Chapter Eighty: Unifying the Northern Wilds (Part One)

The Dark Lord gazed down at the Elder of the Black Earth, who knelt in reverence below. The icy black serpentine eyes grew colder still. If not for this wretch, Black Earth, how could the Black Serpent clan have become enemies with the Child of Destiny, Nan Luo? How could they have provoked the divine race and now face the crisis of extinction? All of this stemmed from Black Earth's momentary greed—a bitter fruit of folly.

If Black Earth weren't still of some use, the Dark Lord would have torn him limb from limb, shattered his soul, and extinguished his spirit long ago.

Looking down upon the elder, the Dark Lord's face remained frigid, tinged with urgency, though his cold, godly voice concealed any hint of agitation. “Well?”

Black Earth trembled at the inquiry, his forehead smashing heavily against the floor, his voice breaking with sorrow. “Your servant has failed Your Majesty’s trust. I visited the Sky Tyrant Shark clan, the Sky Steel Monkey clan, and the Sky Force Ox clan, but all three chieftains refused me entry. Upon hearing Your Majesty’s invitation, they rejected it outright. The three clans do all they can to avoid us.”

The Dark Lord’s anger grew with every word; the chill of murderous intent in his gaze made the great hall unbearably cold.

“Enough!” the Dark Lord thundered. A surge of immense divine power erupted from him, washing over the hall like a tide of darkness.

Bang!

Black Earth, still prostrate, was flung across the room by the irresistible force, crashing against the black walls, golden blood trickling from his lips.

“How dare the three clans treat me thus?!” The Dark Lord’s black serpentine eyes blazed with furious, icy malice; his long black hair whipped about, and his pale face was streaked with a flush of blood-red rage. He cursed bitterly.

Though he had anticipated this, the truth was still unbearable; the harsh fate and reality overwhelmed him.

The Sky Tyrant Shark clan, Sky Steel Monkey clan, and Sky Force Ox clan were among the ten great clans of the Northern Wilderness, long subordinate to the Black Serpent clan, which had always led them. Yet now, they treated the Black Serpent clan as a harbinger of disaster, avoiding them as if cursed.

Their audacity must stem from the knowledge that the Black Serpent clan had offended the divine race; they were convinced the Black Serpent’s doom was imminent and so dared to act with impunity.

Years ago, the feud between Nan Luo and the Black Serpent clan was known throughout the primordial lands. The three clans, not being fools, surely understood that Nan Luo had risen to become the chief of the divine race, commanding unrivaled power.

Moreover, these clans were cunning and shrewd, fully aware that the divine race would move against the Black Serpent clan. They’d never risk their own survival by allying themselves, only to be destroyed together.

Thus, the three clans now did all they could to avoid their former leader, the Black Serpent clan, fearing calamity.

The moment the Dark Lord invited the three chieftains to gather, they immediately discerned his intent: to draw them into opposition against the divine race. Naturally, they all evaded him.

Were their positions reversed, the Dark Lord could well understand their actions. But as the leader of the Black Serpent clan, he could not accept their rejection.

To him, their refusal was nothing less than betrayal. And traitors, in his eyes, could never be forgiven nor understood.

Once, the Black Serpent clan, the Sky Tyrant Shark, Sky Steel Monkey, and Sky Force Ox clans were allies, united in purpose and advancing together. Their combined might was so formidable that even the Xuanwu clan, overlords of the Northern Wilderness, had to yield.

Yet, no alliance survives disaster; when catastrophe approaches, all fly their separate ways.

Faced with a foe as invincible as the divine race, the three clans simply did what was necessary: severed ties with the Black Serpent clan. To their former ally, it was indeed cruel—but in chaotic times, what place is there for mercy?

The weak have no right to choose their fate; they are chosen by fate, and must endure its cruelty in silence.

The once calm and astute Dark Lord could not accept the betrayal; he vented his rage, divine power surging like waves, battering the solemn Black Heaven Hall.

Perhaps his pain was for the survival of his people, or for the betrayal of the three clans. Coldness does not always mean a cold heart; cruelty does not always mean no feeling.

Who could know that beneath the Dark Lord’s cold exterior burned a fervent heart, beneath his cruelty lay profound emotion?

Black Earth, ambitious yet incompetent, had repeatedly blundered, offending Nan Luo and the divine race. Yet the Dark Lord always found excuses to protect him. Otherwise, given Black Earth’s nature and actions, how could he survive and become elder?

But now, facing the betrayal of the three clans and the threat of extinction, the Dark Lord’s passionate heart finally grew utterly cold.

This cold heart was passed down through the serpent race, enduring for ages.

The fate of betrayal suffered by the Black Serpent clan ensured that future generations of serpents would all become cold and merciless.

The serpent race would never trust any living being again.

Time passed, uncertain how long, until the Dark Lord finally calmed. His cold black serpentine eyes now held not a trace of emotion—utterly unfeeling and ruthless.

Endless black radiance, profound laws inscribed in lines of darkness, began to glow from beneath his feet, rising to his waist.

In a single moment of enlightenment, the Dark Lord advanced from a lesser to a mid-ranked god.

He broke through the barrier that had troubled him for hundreds of thousands of years with ease, now a mid-ranked god.

Had it been before, he might have been overjoyed, but now, the Dark Lord could face everything with absolute detachment.

Unfeeling, yet supremely powerful.

His cold black eyes gazed at Black Earth, who lay unconscious from the force of divine power. With a thought, he summoned a wave of icy divine energy, enveloping Black Earth.

The cold energy roused Black Earth, who slowly opened his eyes and regained consciousness.

As awareness returned, he immediately realized where he was, scrambled to his feet, and knelt respectfully.

“With your death, your sins are cleansed.” The Dark Lord’s voice was devoid of emotion. “Withdraw.”

Black Earth lifted his head in disbelief, staring at the Dark Lord’s pitiless black eyes. An inexplicable sense of strangeness welled up—this was not the Lord he once knew.

“Yes, my lord.” Black Earth bowed his head, knocking it three times against the floor, his heart utterly cold.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Six mighty, sacred golden lights burst from the resplendent tunnel of space, descending upon the Black Serpent waters and flying toward the Black Serpent palace.

Seated upon the throne, the Dark Lord opened his cold, unfeeling black eyes and spoke without emotion: “The divine race has arrived.”

Boom!

He transformed into a streak of black light and vanished, going forth to greet the arrival of the gods.