The Demon King laughed. “Traitor? To whom? The River of Blood, the blood seal, or the Queen of the Night? The River of Blood is in an abnormal state. Normal vampires below the great dark monarch realm might not know so clearly, but primogenitors like you know very well. If you say the thousand years of our research is wrong, then show me what’s right.

“If you don’t uproot the tainted blood seals, this disaster will only spread. The extinguished seals will never light up again as time goes on. In the end, even the memory of your existence will disappear just like the thirteenth clan. Habsburg, I only captured the blood ponds of those clans so that they stop affecting the river. If I really want to destroy the vampire race, there’s no need for me to fight such a war.

“As for the Queen of the Night, you vampires believe that primogenitors are more important than the entire clan. The Queen is even more important than the entire race. Then why do you stand before me? Even if you cannot reach her for the time being, there will be a time when the Queen of the Night will awaken on her own.”

Habsburg’s tone hardened. “I told you, not everyone shares the same opinion!”

“My dear old friend, look at you, you can’t even convince yourself. Your stubbornness will not give Samael release. For a primogenitor, he didn’t even live as long as a grand duke. You never liked how the lower vampires devoured flesh and blood like beasts. You also hate the path where you need to devour a relative in order to become stronger. What are you afraid of?”

The Demon King’s voice was like a sigh that could pass through time, stirring up countless distant memories. Sweating, Habsburg took a step back and leaned against the wall to stabilize his footing.

“Is it that rumor about how only the purest bloodlines can ignite blood seals? I heard there are some dukes in the Sperger clan who are dissatisfied because your bloodline isn’t as pure. Well, those aren’t exactly rumors… It’s just that no one has ever told them that the so-called purity isn’t innate and that devouring bloodlines isn’t the only path to purity.”

“Enough, Kane, Your Majesty.”

The Demon King seemed to be able to see through everything. “I didn’t argue with you a thousand years ago, but things are no longer the same. And did you never suspect anything? The Queen said she needs to rest due to overexertion, but even you cannot tell her real intentions, can you?”

Habsburg sounded fatigued. “Your Majesty, you’ve never spoken so much to me before. You must know that you cannot persuade me.”

The Demon King shook his head. “Fine, let’s do it this way. You just sit by and watch, all you need to do is watch and see if I’m right. As repayment, I’ll ensure that the Sperger clan remains intact. I’ll also revert this war to the standards of the previous holy wars. How does that sound?”

Of course, very few people were privy to things the Demon King had just spoken to Habsburg. No matter what kind of reasoning the demonkin had used to mobilize the allied army, a follow-up war was inevitable even after the mission had been announced completed.

If the Demon King was willing to control the scale of this war, this meant that many ordinary vampires would survive. It would also prove the Demon King’s statement as he had already completed the purging of the tainted clans.

Habsburg closed his eyes for a while. He then looked straight into the Demon King’s eyes and said, “Why did you choose this timing?”

“The arrival of the new world is our only opportunity to purify the darkness origins. Otherwise, there’s no telling how many more millennia we would have to wait. The black flames will die out in a couple of days, and you’ll get the proof you want at that time.”

Habsburg laughed wryly. “I still don’t know if the new world represents a scheme or a ray of hope.”

“We’ll see soon enough.”

“I thought you would declare war on the human race.”

“If everything goes smoothly, the object in the new world will thoroughly purify the darkness origins. The human race will no longer be a problem at that point. New daybreak lifeforms will always appear if daybreak itself is not uprooted. All the sins of this world will be expelled once glory returns to the darkness.”

“What if I say no?”

The Demon King said gently, “Many people will die with you. More than you can imagine, and not just on the Twilight continent.” After a brief pause, his voice became even softer. “I’ve already made a decision out of necessity. Habsburg, don’t make me do this a second time.”

Habsburg’s breathing froze for a moment. “I’m humbled by your favor, but why exactly?”

“Simple, the new vampire race will need a leader. Someone needs to succeed Lilith when she returns to the River of Blood in the future. No one is more suitable.”

Habsburg was stunned. “What’s this ancient glory you wish to restore?”

“A time when the seven races stood on the Sacred Mountain. War and propagation are part of the wheel of fate, the rise and fall of life is what makes the darkness thrive.”

Habsburg’s blood core shook violently for a moment. The Demon King’s description reminded him of a vision he saw a long time ago in a minor realm. They were actually very similar. “You expect too much from me, I’m not even a great dark monarch yet.”

