This problem silenced the crowd.

Seeing this, the old marquis sighed. “Right now, we’re only a bit faster than the werewolves. Don’t forget that the werewolves only control two entrances while we have four. Perhaps we should send more soldiers into the new world.”

A duke said, “We’re almost out of holy tree sap, so the number we can add is limited.”

“As long as we conquer the fourth forest, we might be able to catch up to the demonkin.”

“The fourth forest, do you mean the one with four holy trees? I’m not willing to face the Brightsun Tribe there.”

Another lapse of silence ensued.

After a good while, someone broke the silence. “Judging from their progress, the demonkin have probably taken two forests with four holy trees.”

“Can’t help it, the Demon King is awake at the moment.”

“We should’ve been pretty close too…”

A white-haired duke said, “There might be a way to have Her Majesty join the battle.”

“What method?”

“I’m not willing to use it, let’s wait until there’s no other choice.”

The meeting room fell into silence once again. Perhaps to break the awkward atmosphere, someone said, “Let’s discuss our progress in detail.”

The marquis collected his thoughts and said, “Up to this point, the Azure King and the Lightless Monarch have each taken down a three-tree forest. The Flaming Crown has taken two in one go. Habsburg is currently scouting the four-holy-tree forest for a potential assault.”

“The Flaming Crown sure lives up to his name!”

“With Prince Habsburg’s strength, will our vampire race produce yet another great dark monarch?”

“Recently, I can faintly sense the River of Blood trembling. Perhaps the prince is close to a breakthrough.”

“The probability isn’t too high. It hasn’t been long since he became a prince, how can it be that fast? Even if he is accepted as someone with greater potential than the second generation progenitor, the fastest a prince can become a great dark monarch is a thousand years.”

“Don’t forget that His Excellency has ignited a seal.”

“Didn’t the second-generation progenitor do the same during ancient times? He spent close to a thousand years as well to break through.”

“Humph! What you say makes sense, but how will you explain the recent activity in the River of Blood?”

“... Perhaps the river is about to wake up from its slumber?”

At this point, everyone exchanged glances, unable to hide the excitement on their faces. The River of Blood had been asleep for many years, and with its dormancy, the vampire race was somewhat weakened as a whole. This was something everyone above the duke rank understood but wouldn’t say.

After Habsburg reignited the Flaming Crown, the sacred river unleashed several waves of mysterious energy. This undoubtedly made people excited. These days, the dukes actually started to sense the River of Blood’s vague existence, and that was an inexplicable sensation of joy.

Despite the elation, the sensation the dukes could feel was still fairly weak. Even the eldest among them had never witnessed the river in its active state, so most of them simply thought that it was a misconception. Now, they immediately realized that it was no illusion since everyone could sense it.

“Perhaps someone from our race has broken through.” A duke mentioned another possibility.

“A breakthrough that can move the River of Blood? If that is the case, their future prospects cannot be inferior to Prince Habsburg.”

“We should pay attention and see who is preparing to break through.”

“The strange thing is that none of the primos have shown any movement. Twilight is the only one who’s about to break through, but I think she’s too weak to stir the river.”

“Perhaps someone is undergoing a second awakening?”

“The possibility is low, but let’s observe for now.”

It was at this time that the dukes’ expressions shifted drastically. They could clearly sense a massive wave rising from the River of Blood. The sensation from the river was crystal clear—that wave rose from the source of the river and flowed downstream, eventually vanishing into an unknown corner of time.

This surge in the River of Blood resonated with the bloodlines of all sacred-blooded scions. A wondrous scene appeared all of a sudden—wisps of blood energy shot out from the source of the river and somehow showered down from the void. Everyone at the scene—including the old marquis—sat still with their eyes closed, focusing on this divine boon.

This was blood energy from the source of the River of Blood, and its quality was far superior to any single duke’s. Although they could only obtain three to five strands each, the sensation was indescribably comfortable. It was as though their organs had all been washed by a clear stream.

The change from the River of Blood vanished as quickly as it had appeared. It disappeared into the depths of the void within moments, almost as though it had never appeared. No one could sense it again. Some of the dukes slowly opened their eyes, still intoxicated in the feeling and feeling regretful. Someone said, “If only it could last a bit longer.”

Everyone felt the same.

If only they could exchange their blood energy with that from the River of Blood, breaking through to the great dark monarch realm would be a natural process. Unfortunately, that was just a dream, something even the Queen of the Night could not accomplish. That was why she was known as the second drop of blood from the river.

