Li Zhan swung his long blade, beheading two guards, and watched with a grim gaze as their corpses turned into streams of sand. He had lost count of how many guards he had slain, but the scenery before him remained ever the same, and more guards would soon emerge from the rooms on either side, an unending horde that could not be exhausted.
He bore numerous wounds on his body, and his face was pale, yet the fire of battle in his eyes burned undiminished. Occasionally, a flicker of hatred would flash deep within his eyes.
In several other places, several vampire viscounts were also engaged in relentless combat. Their vampire constitution gave them an advantage in close combat, and with the support of blood crystals, they could sustain themselves for extended periods. Yet, the void still spewed out bursts of dawn force like mist, accurately landing on their bodies no matter how they dodged.
Though the damage was not severe, it had never ceased since entering the city, and the cumulative toll was considerable. The viscounts also noticed that the number of emerging guards was increasing, and the frequency of the dawn force spurts was accelerating, indicating that Duke Galen, who was restraining the spatial barrier outside, was nearly at his limit.
If Duke Galen’s power depleted, not only might the city activate new defensive mechanisms, but the spatial gate could also close, trapping everyone inside.
Outside the spatial gate, over a hundred figures had gathered.
Li Rui’s face was cold, occasionally replacing spent energy crystals in the force array. Discarded crystals had already piled up, representing a staggering cost.
The few high-ranking vampires observing with cold eyes also looked grim, watching as the newly replaced crystals dimmed within minutes.
A vampire count finally lost his patience and shouted, “What are you doing? Even a prince’s power could counteract this, but the spatial barrier is growing stronger. Damned human, don’t tell me the Blackwing King is on the other side of the spatial gate!”
Li Rui slowly turned to stare at the count for a long time before saying, “If my guess is correct, the other side of the spatial gate is likely a complete, small lost world. Such a world can run for a long time with just a little energy, as most of its power comes from the peak of a world we cannot reach. Since you feel so superior, why don’t you come and support the spatial gate yourself? If you can maintain it for three minutes, I will end my life right here. What do you say?”
The vampire count, furious, roared, “Wretched human, you dare insult the noble Count Berni! I will put you on my dining table!!”
Li Rui’s eyes flashed with a chilling aura, and he said coldly, “Is that so? Why not have a fair fight to the death? I am certain I can kill you, this fool.”
Berni, enraged, bared his fangs.
Duke Galen, nearby, suddenly growled, “Berni, shut your mouth!”
Berni, who had been brimming with arrogance, shuddered at Galen’s voice and fell silent.
Galen then glared at Li Rui, saying, “Mr. Li, please restrain yourself. Do not provoke my subordinates; it is not beneficial for our cooperation.”
Li Rui assumed a respectful expression and smiled, “You can rest assured, I always know my limits.”
At that moment, an elderly vampire behind Duke Galen spoke with a hint of sarcasm, “Galen, I see you are about to collapse. Do you need some help now?”
Galen, without turning around, said coldly, “Agnes, I can still hold on for a while. The Monroes are already in enough trouble. Do you really want to provoke the Larkin Clan now?”
Agnes chuckled and said, “No matter how big the trouble, it’s still just trouble. But you should consider whether to continue, risking everything you have.”
Duke Galen was silent for a moment, then said, “I can pay some compensation now. Choose one to enter.”
Agnes laughed lowly and waved his hand, saying, “You, go in.”
Behind Agnes, a vampire girl stepped forward. When she removed her hood, even Duke Galen was surprised and exclaimed, “Dusk!”
Duke Galen turned to Agnes and snorted, “It seems you are well prepared.”
Agnes stroked his beard, slightly proud, “I just wanted to see if there was a chance. We won’t take the lion’s share; the greatest benefit is still yours, my dear sir.”
Galen said slowly, “That remains to be seen.”
Agnes did not argue further but pointed his finger, and a thin line of blood shot out, stabilizing the increasingly chaotic spatial gate.
Dusk removed her hooded cloak, revealing her lithe figure in black leather armor. She extended her hands, and two long swords appeared, then she stepped through the spatial gate without hesitation.
Galen watched Dusk’s back and sighed, “If only the Larkin Clan had a descendant like Dusk.”
Agnes smiled but did not respond.
Changing surnames among blood descendants was not impossible, but the cost was not easy to bear.
