CA - Chapter 221
Chapter 221
The other clans would naturally deal with Cynthia and her group, who were stuck outside attacking the Blood Domain. Lucille and the gray-haired vampire focused on finding the hidden Xi-Tai clan.
They were already close to the Xi-Tai clan’s central territory, and it wasn’t long before they arrived at the entrance to a valley.
Sunny and the other vampires, who were scouring the entire valley for Prince Bernard’s blood, only realized that strangers had set foot in their territory after Lucille and the gray-haired vampire had already arrived.
They gathered together, exchanging glances with slightly grave expressions. With the failure of the Holy War, their clan’s status in the Blood Domain had sunk lower and lower. They had done their best to avoid contact with members of other clans, so a visit from “outsiders” was not a good thing.
The blood pool was still gurgling and bubbling, wisps of the Power of Darkness radiating outward with each bubble. The white-haired vampire flashed to the front of the blood pool and gave Sunny a meaningful look.
Sunny took a deep breath, and her figure vanished from the spot.
A moment later, a heavy object was thrown in from outside, landing right at the white-haired vampire’s feet. He frowned and looked down. Sunny was clutching her chest, her face grim as she said, “It’s a Malkavian and a Gangrel.”
She had been severely wounded by the Holy See during the Holy War. A grievous injury from the Power of Light was not something that could be healed so easily, so her strength had been greatly diminished.
That second-generation Malkavian was in the same situation as her, so there was no need to pay him much mind. But that Gangrel… Sunny’s brow furrowed tightly. She looked like a mere fourth-generation, but her strength seemed to be more than that.
As Lucille and the gray-haired vampire entered the valley, several fourth and fifth-generation vampires surrounded them, watching them warily. Lucille glanced around and noticed two other third-generation vampires besides Sunny, and her steps faltered slightly.
“It’s fine, it’s fine.” The gray-haired vampire took out a small notebook and began scribbling rapidly while speaking to Lucille. “The Xi-Tai were the clan that got hit the hardest in the Holy War. Among our group, you’re the strongest. What are you afraid of?”
He wasn’t lying to Lucille. In terms of combat strength, Lucille was indeed the strongest among them.
After all, she was a Gangrel at her peak. And according to the gray-haired vampire’s observations, Lucille appeared to be a fourth-generation, but her strength was closer to that of a third-generation.
It was a very strange phenomenon. The gray-haired vampire had tried to find the reason but had come up empty. In the end, he could only conclude that it was because Lucille had just awoken from her slumber and had been starving the whole time, which had weakened her aura and made a third-generation vampire seem like a fourth-generation from her aura alone.
Picky eating is a really bad habit, the gray-haired vampire thought, writing the sentence down on his parchment.
The white-haired vampire didn’t recognize Lucille, but he recognized the gray-haired one. “What are you doing here, Elder Ernest?”
“I’ve come to discuss with you all how to use Prince Bernard’s blood to break through the laws of the world.” The gray-haired vampire put down his quill and asked with great interest, “Have you made any progress?”
The Malkavian clan had always been called madmen by the other clans, precisely because they would recklessly dive into anything that piqued their interest, completely ignoring any scolding or warnings as if they couldn’t see them.
Sometimes, not even the threat of death could make them back down.
Of course, aside from this very annoying habit, their clan’s non-linear thinking and endless wisdom were also major reasons they were called madmen.
The gray-haired vampire seemed not to notice the other’s dark expression. As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and pointed a hand at Lucille beside him. “Oh, right. She’s here to take a look at your clan’s Teleportation Array.”
Sunny stood up from the ground. Hearing the gray-haired vampire’s words, she said with displeasure, “What are you thinking, Elder Ernest? Both the Teleportation Array and Prince Bernard’s blood are secrets of our clan. How could we possibly let you see them just because you want to?”
“Clans not interfering with each other—isn’t that a rule of the vampires?”
“What kind of secret is that anymore?” The gray-haired vampire curled his lip in disdain. “Weren’t your Teleportation Arrays already found by Cynthia and that group of witches with her?”
The name Cynthia seemed to strike a nerve with Sunny. Her eyes widened, and she shrieked, “Don’t mention that madwoman to me!”
“Alright, Sunny.” The white-haired vampire patted Sunny’s shoulder, signaling her to calm down. He shifted his gaze to Lucille, his eyes filled with inquiry as he questioned, “Why do you want to see our clan’s Teleportation Array?”
