used every scheme at my disposal, yet I still couldn’t stop you. All I could do was watch you leave me in the dust. I wasn't in despair back then, just puzzled and unresigned.”

Nighteye flipped another page.

“Later on, you finally ran into trouble and escaped to the human side. I was really happy because I felt that you were no longer my equal. I still wasn’t satisfied because I still hadn’t defeated you in a fair battle. Who would’ve thought you would awaken again and return?”

“This time, I’ve finally given up all hope. The massive gap between our bloodlines has decided that I will never be able to catch up to you, Sister Nighteye.”

Nighteye replied calmly, “I’m not your sister, and my current self is not related to the Monroe clan, either.”

“Do you still remember who I am?”

“Twilight.”

Twilight laughed self-deprecatingly. “Some fortuitous encounters in the Great Maelstrom allowed me to advance to the marquis-rank. I thought that would make me qualified to be your little sister.”

Nighteye looked up. There was a tinge of mockery in her eyes when she said, “Let’s see when you become a duke.”

Twilight wasn’t angry. She said with a long sigh, “I saw Qianye in the Great Maelstrom. To be honest, I never thought he would become so strong. I couldn’t even muster up the courage to resist. He’s… so perfect, just like you. I don’t understand why the best things all belong to you.”

Nighteye replied indifferently, “You only saw a part of things.”

“No, I understand everything. Even if I didn’t understand back then, I do now, perhaps even more than you do.”

“Is that so? You may leave now if you have nothing else to say.”

“Do you not want to know about Qianye?”

“After awakening, I no longer have anything to do with him.”

“Can I seduce him, then?” Twilight’s eyes lit up.

“Do as you wish.”

“Fine. I know where Qianye is right now, so I wanted to take you there to see him secretly. Since you say so, I’ll be going alone.”

With that, she turned and left.

“Wait!” Nighteye called out to her. Closing the book in her hands, she said nonchalantly, “Wait for me downstairs, we leave in half an hour.”

Twilight raised her eyebrows, a triumphant smile appearing on her face. She was just about to say something when her vision went dark, and she was outside the building when she came to. She never saw how Nighteye had done it.

Twilight stuck out her tongue, but she didn’t dare laugh at Nighteye again.

...

The Empire, Qin Continent. A sleek airship was tearing swiftly through the skies. It looked natural and at ease, but it was actually moving extremely fast. Clearly, it was the most advanced of high-speed airships.

An Imperial patrol appeared far off in the distance, but seeing the crests of the Li and the Imperial family on the incoming vessel, they simply returned to their original route without trying to intercept it.

Qianye and Song Zining were seated across one another, watching the continental land zooming past the window, the fields, hardworking farmers, and majestic mountains. Even the most beautiful of sceneries felt helpless to them.

“Your footing on Fort Continent will be relatively stable once we retrieve the shipment at Peng. Who would’ve thought you would gather so many werewolves under your banner? No other person could’ve done this.”

“What’s the situation regarding the new world? I feel uneasy.”

“Only the powerhouses of Evernight will know. Divination isn’t all-powerful, especially against the supremes of the Sacred Mountain. All I know is that we probably won’t be getting the benefits. As long as the new world is big enough, we’ll have an opportunity to fight for the things they can’t swallow.”

Qianye didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad about this. At this moment, a flash of silver light flickered in the distance as an airship jumped out of the clouds and drove toward them.

Song Zining looked and sounded surprised upon seeing the insignia.

“Who is this?”

“The Pointer Monarch’s men. Why would they appear here?” Song Zining seemed serious. If there was anyone in the Empire who could threaten Qianye, it was the heavenly monarchs and a handful of divine champions.

Song Zining said, “I never heard about the Pointer Monarch wanting to see you. We must deal with them cautiously.”