Gao Wu: You have science, and I have magic!

The ice sculpture exploded into countless pieces.

At the same time, the entire castle shook violently, and the blood-colored runes twisted and rose into the air like living things, forming a huge black moon pattern.

"Blood Clan Portal!"

Calvin jumped off the dragon's back, looking panicked: "Master Ryan, we must..."

His voice stopped abruptly.

Countless shadow tentacles stretched out from the black moon pattern, and the chests of the nearest Fire Dragon Knights were instantly pierced through.

Ye Qingzhou saw their blood flowing upstream and being sucked into the black moon. He immediately gave a loud order, "The whole army retreats!"

Xiaohuo leaped forward, and his huge body soared into the air.

When the last flaming dragon left the castle, the black moon finally unfolded in its entirety.

A tall, silver-haired figure emerged from the darkness, and his blood-red pupils stared at Ye Qingzhou for a moment across several miles.

Even with the protection of the ice-blue light, Ye Qingzhou still felt a shudder on the soul level—Grand Duke Dracula, the ruler of the Council of Eternal Night.

Although Dracula is also a legendary warrior, his strength is far superior to Chaos. He has even understood the secrets of fighting spirit and magic power, and has begun to master the forbidden knowledge that belongs only to the gods.

…………

On the eastern side of the Frost Mountains, Hemlock Castle burned in the morning light.

Ye Qingzhou - now the whole North calls him "The Sword of Ice and Fire" Ryan Morningstar - stood on the ruins of the castle's main tower, the frost on his left hand had not yet faded, and the scorching sun fighting spirit in his right hand was still flowing on the sword's edge.

The blood beads condensed on the "Morning Light" sword were evaporated into scarlet mist, forming a strange halo around him.

"The last point of resistance has been cleared, my lord."

Adjutant Calvin walked over the ground covered with ice crystals and charred corpses. This veteran who had experienced many battles had a look of awe in his eyes that was difficult to conceal. He even hesitated to speak: "Lord Hemlock and his two sons died in the main hall. The way they died... was very special."

Ye Qingzhou knew what Calvin was referring to—the old lord was nailed to the throne by an ice pick, and his two sons were carbonized as if they were thrown into a furnace. This deliberate and cruel execution was a warning to other nobles in the North.

“Check the dungeon.”

He shook off the blood stains on the sword: "The vampires love to set up altars there."

A flaming dragon's roar could be heard from afar.

Ye Qingzhou's little fire was hovering above the castle, and sparks were scattered as its dragon wings flapped.

Over the past three weeks, this cavalry regiment consisting of fifty flaming dragons has swept across seven territories in the north, and evidence of vampire activities has been found in the basement of every castle that has been breached.

When Ye Qingzhou stepped into the dungeon of Hemlock Castle, he could smell a sweet scent mixed with the stench - the incense specially made by the Eternal Night Council to cover up the smell of blood.

The torches on the wall suddenly turned green, illuminating the blood pool in the center of the stone room engraved with runes. Several girls' bodies were floating in the pool, and they all had the same penetrating wound on their chests.

"Blood of the Moon..."

Ye Qingzhou's left hand formed frost marks uncontrollably.

Ever since he came into contact with the Black Moon Runes in Flame Scale Castle, the Frost Moon magic in his body had become increasingly agitated.

Seeing the blood clan’s sacrifice at this moment, the icy blue light in his left eye almost burst out of his eye socket.

"grown ups!"

A knight ran over and pounded his chest with his right fist: "A signal from the dragon riders was found thirty miles to the east. It's the messenger from Frost Iron City!"

Ye Qingzhou took one last look at the blood pool, and the freezing power surged out from his palms, freezing the entire stone chamber into an ice cave.

“Burn them all.”

He ordered the priests who accompanied him, "Purify with holy flames."

When Ye Qingzhou piloted Xiaohuo to land in the central square of Frost Iron City, he found that something was wrong with the family's atmosphere. The guards' expressions were even colder than the cold wind in the north.

"what happened?"

He grabbed hold of a servant who was hurrying by.

"His Highness the Second Prince has come to visit unexpectedly..." the attendant stammered, "with a royal decree... the Lord is receiving him in the Star Hall..."

Ye Qingzhou's pupils shrank slightly. The second prince, Edmund St. Clair, Iris's fiancé, had secretly accepted the "holy blood" of the Eternal Night Council three months ago. He walked quickly through the inner city corridor, and the family guards along the way saluted one after another - now no one dared to look down on this once unknown second son.

The door of the Star Hall was ajar, and Aurelian's deep voice came from inside: "...Your Majesty, have you really considered the consequences of doing this?"