“I’ve heard of it, so I’m curious,” Lucille said with an indifferent expression. She lowered her head and stared at the blood pool behind the vampire for a long moment before asking in a cool voice, “What is that?”
The gray-haired vampire followed her gaze, and his eyes lit up. “Is this the blood pool?” he exclaimed. As he spoke, he started walking toward it, muttering, “I heard that Prince Bernard’s blood must rely on the blood pool to be broken down so its energy can be absorbed.”
The Xi-Tai clan’s predecessors were dark mages, and things like blood pools were all within the scope of dark magic.
Lucille’s eyes flickered, clearly showing some interest in the blood pool as well. She followed behind the gray-haired vampire, approaching the pool. But as she passed a third-generation vampire, her arm was suddenly grabbed. The man’s nose twitched, and he narrowed his eyes, demanding, “What are you carrying on you?”
Lucille shook off the hand gripping her arm and dodged as the man reached for her again, replying without a change in expression, “Why should I tell you what I’m carrying?”
“The blood…” The man pointed at Lucille and said to the white-haired vampire in a grave voice, “The blood is on her.”
The expressions of Sunny and the white-haired vampire changed slightly. They turned to look at Lucille. Although they couldn’t be certain if the man was telling the truth, their feet were already moving. The three of them surrounded Lucille.
“I smell the scent of the blood.” The man took out a bone staff, his eyes fixed grimly on Lucille. “I have always been the one to guard it. No one is more familiar with it than I am.”
Since crossing over, Lucille had been in the Blood Domain with the gray-haired vampire, so she had no idea that the blood she brought with her would cause the mysterious disappearance of Prince Bernard’s blood from five thousand years ago.
Of course, the fact that the small black bottle had to be carried on her person and couldn’t be stored away was also a major reason for its discovery.
A blood-colored skeleton erupted from the ground, its sharp bone claws aiming for Lucille’s chest. Lucille dodged, switching the small black bottle to her left hand. With her right hand, she made a grasping motion in the air, and the Power of Darkness crushed the blood skeleton to dust.
Sunny abandoned her staff and charged directly at Lucille. However, there was a very clear difference in power between the Gangrel and the Xi-Tai clan. Coupled with the fact that Sunny was not in her peak state, she was at a disadvantage the moment they clashed.
But even at a disadvantage, she caused Lucille a great deal of trouble, giving the white-haired vampire and the other male vampire an opportunity to chant their spells.
An endless stream of dark magic spells assaulted Lucille. She had to fend off Sunny while simultaneously dodging the attacks, and she was soon forced onto the defensive, retreating all the way to the vicinity of the blood pool.
The battle had erupted in an instant. The gray-haired vampire put down his pen and watched them in surprise, sighing helplessly. “Haven’t you had enough fighting in the Holy War? You still want to fight now?”
“And what blood did she steal from you? I swear, that little one has nothing on her.” The gray-haired vampire put his quill away and inserted himself between Lucille and Sunny, trying to persuade them in a friendly tone, “Stop fighting. Wouldn’t it be better for us to sit down and have a nice chat?”
“This has nothing to do with you, Elder Ernest.” The white-haired vampire held up his staff, his voice low. “Doesn’t the Malkavian clan usually stay out of the disputes of other clans?”
With the gray-haired vampire’s interference, Sunny and Lucille were separated. Sunny tore off her cumbersome black robe, bypassed the gray-haired vampire, and entangled Lucille once more.
Having to hold the small black bottle in one hand affected Lucille’s movements to some extent, making that hand’s actions a bit sluggish. Sunny noticed this and, with a thought, began to specifically attack that arm.
Dark magic spells were attempting to ambush her from her feet and her back. As Lucille dodged, Sunny seized an opportunity. A sudden numbness shot through Lucille’s arm, her hand loosened, and the small black bottle fell downward.
“There it is!” Sunny’s eyes lit up, and she bent down to grab the small black bottle.
Lucille frowned, shoved the meddling gray-haired vampire aside, and kicked Sunny in the shoulder. Sunny failed to dodge in time and was sent flying, crashing to the ground.
Lucille bent down to grab the small black bottle, but she was a step too late. The bottle had already fallen into the blood pool. Her expression changed slightly. Before she had time to think, her fair, slender hand had already plunged in and pulled the small black bottle out.
But the blood pool was specifically designed to break down Prince Bernard’s blood. After the small black bottle fell in, the stopper Lucille had deliberately put on it came off. As Lucille pulled the bottle back into her palm, a few drops of dark red blood flowed out from inside. In the blink of an eye, they seeped into Lucille’s skin and vanished.
