Every device capable of communicating with the Queen’s Grand Hall has its own activation rules. For example, in Avigord Castle, one must possess the bloodline of the Lynch family and hold at least the rank of Duke to activate it. Young Marquis Lynch was only a Margrave in strength; to activate the device, he would need to awaken his father, the Duke.
Young Marquis Lynch approached the gate and activated the switch, causing a control panel to rise from the ground. He first entered a password, then cut his wrist and sprinkled his blood on it, after which the massive door rumbled and slowly opened.
Behind the door lay a dim and deep hall, with only a few blood-red lamps casting feeble light, barely outlining the contours of the grand chamber.
Nighteye and Qian Ye entered the great hall. The patterns on the wall began to spin, and a copper coffin slowly slid out from the wall, descending onto the floor. Several pipes extended from the ground, locking onto the interfaces of the copper coffin. Fresh blood from the Blood Pool was injected into the copper coffin through these pipes, for the resurrection of the long-sleeping vampire within.
However, neither Nighteye nor Qian Ye sensed the presence of fresh blood from the Blood Pool in the pipes. Young Marquis Lynch had brought out the ancient coffin, but no blood was supplied?
Young Marquis Lynch sighed, placing his hand on the lid of the ancient coffin, releasing his blood power. The remaining blood on his wrist dripped down, and the lid instantly flickered with origin force patterns, accompanied by the clinking sounds of mechanical operation, slowly opening.
Inside the copper coffin lay an aged vampire, holding a sword in both hands, placed over his chest. His muscles were shrunken and dry as bones, making it impossible to discern his features clearly.
Many elderly powerful vampires, during long periods of sleep, place their blood in the Blood Pool, turning themselves into mummified figures, thereby reducing their life activity to the minimum, achieving longevity. Only top-tier powerhouses could maintain their normal form while in slumber. Duke Lynch obviously lacked such capability.
Yet, Qian Ye did not sense any sign of life from the old Duke’s body. In his perception, the copper coffin contained nothing but a lifeless corpse. Having never seen a sleeping vampire before, Qian Ye looked towards Nighteye for confirmation.
Nighteye’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she said slowly, “The Duke has passed away? Why is he still kept here?”
Young Marquis Lynch smiled bitterly and said, “I lack the strength to protect Avigord Castle’s legacy without my father. So I kept the news hidden, hoping for an advancement in my bloodline. I will only announce it when I become a Margrave of Honor.”
“When did this happen?”
“About ten years ago, I noticed something wrong with my father’s slumber. I tried to wake him, but there was no response.” Young Marquis Lynch said helplessly, “Such matters, I know, are hard to believe if just spoken. You had to see it for yourself.”
Nighteye nodded and said, “That’s the only way. Let’s go, I have some more questions for you.”
Young Marquis Lynch relaxed a bit, securing the copper coffin and sliding it back into the wall. “It’s an honor to serve you, Your Majesty.”
Leaving the underground palace within the mountain, Young Marquis Lynch led Nighteye and Qian Ye to a private reception room. He then ordered two cups of blood wine, respectfully saying, “This is the best vintage in our family’s collection, each cup containing a drop of source blood from a Viscount. My father only drank a dozen cups in his lifetime. There are still five cups left.”
Nighteye drained her cup in one go. Qian Ye, however, felt a bit hesitant about the blood wine, unsure whether to drink it.
Seeing his reluctance, Young Marquis Lynch encouraged, “Please accept our family’s respect.”
Nighteye added, “This is wine, not blood.”
Qian Ye shook his head inwardly. For vampires, this blood wine was not only a nourishment but also a subtle sign of loyalty. Young Marquis Lynch, who had previously treated Qian Ye as Nighteye’s attendant, now showed the same courtesy to both of them after sensing their power.
With no choice, Qian Ye picked up the cup and drank it. The blood wine, surprisingly, did not taste acrid or fishy but instead had a layered and lingering aroma, refreshing the mind. Even Qian Ye, who never cared much for the quality of wine, felt invigorated. After entering his stomach, the blood wine dissipated, releasing pure and potent blood qi, some of which were so concentrated they could be used directly.