“The great dark monarch realm is not as difficult as you expect.”

“Why me? I think there are better candidates.”

“Medanzo? He’s not suitable to be a leader, he’ll never be.”

“What do you look for in a leader?”

“One who can draft and uphold the law, one who can make decisions.” At this point, the Demon King paused for a moment. “Well, there are times when even the supremes don’t have a choice. That’s probably because we’re not strong enough. Habsburg, the sacrifice you wanted to make was never meaningful, and now, there’s no longer a reason. Join me and witness the future… let’s see if my choice was right or wrong.”

After a long while of silence, Habsburg said, “Fine…”

At this point, the Demon King looked up at the distant void. Habsburg also sensed the River of Blood moving, and amidst the waves, he could make out a faint aura of the Morway clan.

The Demon King said thoughtfully, “I’m reminded of a human saying: pillars emerge in times of danger. Perhaps this war is a good thing for the new vampire race.”

Habsburg gazed into the distance. Apart from a few times the river had surged for unknown reasons, this was the first time he had sensed another clan calling on the river. Was it really possible to restore the lost fate by going back to ancient times?

…

The battle at Serene Pass had ended.

This battlefield was easier to clean up than any other because the troop didn’t leave any material object. Even the piles of sand on the ground were crumbling away at a visible pace.

The battle, however, wasn’t easier than any other battle. The military engineers were installing temporary armor plates on the charred walls; the actual repairs would have to wait until they were certain the fight was over.

The Radiant Emperor appeared in the air above the tower. “Duke Rong, I have something to say to you.”

After Zhao Jundu followed the Emperor into the air, Lin Wu said to Zhao Junhong, “Please remind Duke Rong about the matter he agreed to before. I’ll take my leave now.”

Zhao Junhong called out to him, “Commander Lin, why not speak openly?”

Lin Wu let out a sinister laugh. “Openly? Would you have believed me? You people couldn’t even trust Marshal Lin. I’m just a small character, what right do I have? Besides, it takes more than a few people to get this thing done.”

Zhao Junhong said, “More than a few people? Commander Lin has been an inspector for many years. You should know full well that complicated matters require more hands, why not work with us?”

Lin Wu said indifferently, “Work with overprotective people like you? To investigate your internal matters? Ha! How did you deal with the collapse of Zhao Guanwei’s camp? And that’s just a champion.”

Even someone as calm as Zhao Junhong couldn’t help but feel anger.

Lin Wu said, “You don’t need to probe my bottomline. I will return if things don’t go according to my will.”

Zhao Junhong could no longer tolerate such an undisguised threat. However, before he could say anything, the man stepped into the shadows and disappeared right before his eyes.

Zhao Junhong was both shocked and furious. As a suicide soldier, Lin Wu was adept at concealment and assassination. Now that he had crossed the divine champion threshold, no one could say for sure what his newfound power was. If it was also concealment or a burst attack, the mere thought of it was shiver-inducing.

Zhao Junhong hadn’t finished sorting out his emotions when he sensed a familiar fluctuation in the air. It was Zhao Jundu calling out to him.

Things had ended so quickly? This span of time was only enough to exchange a few words.

Zhao Junhong took to the air and found Zhao Jundu gazing at the two destroyed provinces. There was no saving Serene South at this point. Some parts of Desolate North might have survived, so the Zhao clan and the Imperial forces sent out a joint rescue force. It was hard to say how much that would help.

Zhao Jundu turned around. “Second Brother.”

Zhao Junhong was surprised. His brother had never revealed such a complicated expression even when Qianye was lost and found, and even when he was injured to the point of losing his heavenly monarch potential.

Zhao Junhong collected himself and repeated what Lin Wu had told him just now. “Did the Emperor say anything that’s annoying you?”

Zhao Jundu revealed a wry smile. “His Majesty asked me if I had any intention of splitting from the Zhao clan.”

This shocked Zhao Junhong so much that he almost lost his footing. Fortunately, Zhao Jundu reacted quickly and caught him with his origin power.

The heavy blow actually cleared up his thoughts. “Fourth Brother, do you think His Majesty and Lin Wu are referring to the same thing?”

Zhao Jundu said after some thought, “Their attitudes are the same, but the matter is different. The worst part is that there’s probably more to come.”