Qianye appeared in the void and glanced at his surroundings. There was only emptiness in every direction, and the unending torrent of attacks he was expecting did not appear, either.

He looked back and saw that the tunnel entrance was still there, spewing out a constant stream of living darkness origin power. The energy was like an uncontrollable wild beast after entering the Evernight World. It would do its utmost to destroy everything in its wake, doing the most damage to daybreak origin power.

Qianye was rather patient. He simply stopped there and observed the contention process for a while.

The living darkness origin power was like a wild beast that had not yet reached maturity—it would devour all origin power, but then it couldn’t digest whatever it had ingested. If it was darkness origin power that it had devoured, more darkness origin power would be released as a result. If it was daybreak origin power, the two types would cancel out one another and disappear.

A question popped up in Qianye’s mind at this point. The opposing attributes of darkness and daybreak origin powers would end up being destroyed in a direct confrontation. What then? If that were the case, there should be neither daybreak nor darkness left in the ultimate end. But things were clearly not so.

Then how was origin power produced?

This question wasn’t something Qianye could answer on his own. Clearly, it was also a fundamental topic for the Evernight World, something Anwen might know.

It was at this time that a slim airship flew out of the void, carrying a single standing passenger. Qianye almost felt like he had gone back to the dumpster on Evernight Continent. Back then, he had also watched as the airship lowered itself from the sky and Lin Xitang stretched out his hand to him.

The daze lasted but a split second before Qianye was calm again. “I wasn’t expecting you’d be the one to come.”

This was Lin Xitang’s vessel, but the person standing at the helm wasn’t Marshal Lin—it was Song Zining. Perhaps due to the baptism of blood and fire, the young master seemed wiser, more mature, and less like the romantic wastrel of the past.

“Who else can come?” Song Zining smiled.

“Anyone would’ve been better.”

“You would’ve attacked anyone else at the slightest argument. Not many can withstand a hit from you these days.”

“I know when to stop.”

“Oh, got it. You won’t kill them right away, they’d be half dead at most.”

Qianye didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. “Okay, enough with the idle topic. Get to the point, what are you here for?”

Song Zining said, “Hop on and we’ll talk.”

“Very well.” Qianye stepped onto the airship and followed Song Zining into the cabin. The two men then sat down near the window.

Qianye glanced at the surroundings in great detail.

Song Zining said, “Marshal Lin was playing chess with Gu Tuohai when he found you in the dumpster back then.”

“Which seat was my adoptive father’s and which one was Master Gu’s?”

“You’re sitting in Marshal Lin’s seat.”

“How did you know?” A gleam flickered in Qianye’s eyes.

“We diviners can tell that at a glance. This doesn’t mean that my divination powers are greater than the marshal’s, but rather, he didn’t mind people finding out.”

Qianye observed Song Zining carefully, gazing almost right through him as he did so. “You chose the divination path.”

“Yes.”

“You know the price.”

“Of course.”

“Why then?”

“Someone needs to do the hard, dirty work.”

Qianye said after a moment of silence, “You know, I really hate divination right now.”

Song Zining raised his brows. “Oh?”

Qianye raised his hand. Everything was normal at first, but his hand seemed obstructed as the process went on. It seemed like there were threads binding his hand, akin to tangled spiderwebs.

Each of these threads appeared from the void, carrying specks of radiant light with them. Only the two of them could see these strings.

Song Zining was surprised. “You can actually make the fate trajectory lines manifest?”

“I still remember some of the divination arts you taught me,” Qianye said.

“What else do you know?”

“I also know which of these threads were original and which of them were added.” Qianye shook his hand gently, producing a ripple that spread along the strings. Some of the weaker threads broke from the impact, but the stronger ones remained intact.

Song Zining’s gaze seemed serious. “You’ve gained much.”

“My gains were pre-planned, it’s just that the person who planned this probably didn’t think I’d obtain so much.”

Song Zining reached out to pick up one of the threads. “Can you break it?”

“Why not?” A black intent appeared at Qianye’s fingertips as he cut through the threads of fate’s trajectory.

Song Zining heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the thread severed. “Those people won’t dare to practice their craft anymore if they see how easily you managed to cut it.”

“Is it so hard?” Qianye didn’t find this process any more difficult than cutting a spider web.

“Wielding weight as though it were weightless, that’s a fairly difficult task. Less than five people in the entire Empire can materialize the threads of fate, much less sever them. How do you feel now?”

Qianye sensed the changes carefully. “I feel much more relaxed. What does that thread represent?”

Song Zining smiled. “You’ll know soon enough.”

Qianye glanced around. “Why is there no one here? Does the Empire not know where the tunnel exit is?”

“Those who can beat you are busy with other things. Those who are free can’t hold their own against you, so it’s useless if they come.”

“How about Evernight?”

“The same reason.”

Qianye finally understood that both factions had pulled back their people to avoid accidental deaths.

Qianye stared at Song Zining. “It’s natural for Evernight to be afraid of me, but what’s with the Empire? What did you guys do that you wouldn’t dare meet me?”

“I’m here, am I not?”

“You don’t count.”

Song Zining laughed out loud, but the humor in his expression faded away when he saw Qianye’s penetrating gaze. In the end, he said with a sigh, “I’m here to tell you one thing.”

“Go on.”

“Promise me that you won’t get angry or act up. Even if you act up, you must control yourself.”

“Since you’re putting it this way, do you think it’s something that will anger me?”

Song Zining sighed. “Make some concessions for me.”

“Very well, I can hold back from killing a few people if this has nothing to do with Nighteye.”

Song Zining went silent.