"as a result of?"

A slick young voice chuckled, "No matter how strong the North is, can it fight against the entire empire? My dear father-in-law..."

Ye Qingzhou pushed the door open and the hall instantly became quiet.

Aurelian sat on the main seat under the star map, with the heavy sword "Winter's Oath" placed across his knees.

On his right stood Cain, who looked gloomy, and on his left stood Iris, who was holding the "Star Track Compass". The figure with his back to the gate - the second prince Edmund, who was wearing a white robe with gold edges of the royal family - turned around slowly.

"Ah, our little hero with great achievements in battle is back."

Prince Edmund spread his arms, and the Holy Sun emblem embroidered on his cuffs was abnormally dark red. "I heard that you have killed a lot of people recently? Even the legendary Chaos died at your hands?"

Ye Qingzhou noticed his father's gaze - it was a complex scrutiny, a mixture of pride, doubt and some indescribable emotions.

Aurelian cleared his throat and said, "Lian, His Royal Highness has brought His Majesty's message."

“Let me guess.”

Ye Qingzhou took off his sword and placed it on the table, deliberately making a crisp clash sound: "Your Majesty requires the Morning Star Family to stop persecuting the 'loyal nobles'?"

Edmund's smile froze for a moment. "Smart. But to be more precise, I'm asking you to accept mediation."

He took out a roll of parchment with a gold border, "Grand Duke Dracula is willing to guarantee in the name of the Eternal Night Council..."

"With a vampire oath?"

Iris suddenly interrupted, the star track compass in her hand spinning wildly, "Your Highness, what's on your sleeve?"

Everyone's eyes were focused on Edmund's right cuff - there was an inconspicuous dark red stain there.

But Ye Qingzhou could see clearly with his left eye: it was not a stain, but a miniature blood tooth mark, the mark of a high-ranking member of the Eternal Night Council.

Edmund quickly put his hands behind his back and said, "I'm tired from the journey and I'm not careful..."

"It is the mark of the vampire's first embrace."

Ye Qingzhou calmly stated this explosive fact, "Your Highness, you have become Dracula's 'blood son'." The air in the Star Hall seemed to freeze.

Aurelian put his hand on the hilt of the sword, and Kain drew his sword directly.

But the most unexpected reaction came from Elise - she raised the star compass above her head, and the star map on the dome suddenly projected a three-dimensional image: a terrifying scene of countless black moons covering the north.

“My prediction last night.”

Iris's voice trembled: "Within three months, if the Eternal Night Council is not stopped, the entire North will become the territory of the vampires."

Edmund's expression turned grim: "How foolish! Why do you think His Majesty allowed all this?"

He suddenly ripped open his collar, revealing two tooth holes on his neck that had not yet healed. "Father needs holy blood that can grant us eternal life! The empire needs eternal rule!"

Aurelian's heavy sword was already three inches out of its sheath, and frost spread across the blade: "So the royal family chose to betray humanity?"

“It’s evolution!”

Edmund shouted enthusiastically, "Lord Dracula promised that the Morningstar Family can retain the autonomy of the North, as long as you hand over..."

His eyes suddenly locked onto Ye Qingzhou, "...a small sacrifice."

The temperature in the hall dropped sharply. Ye Qingzhou felt that the icy blue magic in his left eye was about to burst out, but he remained calm on the surface: "I don't like to hear that."

"enough!"

Aurelian suddenly stood up, with his heavy sword fully unsheathed and pointed at Edmund. "Get out of my castle. Tell your majesty that the Morningstar family refuses to associate with darkness."

Edmund retreated with a livid face: "You will regret it! The Imperial Army..."

"Your Highness had better look out the window."

Ye Qingzhou reminded softly.

Edmund turned his head to look at the stained glass window - there were at least thirty fully armed fire dragons circling in the sky outside, and the crossbows on their dragon saddles were all aimed at the Hall of Stars.

"You...you bunch of rebels!"

Edmund's voice already had a hint of fear in it.

“No, it was self-defense.”

Aurelian said coldly, "Galvin, 'escort' His Highness back to the imperial capital. Have him fully convey our position."

When Edmund was taken away, the Hall of Stars fell into a long silence.

Finally, it was Iris who broke the silence: "Lian... Star Tracks has shown that you are the key to changing your destiny."

Ye Qingzhou looked at Aurelian. The lord's face seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, but his eyes were still sharp: "Lian, I know about Kane's deal with the vampires. His Majesty was kind to me back then."

At this moment, Aurelian's face was full of self-blame. He could not understand why the monarch who was so talented and wise, whom he could only look up to and admire, had become so greedy for life and afraid of death that he was even unworthy of being a human being.

