Chapter 586

Suddenly, she recalled what Venerable Lin Bai had said when they first met: "Leave the mountain for training, sweep across Qinghan."

Really happening!

It wasn't that she doubted the strength of those few Venerables and the forces behind them.

She just felt it was all too fast… the foreplay wasn't even done, and it's already ending?

Ouyang Ning calmed her mind and said, "Venerable, our Lingyun Immortal Dynasty lies at the border of the Radiant Divine Kingdom and the Eternal Night Empire."

"Once war breaks out, the Eternal Night Empire will surely cross the Wu Cang Immortal Sea to come; we still need to prepare."

Even though she had great faith in the Venerable's strength, just thinking about having to go to war with the two great empires that have long dominated Qinghan made her heart pound nonstop.

If that senior made a move, it would be a sure thing!

That figure, like a heavenly deity and yet like the lord of heaven and earth, appeared again in her mind.

"Ningning is right; even when a tiger fights a rabbit, it uses full strength—never underestimate any opponent."

Shi Hao nodded and said.

"Knowing yourself and the enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles; Ningning, how much do you know about the Eternal Night Empire? Tell us what you know."

As for the Radiant Divine Kingdom, no need to say more—it's the long-standing hegemon of Qinghan Immortal Province, with the most records in books, so learning about it is easy.

Yet the Eternal Night Empire is quite mysterious; its rise has been astonishingly swift, and by now it has actually developed to the point of being able to contend with the Radiant Divine Kingdom—calling it legendary is no exaggeration.

As a local who holds a high position, Ningning naturally knows a bit.

"Venerable, I don't know much about the Eternal Night Empire either, but I once heard some of their deeds from my father: the northern borderlands where the Eternal Night Empire originally lay were a chaotic, lawless, and barren place, to which the Radiant Divine Kingdom and the various states of Qinghan exiled their corrupt officials, criminals, and slaves."

"Later, the Eternal Night Sovereign gathered them all, unified the entire northern borderlands, founded the Eternal Night Empire, and then began to expand."

"Even the Radiant Divine Kingdom and many immortal dynasties used to look down on the Eternal Night, seeing them as a bunch of rats living in darkness, as horse-breeding slaves, as a dark nation founded by heinous criminals."

"But nobody ever imagined that, under the leadership of the Eternal Night Sovereign, the Eternal Night Empire would rise so swiftly, dominate a region; my father back then praised him highly, even regarded him as an idol, aspiring to develop Lingyun likewise—who would have thought…"

Saying this, Ouyang Ning almost teared up; ever since her father failed his tribulation and perished, nightmares have come one after another, truly wishing this were just a dream…

"In that case, this Eternal Night Sovereign is truly a legendary figure."

He has means, ability, and ambition—admirable, but unfortunately you've run into my Qingyun.

"By the way, Venerable, the Radiant Divine Kingdom has sent eight Radiant Envoys on a mission to our Lingyun; they are currently collecting tributes from various states along the way and will arrive shortly."

Ouyang Ning found this highly doubtful; Lingyun is merely one of many subordinate states of the Radiant Divine Kingdom in name, and previously, aside from regularly paying tribute, there had been no interaction whatsoever.

"The round trip is billions of miles—why did they specially dispatch eight Radiant Envoys? Could it be for those few Venerables?"

Beside him, Dark Night Immortal Venerable Lin Anye frowned upon hearing this and said, "Shi's close disciple, the Radiant Divine Kingdom probably comes with ill intent—it's surely aimed at us."

"Exactly; they must have noticed recent changes in Lingyun, and besides, our mysterious identity makes them suspect we're from the Eternal Night Empire, so they sent envoys to scout—quite vigilant."

The Immortal of the Waters also spoke up to analyze.

Upon hearing this, Shi Hao tapped his fingers on the table, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said indifferently, "Just wait for him to come."

……

Meanwhile, the vast northern borderlands are no longer what they once were.

After thousands of years of development by the Eternal Night Empire, the northern borderlands are no longer barren; instead, they teem with life everywhere, order prevails, everything is well organized, the people live and work in peace, sects and temples stand in rows, and the path of immortality flourishes.

Here, it is not as the outside world claims, still filled with darkness and chaos.

This fully illustrates one point: many people blindly believe what others say.

"This is utterly outrageous! That damn Radiant Divine Kingdom! We haven't even attacked them yet, and they've already declared war on us! No, no! Can't the two nations sit down and discuss properly? Demand that the Radiant Divine Kingdom withdraw its war edict, let us Eternal Night strike first, and then we'll fight…"

"This Immortal agrees! You damn well are a genius! Haha!"

"Hah, these Radiant dogs usually look down on us, calling us the embodiment of darkness, subterranean demons; since that's the case, let the entire Radiant Divine Kingdom fall into eternal darkness! I'll be the first to go into battle!"

When the news of the Radiant Divine Kingdom's declaration of war reached the Eternal Night Empire, its cultivators were all stirred up, their fighting spirit soaring!

Countless cultivators spontaneously mobilized, eagerly requesting to join the army, especially the local cultivators who had been exiled here for various reasons; they had finally managed to secure today's livelihood—how could they allow others to destroy it?

All major powers also dispatched support troops to the imperial capital awaiting orders—not because they love the Eternal Night Empire so much, but because they deeply understand one principle: when the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain intact?

The capital of the Eternal Night Empire lies at the heart of the northern borderlands; its towering walls stretch tens of millions of miles, magnificently grand! Moreover, all buildings inside and outside the city are decorated primarily in black, appearing exceptionally domineering and oppressive.

"If the Radiant Divine Kingdom wants to fight us, if the great powers of Qinghan and the great immortal dynasties want to fight us, then let's fight! Sovereign! The time has come for our Eternal Night Empire to unify Qinghan Immortal Province!"

"The senior minister seconds that; our resources are abundant, our arms and troops are sufficient—it's time for a decisive battle with the Radiant Divine Kingdom!"

"We ministers concur!"

Within the Eternal Night Imperial Palace, a conference determining the nation's fate is being held; in response to the Radiant Divine Kingdom's brazen declaration of war, the civil and military officials all voiced their readiness to fight.

After the civil and military officials finished presenting their memorials, they respectfully turned their gaze toward the figure on the upper seat.

That figure wore a black immortal robe, donned a splendid crown with tassels, exuding an awe-inspiring aura; though his face could not be made out, one could sense his supreme dignity.

In every official's eyes burned fervor—this is their legendary sovereign! The heaven of the Eternal Night Empire, whose might shakes the universe and whose name resounds across Qinghan, is the Eternal Night Emperor!

The Eternal Night Emperor did not rush to state his position, but instead turned his gaze to the four figures at one side of the hall and said, "Kong Xing, what do you think?"

These four are the pillars of the Eternal Night Empire, the Four Great War Gods of Eternal Night, the true left and right arms of the Eternal Night Emperor.

Some of the elder officials in the court know what happened back then—the emperor founded the Eternal Night Empire by bringing those four war gods with him.