The fighting in the city seemed endless. Li Zhan himself could not remember how many guards he had slain, but the enemies kept coming. Finally, he could no longer contain his frustration, and suddenly, two guards running toward him crumbled and dissipated into sand.
Li Zhan was taken aback, looking around, and found the city had returned to its eerie state, silent and empty, with no guards in sight.
Then, the mist in front of him thinned slightly, revealing a magnificent temple at the end of the street.
Li Zhan could no longer remain calm and rushed towards the temple that seemed to stretch to the clouds.
As he reached the base of the steps, a figure appeared at the entrance of the temple—a vampire girl in full black armor, holding twin swords, with short, light-golden hair like flickering cold flames.
This girl reminded Li Zhan of a drawn sword, her presence piercing his eyes.
Dusk glanced at Li Zhan and entered the temple, ignoring him. Li Zhan gritted his teeth and followed.
The moment they stepped into the hall, both Dusk and Li Zhan felt the world sway.
In such a state, they could not focus on the appearance of the hall. After the dizziness passed, they were shocked to see a massive blue light portal stretching from the floor to the ceiling, spanning from the left wall to the right.
Dusk’s eyes blazed with fervor, fixated on the blue light portal, murmuring, “Is this the great legacy of Grand Lord Anduva? It’s mine, finally mine!”
Dusk seemed to awaken from a dream, turned to Li Zhan, and said, “Give me your blade.”
Li Zhan hesitated briefly but handed over his long sword.
Dusk immediately threw the sword at the blue light portal. The blade instantly wrapped in a blue-black flame, the manifestation of her dark force.
The sword whistled towards the portal, but just as it touched, several tiny lightning bolts shot out from the rippling blue sea, turning the Level 4 sword to ash.
Dusk’s expression darkened, disappointment clear, and she said softly, “I… I can’t enter.”
Li Zhan said calmly, “Then we wait here. If that boy wasn’t reduced to ashes, he will come out eventually. Once we kill him, whatever he has will be ours.”
Li Zhan recognized the mandala emblem on Dusk’s collar. Anduva was a grand lord of the Monroe Clan. If even a Monroe descendant couldn’t enter, he, as a human, stood no chance.
Dusk corrected coldly, “Mine.”
Li Zhan bowed slightly, “Yes, my lady.” From this angle, Dusk couldn’t see the brief flicker of mockery and cold intent in his eyes.
They fell silent, standing before the light portal, waiting.
After a while, two vampire viscounts entered the hall, followed by more than a dozen vampire warriors and several Li family soldiers. The vampire warriors’ faces changed upon seeing Dusk, and everyone, including the viscounts, stood back, not daring to step ahead of Dusk.
The blue light portal shimmered like the sea, filling the entire hall.
Behind the portal, Qian Ye walked on a blue light path. Though he felt solid ground beneath his feet, all around him was void.
Even Qian Ye felt a primal tremor, not from fear but from the instinctive dread of the unknown.
Qian Ye didn’t know how long he had walked, and when he occasionally looked back, the light portal was no longer visible. In the infinite void, there was only this path, coming from nothing and going to nothing, seemingly eternal.
The Primordial Wings suddenly activated again, propelling Qian Ye along the light path, faster and faster, giving the illusion that even the void was flying backward.
Finally, the light path began to change, and a blue dot appeared, expanding into the outline of a grand hall, larger and more spacious than the one outside.
Qian Ye’s thoughts almost halted; what he saw defied description. If this was not an illusion, it was beyond human creation, perhaps akin to the legendary divine works.
Upon entering the hall, the first thing he saw, despite its vastness, was the central throne. A man sat there, chin resting on one hand, deep in thought.
As Qian Ye looked, his attention was entirely captured by the man, as if he were the center of the world. He had peculiar dark long hair, wore loose black robes, and his hands were white as jade, his skin glowing softly.
As Qian Ye approached, the man slowly raised his head. In his deep blue, ocean-like eyes, Qian Ye’s reflection was clearly visible.
In that moment, Qian Ye felt as if he had become transparent, with no secrets hidden. Simultaneously, a sudden understanding came to him, and he knew that the man on the throne was one of the second-generation ancestors of the vampire race, the long-missing Blackwing King, Anduva.
“You have finally come,” Anduva smiled and said.
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