Chapter 23: The Crimson Mark

Once Lilith nodded, the Munro Clan, who had already lost their Blackwing King, would have no choice but to submit to the Night Queen’s will. They would obediently send Ye Ye, at most receiving some compensation according to the rules.

As soon as the Holy Son finished speaking, a Duke asked in a deep voice, “What if your descendant never awakens a powerful bloodline?”

This was also reality. The inheritance of the vampire bloodline has always been an unsolvable mystery. Even Princes, whose power could traverse the void, often had no strong descendants. Conversely, in small families with confirmed thin bloodlines, passed down for generations, a powerful bloodline might suddenly awaken. Ye Ye was the most recent and best example.

In response to the Duke’s questioning, the Holy Son replied confidently, “If a powerful descendant has not appeared within a century, I will directly absorb her blood. I possess the blood of Her Majesty Lilith, which can definitely suppress the Blackwing King’s blood. When I gain her blood power, I will advance further and potentially become the next Prince!”

Many Dukes and Noble Marquises exchanged glances secretly; it was evident that many were wavering. The Holy Son’s words were indeed feasible, but this path was not one anyone could walk.

Ye Ye was an extremely pure original strain of the Blackwing King. Even a Grand Duke, if he rashly absorbed her blood, would likely end up being destroyed by Andrua’s source blood, turning into pus and dying. Within the entire Pas Clan, only the Holy Son possessed the qualifications and confidence to plunder Ye Ye’s blood power.

With this, no one had any objections, and all waited quietly for Lilith’s decision.

Lilith calmly said, “You do not want to create a powerful descendant, but rather plan to plunder her blood, using it to trace back to the First Blood and ultimately ignite a Blood Mark, correct?”

These words shocked everyone present.

The Night Queen mentioned two key terms: the First Blood and the Blood Mark. Both terms would cause any vampire to tremble, as they were deeply rooted in their bloodline’s memories and reverence.

The First Blood of the vampires was already a legend, with its secrets and those of the original ancestor lost in the flow of time. The known ancestors of today, including Lilith, are all second-generation progenitors.

Tracing back to the First Blood is the purpose and lifelong goal of every vampire. The closer they get, the purer their blood and the stronger their power. Lilith is known as the Second Blood, her power beyond description.

The Blood Marks represent the second-generation progenitors, the origins of the ancient clans that still exist today. However, in the long passage of time, the transmission of the Holy Blood River seemed to have undergone some mysterious changes.

First, the thirteenth progenitor and his clan completely disappeared from all memories, even the second-generation progenitors like Lilith could not explain what had happened. Second, as the second-generation progenitors began to fall, the Blood Marks they represented dimmed, and despite the emergence of more Dark Lords, no one could reignite them!

The failure to reignite the Blood Marks was as significant as the disappearance of the thirteenth progenitor, indicating that the power of the Holy Blood River was slowly waning. Although this change was gradual, after thousands or tens of thousands of years, it might affect the survival of the entire vampire race, just as the ancient races that once stood at the pinnacle of the dark world, now vanished from history.

Thus, the Holy Son’s ambition was not small, but rather, unimaginably large.

Before the coronation of Prince Habus, the idea of igniting a Blood Mark was merely a possible path, perhaps even a subject of mockery. But now, with Prince Habus reigniting the Crown of Fire, he proclaimed to all the Holy Blood descendants and the entire dark world that the River of Blood still held power!

Edward gazed respectfully at the Night Queen, his young eyes burning with a crimson flame. He thus openly stated his ambitions before Lilith. This was a gamble, a grand one, with everything on the line.

If he succeeded, with Lilith’s support, the Pas Clan would surely produce a powerful Prince. The most enticing prospect was possibly replacing the Blackwing King, igniting the Blood Mark of the Dreadful Flower. Just thinking about such a future was enough to make any vampire hold their breath.

Lilith did not look at the Holy Son but scanned all the high-ranking vampires present, slowly raising her right hand, from which a drop of blood gradually emerged.

This drop of blood looked ordinary, like that of any typical vampire. But when it appeared in Lilith’s hand, this ordinariness became extraordinary. All the vampires in the hall, from Dukes to the Holy Son, and even the lower-ranking nobles, fixed their gaze on this drop of blood, trying to discern its secrets.

It possessed the unique vitality of vampire blood, a vibrant and lively color, and a perfectly round, flawless shape. In every aspect, it was the standard drop of vampire blood.

