In the manor courtyard, the Ironfeather King glanced at Su Xiao inside the castle and smiled. Then he turned and walked into the darkness. He was already too old—so old that he no longer wanted to get involved in the Empire's power structure. As long as the Northern Alliance and the abyssal forces did not invade, he would not show himself. After all, every time he acted, he moved one step closer to death.
"This country will soon perish. The Ironfeather King is almost at his limit."
Ursula watched the Ironfeather King's back. The strongest man of the past had grown old and feeble—so feeble that she could sense it.
Ursula vaguely remembered how the Abyssal Serpent had once bewitched the upper echelons of the Serra Empire. The Ironfeather King had leaped into the abyss alone and fought the Abyssal Serpent for two days. In the end, he had pierced through one of its eyes. The words he had spoken before leaving remained fresh in Ursula's memory.
"Lie down obediently in the abyss, you reptile."
Ursula had been watching the battle back then and had heard those words as well. They had frightened her so badly that she had not dared leave the abyss for decades. The Ironfeather King had been overwhelmingly imposing.
Now, the Ironfeather King had grown old and feeble. The hero had entered his twilight years, and no one knew how much longer he could protect this Empire. Perhaps he would die of old age tomorrow. When that happened, all manner of monsters would come crawling out.
Watching the Ironfeather King walk away, Su Xiao thought of one possibility. The Council of Gods might have chosen to act now because the Ironfeather King was nearing his limit. They wanted to seize complete control of the Empire before