Night Without End

At the World's Edge Zone, the last autumn rain has fallen, and there is a noticeable chill in the air.

Five days have passed since the truce between Ye State and the Demon Clan, and all negotiations have concluded.

The battlefield has been cleaned up, but people still enter to search for relatives.

Some died in battle, leaving no trace of their bodies behind.

The raindrops pounded down, gradually washing away the bloodstains on the Shenshang Plain, but the destroyed forests, occasional severed hands, and weapon fragments still spoke of the battle's bloodiness.

In various parts of Ye State, many people wore mourning clothes, indescribable oppression hung in the air.

The bloody battle between two civilizations drew global attention. Even though Ye State won, it was quite tragic, with even hidden families wearing mourning clothes.

In the Western Territory, the storm stopped, and the dark clouds gradually dispersed.

With everyone wearing mourning clothes, it made one's heart heavy, yet the scenery in the Western Territory has inappropriately brightened.

The autumn rain receded, illuminating the entire great plain, a large amount of Earth Light steamed up, lighting up the dense forests.

"Late autumn is ending, Earth Qi is returning to light, and Fire Spring is about to enter its drying period," spoke Zhao Lei, temples slightly graying, the Guardian of Panshi Town.

His left sleeve was empty, flapping in the wind.

During the bloody fight five days ago, he killed two enemies in succession but had his arm severed by an opponent; later, he was pinned to the ground by a spear thrown by the Demon Clan, yet he miraculously survived.

Qin Ming nodded, standing on the mountainside outside Qingfeng Town, gazing at the great plain. The wind and snow were not far off, and the long winter was approaching.

In these days, he bid farewell to many old friends, mourning them. His heart was truly sorrowful; in the massive conflict between the two races, life was too fragile, like paper—after one major collision, many people would fall permanently on the battlefield.

People like Zhao Lei, who killed two demons, already performed commendably, and though incomplete in body, managed to survive.

He sighed lightly: "Over these past two days, I tried to contact a few old friends also in the Western Territory, but there was no response. I do not know if it means I will never see them again or if they are gravely injured and unconscious."

Qin Ming spoke: "Look ahead."

These days, he actively adjusted his mindset, dispersing much gloom; the path ahead was still long. When looking up, there would eventually be brilliant Golden Radiance piercing through the thick clouds.

"At my age, I've seen through everything," Zhao Lei said.

A rich fragrance appeared at the mountain top, with meat soup bubbling in the copper pot. Qin Ming used the meat of the Heavenly Demon Species for hotpot; it had a unique flavor in the increasingly chilly outdoors.

"This meat in the copper pot..." Zhao Lei only had a few bites before widening his eyes; it felt very nourishing, with warmth spreading through his belly, enveloping his whole body in warmth.

Upon learning that the ingredients were the Heibai Sparrow and Flying Locust Beast, both Heavenly Demon Species, he became unsettled, never having indulged in such luxury in his lifetime!

Not to mention him, even beings of the Fifth Realm, no matter how high their level, probably could not randomly slay Immortal Species Level creatures just for a meal, right?

Only during a fierce confrontation between two major civilizations, when the fate of a race was at stake, could such a scene appear.

Qin Ming said: "I slew them some time ago; one of them was even the Jade Emperor's brother."

Zhao Lei widened his eyes, feeling that the meat was overwhelmingly delicious and substantial with golden value.

As long as one was on the Western Territory's border, they would have heard of the legends of the Jade Emperor, Heavenly Phoenix, One Horned Immortal Beetle, and other Famous Demons—they were preparing to challenge Ye State's seed.

Flushed with excitement, Zhao Lei clinked cups with Qin Ming, saying: "Unimaginable, for an old man like me to have such a gastronomic experience. After going back, I can brag a bit; I've eaten the Heavenly Demon Species!"

Beside them, the Thunder King Bird also nodded, resonating somewhat. Its "ration" grade had significantly improved in recent times, even reaching a qualitative change.

"At last the great war is over," Zhao Lei sighed.

In all directions, Earth Light steamed, fiery radiance rose into the sky, and on the plain, almost all the remaining yellow leaves of trees were pounded down by the storm.

Not long after, Zhao Lei took his leave, saying: "Brother Qin, I know you're preparing to confront the Heavenly Demon Species, so I won't disturb you. I came this time just to see you one last time. I am leaving now."

His body already crippled, and with the Western Territory's war concluded, he was about to return to his hometown to retire.

Qin Ming did not urge him to stay, and sent him off with two hundred jin of Heavenly Demon Species meat.

"This... well, then I won't be polite. Even though I don't have many years left to live after this battle, it feels worth it—Immortal Species Level beings becoming a side dish for me, Mr. Zhao, with my wine—haha."

Zhao Lei departed into the distance, his back desolate. If given a choice, who would willingly retire to a remote place with a crippled body and wait for their lifespan to end?

"Several of the mysterious birds I knew perished," the Thunder King Bird said in a low voice. As a top mount, its old friends were naturally rare species.

From ordinary cultivators to top Immortal Species and Divine Seeds, everyone suffered heavy losses in this battle.

Qin Ming was indeed preparing for battle, knowing that a group of demons would inevitably challenge him; though he could choose to avoid it, he wanted to express his feelings directly.

The past days had been sufficiently oppressive; in the final stage, he wanted to unleash his blade light freely.

On the Ye State's side, combat merits had not yet been tallied, and the higher-ups did not know his exact accomplishments, though some had vaguely heard and were quite taken aback.

Perhaps the Demon Clan knew more than the humans about the specifics, as whom to challenge involved some nuances, and certain demons with red eyes wanted revenge.

In the past days, pieced-together information and memories from various demons revealed to them, to their shock, that the casualty rate among mid-to-lower tier Heavenly Demon Species was too high.

The most critical point was that many "Demon Life" deaths seemed to point to a single person.

The young generation of the Demon Clan went berserk upon learning this.

Various signs indicated that the human youth once walked the battlefield bathed in demon blood, with the Heavenly Demon Species he "harmed" possibly exceeding what could be counted on two hands.