Then, the life force of this drop of blood began to intensify, the power within it rapidly increasing, from a newborn to a knight, then a viscount, marquis, and finally a duke, grand duke. At the end, the drop of blood solidified into a flawless ruby. Yet, within its tiny form, it contained the terrifying power to lift an entire castle into the sky.

This was the blood of a Prince!

In Lilith’s hand, this drop of blood had traversed the path from an ordinary vampire to a Prince, reaching the pinnacle of evolution. For most vampires, becoming a Prince was the ultimate dream.

What lay beyond that, even the grand dukes were unsure. The progenitors might have found a way, thus achieving power beyond a Prince. Over the millennia, those favored by darkness and the Holy Blood might have also discovered this, thus gaining the power of a Dark Lord.

However, no vampire had ever revealed their path, not even to their own sired descendants. Some mysterious force seemed to prevent them from leaking the secret.

Lilith displayed this drop of prince’s blood to her descendants, but even the Holy Son, along with everyone else, looked confused, unable to understand the Night Queen’s meaning.

Lilith’s reaction was calm, neither angry nor disappointed. She simply retracted the drop of blood and fell into deep thought.

After a long while, she finally asked, “What is Ye Ye doing now?”

The Holy Son wanted to speak, but a glance from the intelligence-gathering Duke silenced him, and he reluctantly stepped back.

Many high-ranking vampires exchanged meaningful glances. It was best to provide the most objective facts in front of the Night Queen. Any attempt to mislead her, taking advantage of her long slumber, would be madness.

“The Council is recruiting strong individuals to explore the bottomless vortex left in the central battleground of Evernight, aiming to obtain the ancient essence. Ye Ye has signed up. The Council is very serious about this, but they seem to be hesitating over the first batch of names. We have our own emissaries there. If you wish to see her, I can arrange it immediately, and we should still be in time.”

Lilith’s voice carried an indescribable tone as she slowly said, “To obtain the ancient essence? She intends to use this merit to exchange for her freedom with the Council.”

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Holy Son’s faction became uneasy.

Lilith’s expression remained unchanged, and even the Dukes could not discern whether her expression had changed.

“Then, if she successfully retrieves the ancient essence, promise her her freedom. Pass this message down; it is my intention.”

Hearing Lilith’s words, the Holy Son’s face paled, but he could do nothing. Once the Night Queen made a decision, no one dared to question it.

The intelligence-gathering Duke, however, fulfilled his duty by adding, “There is a small piece of related information that might interest you. Previously, the original strain of the Sporck Clan sought to marry Ye Ye.”

Without hesitation, Lilith said, “Young Habus has the full right to express his will.”

The Duke immediately bowed, no longer speaking, and the Holy Son’s faction showed a helpless expression.

The Night Queen’s attitude and the reference to Prince Habus clearly placed him in a position of equal discourse, fully recognizing his authority, originally belonging to the second-generation progenitor, Prince Sammael. Thus, the high-ranking members of the Pas Clan understood how to treat the young Prince in the future.

On the Evernight Continent, the terrain changes caused by the great battle gradually settled. The hundreds of kilometers of the bottomless vortex slowly revealed a different landscape.

The “Aurora Chaos” was weakening, and both the Council and the Empire sent people to investigate. They initially found that the area below was a massive canyon, deep and wide, possibly due to spatial distortion.

The dense black turbulence had thinned, revealing sharp, knife-like rock formations.

For the past two days, the strong forces of the Evernight Council and the Empire had coexisted peacefully, each occupying opposite sides, in a delicate state of temporary peace.

Ye Ye stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing at the swirling clouds, lost in thought. Suddenly, a vampire baron hurried to her side. “Your Highness, there is new information.”

“Good news or bad news?” Ye Ye asked.

The Munro Clan baron hesitated, “It’s… bad news.”

“Speak.”

“We have just received news that Viscount Aaron died in a fierce battle. I am sorry, Your Highness.”

Ye Ye turned around swiftly, “What did you say? Aaron, which Aaron?”

“Your brother, Second-Class Viscount Aaron.”

These words extinguished Ye Ye’s last hope. She gradually calmed down and asked, “Who killed him? Do we have any leads?”

“Yes, Your Highness. This is a crucial matter, so we used the ability to reconstruct the scene. These are some fragments from Viscount Aaron’s final moments.”

The vampire baron took out a ruby, infused it with blood energy, and the gem projected a series of images.