The wisps of blood energy were negligible for duke grade experts. This amount could do nothing to help their cultivation, but something seemed to have changed after coming into contact with the source of the river. Several experts felt that their bloodline power had improved somewhat. In this regard, even a minuscule amount of improvement was valuable.

The awakening of the river was enough to excite everyone, let alone one involving such a bounty.

The experts eventually woke up from their reverie, and one of them remembered. “What was with the River of Blood just now?”

The dukes jumped to their feet, saying, “Quick, investigate who just broke through!”

Such a commotion was taking place not just in Castle Ducasse, but in all vampire camps across the continents.

The last time every expert had sensed the resonance was when Habsburg broke through. Moreover, the river had stirred quite strongly this time, and this signified the birth of yet another vampire genius and expert.

The Frostpole Continent, right outside the door to the new world. On these plains covered year-round in snow, there was a fortress so big that it could be called a city.

The scale of this fortress was comparable to Castle Ducasse. Tens of thousands of demonkin and their vassal races had gathered here. Team after team of craftsmen were building one workshop after the other, seemingly turning the place into a permanent base.

There were three hundred-meter towers at the center of the fortress, joined together by a ring. There was an icy palace hall at the center of this ring overlooking the entire city.

This palace hall was currently the command center of the entire Frostpole Continent, a peerless existence—the sole reason being that the lord of the Masefield family was currently in this hall.

Over a dozen demonkin were scattered around the room, all of them sporting profound presences. The weakest among them was a glorious marquis. There seemed to be a black hole in the central seat, seemingly devouring all aura and never releasing them. That tremendous, deep darkness filled the spectator with an involuntary fear.

At this moment, a deep, imposing voice echoed from the darkness, “Any news regarding the stirring of the River of Blood?”

A demonkin duke said with a bow, “Your Highness, the incident happened suddenly, there has been no news yet.”

The Masefield clan lord said, “Go and investigate immediately, especially the clans with members breaking through recently.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

A surge of coldness emerged from the depths of the darkness, signaling the end of this meeting. The dukes and marquises withdrew, leaving only two great dukes behind.

“Pay attention to the vampires while exploring the new world, check whether any experts with potential have appeared. You can also get rid of them while you’re at it.”

The two great dukes were surprised. “Your Highness, the appearance of the River of Blood is a rare occurrence. Even considering it’s true, Habsburg alone can’t turn the tables between our races. Targeting their children at such a time might invite a strong backlash; the werewolves and arachne won’t stand with us, either. Isn’t this price too steep just to kill a vampire expert with potential?”

There was a brief fluctuation in the dark voice. “You don’t understand. Habsburg stirring the River of Blood isn’t just about him gaining power. It’s also this world summoning and calling upon the river. If this keeps up, the River of Blood will grow stronger and move closer to our world. Stopping the river from awakening is an important mission for our race.”

This was the first time these great dukes had heard of such detailed secrets, but as high-ranking characters, they regained their composure after a moment of surprise. “Your Majesty, rest assured. We will complete the task.”

The deep darkness gradually began to expand. The two dukes left the hall and entered the new world in a hurry.

The Fluid Hall of the Imperial Palace was shrouded in steam. The deep smell of sulfur, mixed with the fragrance of herbs, seeped into one’s soul. The wisps of origin power in the steam were so dense that they were visible to the naked eye. It almost seemed like the entire hall was filled with a strange glow.

Ordinary people could not withstand such intense daybreak origin power. Those who stepped in here would feel as though they were breathing fire, and their innards would be reduced to charcoal in just a couple of breaths. Even a champion couldn’t stay here for long; perhaps just a few minutes.

This was a holy land for cultivation, but the daybreak origin power was too pure and intense. It would be torture for those with slightly inferior talents and just a bit of impurity in their cultivation.

There was a pond at the center of the hall that was constructed to look like a natural pool. Someone was lying still in its golden waters.

This was the supreme ruler of Great Qin, the Radiant Emperor.

After an unknown length of time in the pond, he finally opened his eyes and sat up slowly. Once out of the water, a gentle tune echoed in the hall as several maids filed in with towels and clothes. These maids weren’t young, and their cultivation was extraordinary. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible for them to remain in the Fluid Hall for long.

The Radiant Emperor walked out of the pool. Scanning the towel in one of the maid’s hands, he said with a frown, “How many times have we told you that we have no need for such things.”

An origin flame flickered on his body, evaporating all the water as he picked up his clothes and put them on.

An inner attendant said, “Your Majesty, you are the supreme ruler of the world. This kind of etiquette is a must or people will criticize you.”

“Only when I flatten the Evernight faction can I be considered the supreme ruler of the world.”