Duke Habus nodded, “Indeed, discussing those fools is a waste of time.” He suddenly smiled and sighed, “Lin, you were ruthless against us, the Holy Bloodline, but even more so to yourself. I remember last time you set up a trap for me, it was during the extermination of the Eternal Night Council’s Paradise 3 Research Institute. The bait that time was one of your sons. I heard he had bad luck and fell in battle.”
Lin Xitang’s calm expression instantly shattered. A look of pain, or something else, flashed across his deep, clear eyes. His voice was low, like a whisper, “War means sacrifice, no matter who it is, including myself.” With that, he seemed to have no intention of continuing the conversation, and turned to leave.
“Duke Lin…” Duke Habus called him, suddenly extending his right hand. Though there was no trace of origin power fluctuation in the air, a strand of silver hair near Lin Xitang’s left ear fluttered as if touched by a breeze, rising and falling.
Suddenly, the surrounding light and darkness flickered. The high, distant sky inexplicably turned deep blue, with nebulae scattered across it. This density could only be seen when approaching the highest planetary belt in the world.
The celestial phenomenon vanished in the blink of an eye, and the sky returned to normal. However, the two opposing camps, separated by the endless vortex, became tense. The strange sight was familiar to most, recognizing it as Lin Xitang’s domain, “Star Polarity Elegance Flow.”
The gazes of many powerful figures all turned towards them, then became puzzled. Why did Lin Xitang release his domain while Duke Habus showed no reaction? It didn’t seem like they were in conflict.
Duke Habus seemed unaware of the changes, his eyes fixed on Lin Xitang’s fluttering silver hair. Under the snow-white strands, a few faint gray ones exuded a dead, lifeless aura. “Your injuries never fully healed. If you can’t ascend to the rank of Sky King within ten years, you will perish.”
Lin Xitang had already regained his usual composure. Standing sideways, without turning to look at Duke Habus, he said calmly, “Ten years is not short for the human race; much can be done in that time.”
Duke Habus smiled, and his right palm slightly flipped upward, emitting a crimson light. “For you.”
It was a blood droplet so vividly red that words couldn’t describe its brilliance. Its color was almost blinding, as if it held the most concentrated life force. The droplet was encased in a layer of black smoke, constantly swirling and expanding. Upon closer inspection, the smoke was revealed to be clusters of black flames!
“I control the darkest flame in this world. Neither the Eternal Night nor the Dawn has the power to extinguish it. Therefore, only I can heal your wounds.”
Lin Xitang finally looked at Duke Habus, saying coolly, “No need.”
“I wasn’t expecting anything in return.”
“I know, but no need.”
“I guessed you would say that, but it still feels uncomfortable to hear it.”
Lin Xitang took a step, and his figure moved over ten meters away. Before he could take a second step, he heard a sigh. Then, a massive pressure spread out. The pressure was not hostile or murderous, but profound and ancient, as if forged through countless eons.
“Lin, my rank is already a prince, just not yet crowned.”
Even with Lin Xitang’s composure, he was shocked by this news. He turned abruptly, seeing the crimson light from the blood droplet, which was previously confined to Duke Habus’ palm, now slowly expanding outward.
In the glow of the blood, Duke Habus’ ordinary face suddenly took on a regal demeanor. An overwhelmingly powerful aura surged over the great vortex, piercing the void, reaching far into the depths of the world.
Countless streams of fire emerged from nothingness, cascading over Duke Habus’ body from head to toe, resembling the dark baptism every dark race adult undergoes. But whereas the baptism involves condensed dark origin power, these streams were roaring black flames, each cluster centered around a blood droplet.
The streams grew denser, interweaving red and black light, making Duke Habus’ figure almost indistinguishable, except for his solemn, quiet face. Suddenly, all the falling streams coalesced in the air, forming a crown of flames, which slowly descended onto the head of the Spak family’s patriarch!
Duke Habus’ eyes slowly opened, blood energy swirling like a long, flowing river of blood.
At that moment, every noble vampire heard a call from deep within their bloodlines. Most did not understand its meaning, only sensing the jubilation of the holy blood river. The great lords, vice-dukes, and above, all stood in solemnity, their wills reflecting the same image.
The dark artery, the source of the bloodline, the long river of sacred blood, the fifth blood mark reignited, a burning crown.
The strong men of the Empire, upon feeling Duke Habus’ released pressure, quickly approached, then halted. As fellow strong beings, they sensed no fighting intent. Approaching recklessly would only spark conflict, especially since Lin Xitang was too close to the center of the pressure.
