On the Seat of Power, There's Always Someone Who Wants to Take Over

In the darkness, the atmosphere in the room was oppressive and heavy.

Leng Qingqiu, the false Night King, was meeting the other party for the first time.

Under her night-vision gaze, the figure before her radiated an unmistakable malice.

Yet within that malice, there was a trace of something familiar to Leng Qingqiu.

He was like a shadow slipping through the void, silent yet menacing, a bottomless black hole devouring all light and warmth around him.

His voice dripped with sarcasm and mockery.

A faint green glow slowly emanated from Leng Qingqiu’s eyes as she stared intently at him, her words deliberate: "A cowardly impostor hiding in the shadows—did you come here seeking death?"

"Seeking death? An impostor?"

The dark figure raised a hand and let out a scornful laugh upon hearing Leng Qingqiu’s words. "You, who’ve been wallowing in a love nest, have the right to say that?"

"This world is no longer what you think it is."

"Someone always wants to take the seat of power."

"Night King... you no longer deserve to sit on that throne."

As his words fell—

Hummm!

An endless darkness surged forth, swallowing all light in an instant.

Leng Qingqiu’s expression shifted.

In the span of a single breath, she realized she had been taken from the study.

...

...

The two now stood on the barren earth of another realm.

The land stretched empty, the sky devoured by darkness, devoid of any light.

Leng Qingqiu couldn’t see the full scope of the battlefield, but she could sense its desolation and overwhelming aura of death.

As the space shifted, Leng Qingqiu gradually steadied herself and turned her gaze to the false Night King who had brought her here.

With a flick of her right hand—Hum!—

A black dagger of the night materialized in her grip.

Her eyes locked onto her opponent as she spoke coldly, "You’ve picked a fine grave for yourself, impostor."

Yet, even facing the Night King armed with her dagger, the dark figure remained unperturbed.

"An impostor?"

"Night King, it seems you still haven’t grasped what I said earlier."

Leng Qingqiu frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is..."

His next words made Leng Qingqiu’s expression darken: "Can you truly remain the Night King now?"

"The mighty Night King, playing love games with an ordinary human—how laughable, how pathetic. Do you..."

"Still even want revenge?"

The words struck like a blade.

Leng Qingqiu’s face turned stormy. He wasn’t wrong.

Her relationship with Gu Yan had indeed caused her to neglect many matters concerning the Night Organization.

But that didn’t mean she had abandoned her desire for revenge.

Not for a single moment had she forgotten.

Still, she knew this was an attempt to unsettle her.

With a slow breath, she pointed the dagger’s tip at the dark figure and said icily, "Enough talk, impostor. I don’t know how you uncovered my identity."

"But..."

A faint green glow flickered in her eyes. "Today, you will die here."

The moment she spoke—

Swish!

The dark figure’s body split cleanly in two, a straight slash tearing through him from head to toe.

His form dissolved into black smoke, dispersing into the air.

Seeing this, Leng Qingqiu’s tension eased slightly—only for a surge of danger to grip her an instant later.

"Did you really think you could still wield the dagger’s power?"

A mocking voice rang out behind her.

Without hesitation, she swung the dagger backward in a slash.

Yet—

Clang!!

Boom!

The Night Dagger, which should have been capable of severing anything, met resistance with a sharp metallic clang.

Leng Qingqiu’s heart lurched.

Her eyes snapped to what had blocked her strike—

Another black dagger.

The dark figure was none other than Gu Yan.

Through a combination of Peach Blossom Art, the masking properties of Claw Cells, the Mirror of Water, and the Night King’s Robe, he had perfectly concealed his aura.

He could even distort others’ senses, creating illusions so lifelike they were indistinguishable from reality.

Gu Yan called this technique—

[Mirage of Blossoms and Moonlight.]

For example, just moments ago, Leng Qingqiu had believed she had severed his life with her dagger.

But in truth, Gu Yan had made her think she had struck.

In reality, Leng Qingqiu hadn’t moved at all.

Now, Gu Yan gripped a dagger crafted by Claw Cells—identical to Leng Qingqiu’s—and locked blades with hers.

Just as he had guessed, as Leng Qingqiu lost the Night’s recognition, her power would fade.

And with it, her ability to wield the Night Dagger’s true strength.

At this moment, he could clearly sense that the Night King’s power within the dagger had dissipated.

In the hands of one no longer acknowledged, the blade was little more than a sharp, sturdy weapon.

Had it not been for Little Cold still residing within Leng Qingqiu’s body...

The moment she gripped the dagger, its innate power would have drained her dry.

Thud.

Leng Qingqiu’s heart pounded as if struck by a hammer.

She maintained her composure, tightening her grip on the dagger while silently assessing.

Just as the impostor had said—

She was... gradually losing control of the dagger?

Why?

Her mind raced, but outwardly, she remained ice-cold.

She couldn’t afford to let her enemy see through her thoughts.

As Leng Qingqiu strategized, Gu Yan pressed his assault.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew as the daggers clashed again and again.

Though the Night King’s power had waned, Leng Qingqiu’s mastery of the blade allowed her to counter Gu Yan’s attacks with ease.

Yet, as the Night King’s power continued to fade, her physical abilities deteriorated rapidly.

Gu Yan seized the opportunity to strike at her psyche: "Haven’t you realized it yet, Night King? You’ve lost control of the dagger."

"Feel your own strength—can’t you tell how much weaker you’ve become?!"

Leng Qingqiu had noticed.

But she refused to be led by the nose. "Like I said before," she replied coldly, "this much power is enough to kill you."

Tch... I can’t see his life threads anymore...

Why?

Why is the Night King’s power vanishing? What’s causing this?

Clang!

Gu Yan parried her dagger and leaped back, putting distance between them.

As if hearing something absurd, he let out a grating laugh. "Kill me? Hahahaha!"

"Former Night King, do you still believe that after seeing this?"

With a flick of his hand—

A swirling black vortex tore open in space.

And from it—

Hum!

An unconscious figure was dragged out by the throat.

Although the life essence of the other person was somewhat different from before and appeared dim, Leng Qingqiu could still faintly recognize who it was...

"Gu Yan?!"

Her heart skipped a beat.

At the same time, Leng Qingqiu stared in disbelief at the life essence of Mei Xue, whose hand was clasped around Gu Yan’s neck.

Mei Xue... Why was she here?

And with the imposter Night King, no less?