“Excellent wine!” Qian Ye now understood why so many nobles in the Empire favored wine brewed by vampires, driving its price sky-high in the black market. Even without the source blood, it was a rare and exquisite brew.
After his praise, Qian Ye suddenly sensed a thread of icy coldness seeping from the blood wine. Wherever this coldness touched, the flesh lost sensation. The chill was highly contagious, freezing the blood qi upon contact.
This was not wine, but poison, a lethal poison specifically designed for top-tier vampires!
A cold glint flashed in Qian Ye’s eyes as he stood up abruptly, shouting, “Poison in the wine?!”
However, his body went limp, and he fell back into his seat, his face pale and his body ice-cold, as if plunged into an ice pit. On the other side, Nighteye groaned, her body slumping against the back of the chair.
Young Marquis Lynch burst into laughter, shouting, “This is a divine potion that even the great lords can’t resist! Just give up! Haha, Your Majesties? You’ll never be Your Majesties!”
Nighteye, struggling to support herself, asked, “Why?”
“If you knew the demon race and the council forces were coming, why ask why? Emperor of Darkness will restore the old order, making the dark world pure once more. Our vampire race will cleanse its sins, be embraced by darkness, and find new life! Soon, a new era will dawn, and a new order will be established. On the Holy Mountain, there will be only one supreme being, and that is…”
Suddenly, Young Marquis Lynch heard Qian Ye’s voice in his ear, “Definitely not you.”
He turned sharply, only to find Qian Ye standing right behind him, almost pressed against him. But Qian Ye was sitting in front of him just moments ago! Glancing back, he saw that Qian Ye’s original seat was empty. He felt as if he had seen a ghost, not understanding how Qian Ye had moved so quickly.
Realizing his situation, Young Marquis Lynch screamed and tried to run, but the overwhelming pressure emanating from Qian Ye, the true aura of a higher being, left him powerless.
Qian Ye grabbed Young Marquis Lynch’s neck, lifting him into the air, and coldly said, “Who ordered you to poison us? If you don’t want your blood core to be crushed, don’t lie.”
Young Marquis Lynch stammered, “H-how did you not get poisoned?”
Qian Ye sneered, “You thought you could use blood poison on us? You’re too naive.”
At this moment, Nighteye rose, all traces of weakness gone, showing no sign of poisoning. She opened her mouth, a clear, transparent drop of icy water floating out. She examined it, put it in a small vial, and stored it, saying, “This blood poison is quite valuable. Don’t waste it. Qian Ye, yours?”
Qian Ye shrugged, “Put it away.”
His Book of Darkness was practically an endless treasure, and he naturally stored the blood poison inside.
Young Marquis Lynch, with a look of despair, gasped, “Impossible! The Duke himself said even the great lords can’t resist its toxicity.”
“Which Duke?” Qian Ye asked coldly.
Young Marquis Lynch shivered and replied honestly, “Duke Savoie of Yerushalayim.”
“What else did he say?”
“He… he said…” Seeing Qian Ye’s cold gaze, Young Marquis Lynch immediately said, “Darkness will return to glory.”
Nighteye said, “As a descendant of the Holy River, how can you trust the demon race? Are you stupid or foolish?”
Though his life hung in the balance, Young Marquis Lynch remained defiant, “The River of Blood grows distant from us every day. How many years has it been since even the Dukes could not receive a response?” He looked at Nighteye, continuing, “Of course, you are still the favored one of the Holy River. But what are we?”
Nighteye smirked, “What the Holy River cannot give you, the demon race can?”
Young Marquis Lynch faltered, unable to hide under the pressure, “It can bring me closer to the origin of darkness.”
Nighteye and Qian Ye both frowned.
In the power hierarchy of the Eternal Night world, blood power resided within the dark origin range. Though the vampires’ power source was the River of Blood, for all dark races, the ultimate goal was the dark origin, the peak of power.
They didn’t know how the demon race could make the vampires close to the dark origin without enhancing blood power, but Young Marquis Lynch wasn’t a simpleton. At least, the demon race showed him the possibility of gaining more power.
Knowing that debating the River of Blood with Young Marquis Lynch was pointless, Qian Ye said, “Savoie couldn’t have known we were coming. Who was this trap originally meant for?”