“It is human nature to fear death.”

Ye Qingzhou was not surprised by this. Emperors were extremely wealthy and powerful, so they were often more afraid of death than ordinary people. They could even do many absurd things in order to live forever.

Aurelian's heavy sword smashed to the ground, shattering three tiles. His expression was more solemn than ever before. "Now, the royal family may have completely turned to the vampires. Many human nobles are no longer reliable. The North and even the entire empire are about to face a full-scale war!"

He turned to Ye Qingzhou, "What suggestions do you have?"

Whether to continue to be a human being or to transform into a vampire is obviously a question facing all the upper classes.

Once the latter is chosen, the empire will no longer be a country ruled by humans, but will become a huge open-air pasture. Ordinary people will become like livestock and can only be blood food for the vampires for eternity.

Ye Qingzhou also understood the seriousness of the matter. He walked to the star map and suggested: "At present, the layout of the blood clan has not been completed, and many noble forces are still wavering. In addition, with the existence of the Holy Sun Church, we still have the strategic initiative. My suggestion is to go straight to the nest of the Eternal Night Council before the royal army gathers."

Aurelian agreed with Ye Qingzhou's judgment, but then raised his concerns: "Currently, no one knows the exact location of the Shadow Dome."

"I know."

Ye Qingzhou pointed a coordinate on the star map with his fingertips, and the frost magic automatically outlined the terrain: "I feel the revelation of fate."

Obviously, after Ye Qingzhou mastered the secret of becoming a god, he has now successfully integrated the magic power and fighting spirit in his body and refined it into the Force, thus being able to touch the origin of the world and gaining an ability similar to "foreknowledge".

Iris's compass suddenly emitted a dazzling blue light, and the projected image turned into an icy black castle - exactly the image of the Shadow Dome that Ye Qingzhou had predicted.

Aurelian pondered for a long time, and suddenly made a move that shocked everyone - he held the "Winter Oath" in front of Ye Qingzhou with both hands: "From today on, you are fully responsible for the battle against the Eternal Night Council. You can deploy the family resources at your discretion."

Ye Qingzhou did not take the sword immediately, but looked at Iris: "What else does the star track indicate?"

Iris hesitated for a moment: "Two paths... If successful, the North will usher in a thousand years of peace; if failed..." She pointed to the darkest area on the star map, "... ice and fire will devour the Morning Star."

Ye Qingzhou finally took the giant sword.

When his fingers touched the hilt of the sword, the frost rune on it suddenly lit up with unprecedented light. In the surprised eyes of everyone, he calmly said the decision that was destined to go down in history:
"Three days later, I will personally lead a raid on Shadow Dome. Either end the Eternal Night, or become the last Morning Star in the North."

Outside the hall, Xiaohuo let out a long, earth-shaking roar, as if responding to his master's oath.

In a corner that no one noticed, the Frost Codex in Lady Serena's hand silently turned to the page that recorded the ancient prophecy:
"When the son of ice and fire takes charge of Winter's Oath, the eternal night will come or dawn will break..."

In the armory of Frost Iron City, Ye Qingzhou stared at the map spread out on the meteorite steel forging table.

A three-dimensional projection of the Shadow Dome was suspended above it, and each defense node was flashing a dangerous red light.

He had hardly slept in the past three days, and the scar under his left eye continued to get hot - the magic power and fighting spirit in his body were still continuing to merge, evolving into the Force with different forms and properties.

This is Ye Qingzhou's trump card, which enables him to possess a combat power that is completely superior to that of ordinary legendary warriors.

"The teleportation rune provided by my mother can only last for thirty seconds."

Iris's fingers passed over the projection, and the power of the stars flowed through her fingertips: "We can teleport at most fifty people."

Ye Qingzhou stroked the "Winter Oath" given to him by Aurelian.

This legendary greatsword was unusually docile in his hands, the frost runes remaining active at all times.

"Twenty Frost Guards, thirty Flame Dragon Knights..."

Ye Qingzhou pointed at the four locations outside the projection, and then ordered: "Divide into four groups and destroy the nodes of the barrier at the same time."

The door of the secret room suddenly opened, and Lady Serena walked in silently.

She rarely wore a battle robe today, with the "Frost Codex" suspended above her left shoulder. She looked at Ye Qingzhou and said in a gentle tone: "Ryan, the star track shows that the blood moon will reach its peak tonight."

Ye Qingzhou noticed that her eyes rested on the black rune on his left hand.

The mark has spread a lot recently, and the pattern of ice and fire has spread to his forearm. This is the force transforming his body. (End of this chapter)