The Duke of Wei said with a hoarse voice, “Is this… the coronation of a blood prince?” Despite being the eldest, he was uncertain. The human race knew the vampires best among the dark races, yet the coronation of a blood prince was only a legend even within their society.
A metallic, raspy voice responded, another elderly general, “The vampires are merely showing off; Commander Lin is in no danger. We should not approach for now.”
Luo Mingji, a long-time colleague of Lin Xitang, hesitated, “Why…”
The raspy-voiced general said, “The vampires are not only showing off to us. A crowned blood prince is more troublesome for the dark races themselves, especially the demon descendants. Look at the three great sorcerers from the Eternal Night Council; they are not any happier than we are.”
Luo Mingji looked across, seeing all the dark strongmen of the bloodline kneeling on one knee, showing submission and respect to the blood prince.
The werewolves and spider demons maintained a respectful posture. The three demon descendant great sorcerers, however, seemed unsteady, as if they had been whispering. One hastily pulled up a fallen hood, covering half of his old, withered face, confirming the Empire general’s guess.
“What does the coronation of a blood prince mean?” Luo Mingji’s question was also on the minds of all the Empire’s strongmen.
In the dark world, a prince was a unique rank. They were not yet great lords, but they possessed at least one special ability with the power of a great lord. For example, a demon prince was not matchable by ordinary generals. Thus, dark princes and great lords were both rare. The bloodline princes were few, and most were in slumber. In the past thousand years of human rise, the vampires had not crowned a single blood prince.
This meant that the Spak clan, one of the twelve ancient clans, not only had a duke ascending to a prince but also being crowned, equivalent to the emergence of the fifth Sky King in the Great Qin Empire. This would not only affect the dynamics between the Eternal Night and the Empire, but the four major races in the dark world, and the internal stability of the Eternal Night Council, would also experience significant tremors.
“A crowned blood prince can rival a great lord,” Lin Xitang’s voice remained cold and composed. His figure flashed, appearing before the group. This news made the Empire’s strongmen even more solemn.
“As for other impacts, they won’t be hidden. The news from the Eternal Night side will probably be known in a day or two.” Lin Xitang turned to the raspy-voiced general, “Before the Eternal Night Council takes a stance, we should immediately send people into the endless vortex to gather intelligence and decide our next steps. What does Marshal Li think?”
“Agreed,” Admiral Li Fangqing nodded, without objection. Leading the military police, he was stationed in the Eternal Night for supervision during the late stages of the bloody battles. Though Lin Xitang’s strategy was the best among the marshals, and though he was present, he did not interfere.
At that moment, Qian Ye, sprinting through the wilderness, felt a sudden disturbance. Just as he stopped, his entire body shook, and the Primordial Wings unfolded on their own, golden wings emerging from his back, spreading to their full extent. The Black Tome simultaneously appeared from the depths of his consciousness, standing upright and flipping open.
Qian Ye felt a dark shroud envelop him, the wilderness around him vanishing. His consciousness fell into a void.
The enormous Black Tome lay flat before him, covered in a thick, flowing river of blood. He saw a drop of blood emerge from nothingness, falling into the river, creating ripples, and forming thirteen marks along its path.
But then, Qian Ye noticed something was amiss. Only twelve marks appeared, with the thirteenth position empty. As his consciousness scanned each mark, he found the patterns clear, as if they were right before his eyes, allowing him to discern the meaning of each mystical line.
The first was a slowly blooming rose, with a golden snake head emerging from its core, the brightest of all. The second was a mandala, each petal changing color as it unfolded. The third was a peacock displaying its feathers, green wings burning with golden flames. The fourth was an ancient, resplendent castle, black thorns climbing the walls, sprouting tiny black flowers.
The fifth was a burning flame, gradually shaping a crown. At this moment, Qian Ye realized that not all the marks were bright; half were dim, and the fifth was slowly lighting up.
The ripples in the blood river did not cease, growing larger. Qian Ye felt strangely that the river was alive, rejoicing and delighting.
Upon touching the river’s will, Qian Ye suddenly understood what the scene before him meant.
It was the origin of the bloodline, the first drop of blood, the source of all vampire bloodlines. When it fell, its ripples formed thirteen blood marks, creating thirteen second-generation ancestors and founding the thirteen ancient branches.
The mark of the flaming crown fully lit up, emitting a call that echoed from the ancient past. The immensely powerful wills throughout the blood river began to resonate, creating a wave that swept across the world.
Qian Ye’s consciousness was suddenly pushed out of that world by the overwhelming blood tide. Dazed, he opened his eyes, the lingering blood mist not yet completely dissipated, revealing a figure.
Song Zining stood several dozen meters away, his expression solemn.
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