Imperial Capital, in the palace-front plaza. Zhang Boqian landed from the sky, almost collapsing as he touched the ground. The guards ran over, but they only dared to help the man after the glow of the formation receded.

The massive array of the Imperial Capital had been pushed to full-throttle, going so far as to overdraft itself at the expense of longevity. The glow bolstering Zhang Boqian didn’t look impressive, but those above the divine champion realm would die upon contact. Even princes and great dark monarchs would find their attacks reduced by thirty percent.

This time, Zhang Boqian didn’t sleep after removing his armor. Instead, he said, “Please ask His Majesty to come see me.”

An attendant shot out as fast as he could.

Moments later, the Radiant Emperor appeared at the plaza. Shocked upon seeing Zhang Boqian’s state, he ran over to help the monarch, saying, “How did you end up so badly wounded? Where’s the ancestral bracelet?”

His gaze landed on Zhang Boqian’s wrist. There was nothing there. The bracelet that was supposed to be there had vanished.

Zhang Boqian was rather calm. “I’ve used it.”

The Radiant Emperor’s hands went cold. Trembling, he said, “Did the Queen of the Night attack?”

Zhang Boqian nodded. “Who would’ve thought a supreme like her would launch a sneak attack? It’s just that she didn’t expect me to have a protective gear that could save my life. I managed to return a blow while she was dazed, she won’t be able to attack again within half a day.”

The Radiant Emperor sighed. “I hate it that I cannot fight! All I can do is sigh anxiously.”

“You have more important things to do. It’ll all fall on you to decide whether the radiant sun is a blessing or a disaster.”

The Radiant Emperor nodded.

“Boqian, aren’t you going to rest a while?”

“No. Without the ancestral bracelet, I probably won’t be able to return this time,” Zhang Boqian spoke calmly, as though he were talking about someone else’s fate.

The Radiant Emperor clenched his fist, but no one knew what he wanted to say.

The ancestral bracelet was personally forged by the Founding Ancestor. There were three copies of it in total. One of them had been used up long ago, with Greensun and Northridge holding one each. This accessory was capable of stopping a lethal attack from a supreme, but only once.

Presently, Prince Greensun was like an arrow at the end of its flight and the bracelet was no more. The Imperial Capital was on the verge of collapse.

“Has the sun not arrived yet?”

“We need… one more day at least.” The Radiant Emperor’s voice was solemn. “I do wonder how Evernight discovered the truth about the Chronicle of Glory in advance. They shouldn’t have been able to see the sun from so far away.”

“They have their own geniuses.”

It was at this time that a stream of fire shot down toward the ground.

The Radiant Emperor and Zhang Boqian both glanced over at the same time, momentarily speechless.

Zhang Boqian was the first to speak. “Northridge has fallen.”

“You were to hold the central position while he attacked from the outside. His position should’ve been safe. Unless…” The Radiant Emperor couldn’t continue.

Both men understood what that “unless” was. Judging from the shower of sparks lingering around the fallen flame, it was likely that the Evernight faction had paid a steep price as well. Just that no one knew which of them had fallen.

Northridge didn’t need to die, but humanity was at the juncture of life and death. When else would one fight if not now?

Zhang Boqian stood up slowly. “I’ll stall for time.”

When the Radiant Emperor reached out subconsciously, Zhang Boqian asked, “Why?”

“Now that Marshal Lin is gone, you… are the closest of kin to me.”

Zhang Boqian pushed the emperor’s hand away with a smile. “At this moment, all the heavenly monarchs have no choice but to take point. There’s no reason for us to cling to life! It was the same for Northridge, it is the same for me, and it will be the same for you. It’s nothing even if all of us die. As long as the ancestral incense is not extinguished, more heavenly monarchs will appear in thirty years.”

The Radiant Emperor loosened his grip. “You’re right.”

“If you have anything to say, do so now.”

“I have a feeling that this Chronicle of Glory is a bit too excessive.”

Zhang Boqian was surprised. “There’s no point thinking about that at this point. All the people will die if we cannot get through the current ordeal.”

The Radiant Emperor watched as Zhang Boqian shot into the sky.

A strange voice echoed behind the Radiant Emperor at this moment. “How dare you doubt the chronicle under such circumstances? As expected of a criminal’s offspring!”

The Radiant Emperor trembled as he turned about. A group of people had appeared at one point, led by an unusually beautiful young man. The well-groomed youth sized the Radiant Emperor up with his limpid eyes. A dozen or so people stood behind him, headed by a man and woman—they were clad in martial attire and looked so young that it was difficult to tell their age. The man was sharp and imposing, like an unsheathed blade. The lady was cold and ephemeral, as though she wasn’t from the mortal world.

Looking at this man and woman actually made the Radiant Emperor’s eyes sting! The emperor quickly suppressed the shock he was feeling. It was impossible to tell how strong these people were.

The dozen or so people behind were likely their attendants and guards. They were clad in a white robe with blue patterns. The Emperor could see their strength, but that didn’t stop him from being surprised. These guards were all divine champions, and four of them were at the peak of the realm!

No one could tell how strong the young man leading the entire entourage was.

This lineup was much more powerful than the higher-echelons of the Empire. It was a mystery how they had appeared without the knowledge of two heavenly monarchs. Of course, the chaos and fighting had also interfered with the exhausted duo’s perception.

The Radiant Emperor asked, “Emissaries from the Ancestral Land?”

The young man smiled. “We are indeed from Immortal Heaven. Since you have the Ji bloodline, you should have seen records of me in the Chronicle of Glory.”

The Radiant Emperor bowed deeply. “Emissaries, you came at a most opportune moment. I thought it would take you one more day to arrive. How do I address you?”

“My name is Xu Ran, my title is Roaming Joy. The radiant sun was indeed slow, so I chose to travel ahead of it and see what’s going on.”

The Radiant Emperor pointed upward. “The fight between the Empire and Evernight has reached a critical juncture. Would Emissary Xu please help us repel them and save some of our soldiers?”

Xu Ran said indifferently, “Fine, I’ll show you how immortals fight.”

He gestured to the man and woman behind him, who promptly vanished from the spot and appeared beyond the sky. A cold sword energy resembling an icy peak swept through the sky. This attack was accompanied by a zig-zagging sword intent that weaved through a large patch of the atmosphere.

In the blink of an eye, the Evernight experts in the sky froze, and their thoughts immediately went blank.

The next moment, masses of smoke, fire, and blood erupted in the air as countless Evernight experts fell to the ground. The dukes were able to survive the twin sword strikes, but none of the weaker experts managed to survive.

The entire sky was wiped clean!

Even someone as experienced as the Radiant Emperor was stunned by the scene. These two sword strikes had ravaged the entire battlefield. This was far stronger than an ordinary heavenly monarch’s attack. Even the Founding Ancestor might not be able to outdo them.

What level were those guard captains at? And what level was this Xu Ran at?

Up in the sky, the shocked survivors and airships began to retreat as soon as they had recovered from the shock. They initially pulled back to where the two supreme airships were, then the entire armada left the battlefield. Neither the Demon King nor the Queen of the Night was combat-ready at this point. Now that the Empire had produced two powerful heavenly monarchs, Evernight had no choice but to retreat temporarily.

Xu Ran glanced at the Radiant Emperor. “That wasn’t so hard.”

The Radiant Emperor bowed. “Please enter the palace.”

Nodding, Xu Ran headed for the palace hall.