Young Marquis Lynch said, “There was no specific target. The Duke only instructed that if anyone came to contact the Queen, they should be killed.”
Qian Ye asked, “That’s all?”
Young Marquis Lynch’s eyes flickered.
Qian Ye said coldly, “If the enemy doesn’t drink, the poison is useless. Did the demon race have no backup plan?”
If someone found their way here, seeking to use the device to contact the Night Queen, they would likely be cautious of anything given at the entrance. In such a case, forcing them to drink would expose the trap, so Savoie must have had another plan.
Qian Ye snorted, a blood line shooting from his fingertip and piercing Young Marquis Lynch’s neck. The Marquis struggled in pain, screaming, “I’ll tell, I’ll tell!”
Qian Ye slowly retracted the blood line, and Young Marquis Lynch gasped, nearly collapsing to the ground if not for Qian Ye’s grip.
Breathing heavily, Young Marquis Lynch said, “They were to be guided to the Old Rose Castle, to seek help there.”
Nighteye was surprised, “Old Rose Castle? Isn’t that in Medanzo’s territory?”
Medanzo currently managed the affairs of the vampires. Though the movements of the great lords were unpredictable, seeking help from the Dracula clan was logical. Yet, the guidance from Duke Savoie was unusually suspicious.
Qian Ye tightened his grip, “Why there?”
Young Marquis Lynch, bewildered, said, “That was the Duke’s order. Anyone I couldn’t handle would be dealt with there.”
“Who? Medanzo?”
“I really don’t know.”
A blood line shot from Qian Ye’s fingertip, and Young Marquis Lynch screamed, “I really don’t know!”
Nighteye asked, “When did the old Duke die?”
Qian Ye loosened his grip, and Young Marquis Lynch, realizing his mistake, quickly said, “Just a few days ago.”
“Who cut off his blood supply?”
“It was the Duke’s order. If I didn’t, my entire family would be destroyed.”
“Take us to see the communication device.”
“… Alright.”
This time, Young Marquis Lynch led Nighteye and Qian Ye to the observatory on the castle’s top floor. Here, an altar, the facility for contacting the Queen’s Grand Hall, was in disarray. All the origin force arrays were destroyed, especially the part for testing and identifying bloodlines, which was completely removed.
Young Marquis Lynch, having learned his lesson, spoke without waiting to be questioned, “All this was done by Duke Savoie. He took the part for bloodline identification and… some of the sleeping ancestors’ blood cores. My father’s blood core was kept to deceive any potential visitors.”
Nighteye frowned, “What does the demon race want with so many blood cores?”
Qian Ye was also puzzled.
From the current situation, the council’s actions must have begun after the Night Queen’s hibernation. The demon race had made thorough preparations, destroying and controlling all channels to the Night Queen, preventing Lily from receiving any messages in the void, and either destroying or turning some families.
Even Duke Savoie hadn’t expected that the first to fall into the trap would be Nighteye and Qian Ye, whose bloodline powers were so formidable that even the blood poison was ineffective.
“Is there any other way to contact the Queen?” Qian Ye asked.
Nighteye said, “The Ancestors can contact the Queen’s Grand Hall, and the Paske clan’s ancestral home has a direct array to awaken Lily. But, Medanzo…”
“I think we can’t go to the Paske clan’s ancestral home,” Qian Ye said. The Paske clan’s families might be infiltrated, and the Munro clan, Nighteye’s birth clan, had always been at odds with the Paske clan. Going there could lead to unpredictable situations.
Nighteye nodded, thinking, “Shall we seek the Crown of Fire, Habus?”
“Are there other options?” Qian Ye asked. If even Medanzo was unreliable, then Habus might also be in danger. Whether the demon race was deceiving or truly had a method to bring the vampires closer to the dark origin, plus the threat of death for non-compliance, it was uncertain how many powerful beings could resist.
Nighteye, realizing this, remained silent. After a moment, she exclaimed, “No! We must go to the Bain clan.”
“Dark Evangel Howard?” Qian Ye thought for a moment, recalling that the ancestor’s blood mark was still active.
“Not long ago, there were reports of him waking, but I know he was in a light slumber.”
Qian Ye immediately understood.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage