A circular black vortex appeared in the air above Desolate North Province. Predica shot out from it like an arrow, forming yet another vortex in front of him.

The demonkin glanced back while transitioning between the two traversals. His expression shifted drastically at this moment, and he was so flustered that he almost crashed right into the traversal gate.

Zhang Boqian completely ignored the troopers. He immediately made for Habsburg and the Radiant Emperor after clearing a path!

The City of Eimer was like a tilted chalice, pouring all kinds of soldiers onto the ground. There seemed to be no end to its output. Those soldiers slid off the light barrier and onto the ground, then charged at the walls of Serene Pass. A duke-grade army soon amassed on the ground, a force capable of launching a fierce attack on any target.

The well-prepared defensive force immediately started counterattacking. The gunpowder and origin weaponry on the walls spat out tongues of flame. Several airships scrambled into the air and dived toward the charging enemy. All of a sudden, a tall warrior on the ground jumped up and hurled his spear at one of the airships. Not only did the lance penetrate the vessel, but it also kept flying toward the city walls.

An origin bullet flew out from one of the corner towers, destroying that rod of burning steel midair. Zhao Jundu couldn’t help but frown as he lowered his gun and gazed at the troopers.

The generals at Serene Pass weren’t as calm, however. Everyone looked somewhat distressed.

They couldn’t decide what those soldiers were exactly, but judging from the state after their death, it could be said that they weren’t real people. Then again, that spear throw from just now was at least at the level of a count. Did this army have the same ratio of experts to normal soldiers?

Some of the survivors from Zhang Boqian’s attack were lacking limbs or even entire parts of their body, yet they could still stand up unsteadily and join the march. The battle was destined to be difficult if the enemy was an entity that did not know pain.

Predica halted for a split second while jumping between the two demonic traversal gates. Grabbing his staff like a long pole, he raised the weapon and swung at Zhang Boqian. A stream of dark demonic energy slashed toward Zhang Boqian, taking the shape of a fierce beast with its jaws opened.

Monarch Zhang was famous for his speed, so Predica could not allow him to keep accelerating without pause. Otherwise, even Demonic Traversal would not be able to keep up with that speed. Predica did not have the time to turn around after launching the attack and flew into the traversal door in a backward position.

Zhang Boqian didn’t even look at that incoming black energy. He simply waved his hand and the incoming energy exploded, almost as though an invisible fist had struck it.

Surprisingly, the demonic energy didn’t disappear immediately. On the contrary, it contracted briefly before exploding into a black wall in front of Zhang Boqian. There were countless faces on this wall, their eyes shut and their mouths wide open. Their facial contours were shifting so furiously that it was difficult to figure out what kind of expression they were wearing.

“Netherworld.” Predica had awakened the power of a great dark monarch when he was just a marquis. It was called the “Chain of Sighs” when attacking, but in defense, it would transform into the “Wall of the Faithless.”

Even someone as knowledgeable as Zhang Boqian couldn’t help but feel surprised. A demonkin in warlock attire had actually fired such an attack-defense ability at him.

But this little interlude posed no obstacle to the heavenly monarch; he simply swung out another Spacerender. The wall thinned out, and the faces on the wall opened their eyes. How could Zhang Boqian give it such an opportunity? He launched yet another attack and destroyed the demonic energy completely.

On the balcony of the stone castle, the fight between the Radiant Emperor and Habsburg was still going on.

Judging from their surroundings, there was no major damage to the floors and railings. Even the windows right next to them hadn’t shattered. The fight might not seem that intense at a glance, but one could hardly keep up that thought after seeing the state of their bodies.

Both combatants had sustained injuries in the few minutes that they had been fighting.

The Radiant Emperor’s wounds were less serious, with cuts at his waist and arms. A couple of them were oozing blood. On the other hand, there was a cut on Habsburg’s armor extending from his left chest to his abdomen. The flax shirt within was stained with blood.

The vampires possessed stronger regenerative powers and physical strength, capable of repairing their bodies even during battle. Hence, the amount of blood Habsburg had lost proved how serious the damage he had received.

The two fighters looked over at the same time when Zhang Boqian charged into the terrestrial space of the Western Continent. The Radiant Emperor seemed faintly surprised, but Habsburg was utterly calm. It seemed as though the arrival of a second heavenly monarch couldn’t faze him.

It was only when a black vortex appeared nearby that Habsburg’s eyes went wide and his composure was lost.

