Chapter Seventy: Always

Between them, the chessboard of black and white squares lay, its pieces scattered from a battle to the bitter end. Su Ziye gazed at Liu Ru, the young man's eyes tinged with nostalgia.

"As everyone knows, the First Emperor established the earliest recorded great empire, nearly unifying the entire continent."

As Su Ziye spoke, Liu Ru could not help but glance at his right hand.

In that hand was concealed the crimson Blade of Oblivion—the very sword of the First Emperor.

Su Ziye noticed her gaze and smiled, extending his hand. The slender blade appeared, floating quietly above his palm. "I know you're interested in this, but it must wait until the end."

With these words, Su Ziye let the blade fade peacefully from his grasp and continued, "But the First Emperor perished during his final western campaign, without naming a successor. Immediately, his armies, led by various princes, plunged into a brutal civil war. The empire splintered, and disaster threatened to consume it utterly."

Su Ziye looked at Liu Ru. "In truth, there was a successor. According to the First Emperor's plan, whoever possessed the Blade of Oblivion would be the undisputed ruler of Ster."

"I’ve heard from Xiye that the Blade of Oblivion has been missing for a long time," Liu Ru finally interjected.

"Yes, it’s been missing for ages. That war ravaged the world and turned countless friends into foes." Su Ziye sighed. "Among the First Emperor's many children, there was a Ster prince named Xi Chen, the most favored marshal under the emperor, to whom the Blade of Oblivion was originally entrusted."

"He was the most qualified to inherit the throne, but before he received news of the emperor's death, someone forged an imperial edict, commanding him to lead his army and welcome the emperor's return."

"Naturally," Su Ziye looked at Liu Ru, "it was a conspiracy. On the way, he was ambushed, his enemies lying in wait with forces ten times his own. He was grievously wounded and barely escaped. By the time he recovered, his once-mighty army had been devoured and scattered. In the revelry of the princes' war, he, the strongest, was beset like prey by vultures and swiftly defeated."

"But he was not one to surrender passively. He had made his own plans and maneuvers, strategizing from afar, a commander without equal. Yet, in the end, he could never believe his brothers would use the most base means against him."

"Would he then resign himself to despair and abandon the struggle for the throne, or endure humiliation, wielding the Blade of Oblivion as his stake, and stain his heart with ink to join the endless carnage and battle? He pondered for a long time."

Su Ziye looked at Liu Ru. "If you were in his place, what would you do?"

Liu Ru shook her head without hesitation. "I don’t know."

"Yes, no one knows the answer until that moment comes." Su Ziye nodded. "This Marshal Xi Chen spent the first half of his life following his father to the ends of the earth, achieving countless feats. In the latter half, he had to learn to fight his brothers like jackals for a sliver of hope. I too wonder what choice he finally made."

"But everyone witnessed how it ended."

"On that day, humanity gave birth to its first sage."

"He cast aside his identity and past, renouncing blood and power, stepping into a realm beyond even the Three Heavens. Long after, this realm came to be known as the Sage’s Domain."

"The power of the Sage’s Domain is unimaginable. On the night he became a sage, the chaos of the Hundred Kings ended in an instant. All the princes who had rebelled swore allegiance to a woman and her child, without further dissent."

"And so, this woman rebuilt the Ster Empire and made her child the new emperor."

Liu Ru listened quietly. She had some knowledge of the empire’s history, but only fragmented tales passed down by adults—not the sweeping panorama Su Ziye revealed.

"Later, this woman became the empire’s stabilizing force," Su Ziye continued. "She never sought the throne herself, but all imperial succession happened through her descendants. She held no official power, yet the empire quivered at her every breath."

"Three hundred years passed thus. In that time, the empires of Os and Lan Ye were founded, dividing ninety percent of the continent between them. The once oldest and strongest Ster Empire grew quiet, devastated by the chaos of the Hundred Kings, losing more than seventy percent of its lands and people. It could only slowly lick its wounds and recover. She ensured peace and stability, but many secretly resented her, for she never launched further conquests, content to remain within her borders like a brooding hen."

"I’ve said some monsters can ignore the flow of time, but this woman aged, and about a decade ago, her end drew near. She passed away quietly."

"After her death, Ster Empire fell again into a profound black silence."

Su Ziye looked at Liu Ru. "Yes, this woman was the wife of the same Marshal Xi Chen who became a sage. Because of this, even though her strength was not initially the greatest, all had to acknowledge her rule."

"This was the beginning and end of the chaos of the Hundred Kings."

"And with her passing, the shadow that had hung over Ster for centuries finally dissipated. Before, all imperial succession happened at her will—even the emperor himself had no say."

"Now, the last Ster Emperor she appointed faced a crisis."

"With her behind them, every Ster Emperor never had to worry about the throne's security. No one would rebel or usurp; what was yours could not be taken, and what was not yours could never be won by force."

"But now, everything has changed," Su Ziye said, his voice tinged with regret.

"The Ster Emperor ultimately chose to share power with his brother, forming an alliance. But inevitably, he failed."

Liu Ru understood Su Ziye's meaning.

Especially now she knew his true name was Xi Che, and that everyone called him the Seventh Prince.

"For years, forces suppressed by that woman simmered within the empire. Beyond its borders, former allies sought to intervene. If someone promised you the imperial throne, asking only that you meet a few conditions, who in this world could resist such temptation?"

"This is why I first chose to leave the Ster Empire," Su Ziye said calmly, looking at Liu Ru.

"My uncle chose to work with greater powers, seeking to kill my father. When the nest falls, no egg remains unbroken. Unable to change this, I could only leave early."