Predica practically tumbled out of this vortex. Fortunately, the angle didn’t affect him too much, and the demonkin quickly found his balance. At the same time, something that looked like a shooting star was growing larger at a terrifying speed. Zhang Boqian was almost here.

The man’s figure wasn’t clearly visible when a thunderous explosion erupted on the balcony. A dose of Spacerender went straight for Habsburg.

The runes surrounding the vampire brightened all of a sudden. Immediately afterward, he was sent flying from the impact, crashing through the balcony railings and into Predica’s arms. The two tumbled dozens of meters in the air before coming to a stop.

Predica cried out, “Are the Great Qin’s heavenly monarchs so shameless?!”

Habsburg was pale as he wiped the blood seeping out from the corner of his lips. He didn’t look at the two heavenly monarchs on the other side and merely patted Predica on the shoulder.

Zhang Boqian stood close to the edge of the balcony, his expression cold. “This Monarch is here to offer a blood sacrifice to an old friend. Who dares stop me?”

Habsburg looked up quietly, only to see a mixture of thunderous flames and undisguised sadness. At the same time, he felt Predica’s hand tighten around his arm. “Preddy, let go.”

“No.”

Predica swung his staff once more, and this time, the attack didn’t undergo any transformation. A “Wall of the Faithless” sprang up on the balcony.

A traversal gate slowly opened up behind Predica and Habsburg.

A black mist emerged on the balcony and swept toward the duo, completely ignoring the Wall of the Faithless between them. Zhang Boqian, on the other hand, simply threw a punch, and the wall melted away like snow in the sun.

Predica started pulling Habsburg toward the traversal gate after launching this attack. The latter had his eyes on a single point during the process. All of a sudden, he pulled hard on Predica’s hand and switched places with him.

Pfft! The remnant fist intent that had passed through the Wall of the Faithless struck Habsburg’s back.

This time, he couldn’t help but cough up a mist of blood. He did, however, manage to shift to just the right angle, using the impact to hasten their escape into the gate. Even that wasn’t quite enough—Zhang Boqian would soon arrive before them in a single step.

It was at this moment that a faint glow spun around Predica’s staff, almost like a slow-opening eye.

A black sun rose into the air.

A domain of pure darkness devoured the black mist as it climbed onto the balcony and enveloped the entire deserted base. The two heavenly monarchs were also within its range.

Within the darkness, there was a man standing quietly with his hands behind his back. The figure was neither tall nor lofty, but his aura filled the entire domain, as though he were one with the darkness.

“The Demon King?” Zhang Boqian uttered the name as he prepared to attack again.

However, the domain and the man both vanished just as he had formed his fist. The dissipation of the domain was even faster than its appearance. All of a sudden, the clouds had parted, and there were clear skies as far as the eye could see.

Of course, a single breath’s time was all it took for Habsburg and Predica to disappear behind the traversal gate.

“Humph!” Zhang Boqian snorted as his figure shot toward the other end of the battlefield. The troops had fully assembled at this point and were launching a fierce attack on the mountain pass.

The silhouette of the floating city was already starting to fade as it transitioned into the void.

Zhang Boqian accelerated sharply, breaking the sound barrier with a loud boom. Sparks flew everywhere as he blasted the City of Eimer with a solid punch.

The entire land shook fiercely! The light barrier on the city froze for a moment, almost as though it was about to materialize. The flowing streams of origin power looked indestructible, but some cracks had begun to appear on its surface. That lasted but a mere moment, however, as the City of Eimer faded away from existence at the very next moment.

Zhang Boqian stood in the air, gazing at the place where the floating city had disappeared. He didn’t attempt another attack. Eventually, the Radiant Emperor’s figure appeared beside him.

“How’s the city’s defense?”

Zhang Boqian said, “A strike with ninety percent of my power wasn’t enough to break its defense.”

The Radiant Emperor said, “Were you able to figure out the Demon King’s strength from his projection?”

Zhang Boqian said, “That was just a passive projection, probably stored within that staff as a life-saving measure. The power is roughly the same as an attack from you and me. I have, however, encountered the Spider Queen’s active projection before, and I can tell that the Demon King should be stronger.”

The Radiant Emperor nodded. “I remember that the Pointer Monarch probed the Queen of the Night during the Sky Demon incident. The old heavenly monarch only said he can contend with her for a few bouts. I wonder how strong the Demon King is compared to the Queen?”

Zhang Boqian gave it some thought. “That’s hard to say.”

The Radiant Emperor said, “Things on the Evernight side are quite strange. I can more or less say for sure that the one targeting the Empire behind the scenes is not the Flaming Crown. It’s very likely the Lightless Monarch. I still think there’s someone behind him, though.”

Zhang Boqian immediately realized the Radiant Emperor’s meaning. “Only the Sacred Mountain remains behind the great dark monarchs, but you think it isn’t Lilith?”

The Emperor nodded. “It might sound a bit outrageous, but that’s what I believe.”

“The black flames in the new world are about to die out soon. The council will surely make a move when the time comes.” Zhang Boqian glanced at the battlefield in front of Serene Pass. “I came over here because I sensed a certain fluctuation in space. Now that there’s no more business here, I’ll take my leave.”

The Radiant Emperor said, “You’ve gone into the new world multiple times. Although you suppressed your powers while doing so, the damage is still significant. You should recuperate well.”

Zhang Boqian laughed. “You also learned this from him, didn’t you? That heavenly monarchs don’t dare to die. That nagging fellow is already gone, so I’m sure he won’t blame me.”

The Radiant Emperor exhaled deeply. “Monarch Zhang…” He paused for a bit as he lost words to say.

Zhang Boqian turned around and said while waving his hand, “Are you afraid that my path will diverge? Who can say for sure if a path is correct until they’ve reached the end? The martial path reflects the heart, all we should do is follow it and forge ahead. Why hesitate and look at other people?”

The Radiant Emperor wanted to say something, but in the end, he just watched Zhang Boqian vanish into the void. Only afterward did he look over at Serene Pass.

The battle had reached its end.

…

Habsburg and Predica emerged in a corner of the flying city, tumbling onto the ground as they did so. Both of them lay huffing and puffing on the ground, unable to get up for the moment. Facing two heavenly monarchs at the same time was too much of an exciting experience.

Habsburg said, “Preddy, don’t do such dangerous things in the future.”

Predica seemed to have calmed down a bit. He still felt a bit aggrieved, but he was no longer angry. “How about you? His Majesty Kane never held any enmity toward you. He also hopes to see you return safely from this operation.”

Habsburg said nothing. He believed that the Demon King had no intention of letting him die in this mission. If it were any other demonkin commander, even a great dark monarch would not have chosen to engage in a melee fight against two heavenly monarchs. Zhang Boqian was notorious for his swift and powerful attacks; no one was willing to pit themselves against him. The question was… what was the Demon King hiding behind that kind facade?

Footsteps echoed from the other end of the street as the demonkin duke ran over in a hurry. The man heaved a sigh of relief upon finding the two alive and well. “Your Highness, we’ve entered the void.”

Predica nodded. He clambered up and patted the dust off of his robes, saying, “Let’s wait in the void for a while. Prince Greensun of the Empire possesses powerful void powers. It might be dangerous if we move out recklessly.”

The demonkin didn’t question his instructions. Seeing that the two lords did not need his help, he ran back to execute the orders.

Habsburg glanced suspiciously at Predica. “Why?”

Predica’s lips moved briefly, but he didn’t reply in the end. He merely dragged Habsburg across the street block and entered a tall building. Several warlocks and researchers were at work here. There were strange apparatuses everywhere in the hall as well as glowing origin arrays. Apparently, this place was the command center of the City of Eimer.

Predica brought Habsburg into a smaller hall to the left of the entrance. The entirety of this room was occupied by a disk-like object, at the center of which was a human figure. It was the Demon King!

The Demon King gazed gently at the two men. “Dear Habsburg, come see me!” With that, his projection faded away.

Habsburg finally understood why Predica had ordered the City of Eimer to stop. However, there was little meaning in not turning back because the Demon King’s projection could reach any place with a traceable coordinate.

Predica finally spoke, his voice tense and hoarse, “Habsburg, leave now if you don’t want to go back. You can go anywhere you want. His Majesty did not leave an imprint on you, so it’ll be very difficult to track you down once you leave.”

The vampire prince went silent for a while. He reached out to wipe the dust on Predica’s hair. “Let’s head back, this is my fate.”

Predica clenched his fists tightly. “Then Habsburg, please listen to His Majesty patiently, okay? He actually respects you quite a bit, so please listen to what he has to say and give it some thought!”

Habsburg wanted to say something, but he swallowed those words after seeing the look in Predica’s eyes. “Fine, I promise.”

Predica grabbed Habsburg’s hand tightly before leaving the room. He issued the order in the great hall, setting the City of Eimer on course to a location south of the Twilight Continent.