The blood disappeared too quickly, giving Lucille no time to react. She lowered her gaze to her palm and stared for a moment, stunned. Then, she felt a terrifying power explode within her body with a bang. Her face turned pale, she staggered, and half of her body sank into the blood pool.
Because Lucille’s back was to the others, no one except Sunny knew what had happened. Sunny stared blankly at the small black bottle Lucille had dropped on the ground. She crawled over, picked it up, and looked at it, her voice trembling uncontrollably. “…It’s… it’s gone. What… what do we do now?”
Sunny’s actions gave the two vampires behind her a sudden bad premonition. They gripped their staves and asked in a grave voice, “Sunny, what happened?”
Sunny turned her head with a dazed look. Before she could speak, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from the blood pool with Lucille at its center. A thick blood mist surrounded the pool, forming a barrier.
Sunny was thrown back by the force from the blood pool and fainted, clutching her chest.
“What… what is happening?” the white-haired vampire asked in a panic. “Why is the blood pool converting Prince Bernard’s blood?”
He said this and tried to rush forward, but the blood mist surrounding the pool blocked his entry.
They had only found that small amount of Prince Bernard’s blood. A portion had been used to create third-generation vampires, and they had other plans for the rest.
The gray-haired vampire watched this sudden change and let out a “wow” of amazement. He took a few steps back to observe the blood mist, stroking his chin and muttering to himself, “The little Gangrel and Prince Bernard’s blood fell into the blood pool together?” Did Lucille really steal the Xi-Tai clan’s blood?
The question existed in the gray-haired vampire’s mind for only a second. A second later, his attention was completely captivated by the blood pool. “The blood pool is already converting the energy in Prince Bernard’s blood. But it’s useless even if it’s converted. Pure-blooded vampires are bound by the laws; how could they possibly absorb this power?”
What a pity, he sighed inwardly. He had actually taken a liking to that little Gangrel.
Outside the Blood Domain, one light spell after another was thrown, yet the vampires didn’t even send a single person out to check. Olivia grew impatient and directly chanted a major fire spell. A short while later, a beautiful vampire wearing only a loose red robe walked out of the Blood Domain with a dark expression.
She looked as if she had just been woken from a deep sleep. Her long red hair hung messily in front of her. The vampire crossed her arms, her red eyes full of displeasure. “The truce has been signed. What are you all doing now? Trying to tear down the Blood Domain?”
“Cynthia, are you trying to tear up the agreement?”
As she spoke, her gaze swept around, finally landing on Tang Qiu. To be precise, it was because the white wolf was hiding behind Tang Qiu that she noticed this unfamiliar face. The vampire narrowed her eyes, her red lips curling slightly. “And who is this beauty? Why haven’t I seen you during the Holy War?”
Tang Qiu gave the vampire a slight nod and replied softly, “An unknown priest of the Holy See. It is a regret that I did not participate in the Holy War.”
Seeing that Cynthia and the others seemed calm in the presence of this vampire, Tang Qiu answered naturally.
“We’re looking for someone,” Cynthia said, signaling the priests behind her to put away their staves. She smiled. “I didn’t force my way in because of the truce. You were just too slow to come out. I need someone to lead the way.”
“With a formation like this, who would dare come out…” The beautiful vampire pouted, then stepped aside to open the Blood Domain’s barrier, gesturing for them to enter. “Find them quickly. Don’t keep me from my sleep.”
“You weren’t this timid during the Holy War,” Olivia snorted, walking straight into the Blood Domain without a second glance at her.
The beautiful vampire shrugged indifferently at the taunt. She lifted her chin at Cynthia, signaling her to hurry inside.
Cynthia patted Tang Qiu’s shoulder and said softly, “You guys go in first.”
Tang Qiu nodded and followed Olivia with the white wolf. As soon as she entered the Blood Domain, before she could even survey her surroundings, the white wolf pushed her several steps to the side with its paw, just in time to move them away from Cynthia and the beautiful vampire who followed them in.
The white wolf secretly pointed a paw at the beautiful vampire’s back and earnestly warned Tang Qiu, “Stay away from this vampire. She’s very bad.”
Tang Qiu: “…”
Seeing the white wolf’s extremely serious expression, she couldn’t help but smile. The smile made her eyes look especially gentle. “Alright, I’ll be careful.”
Ever since this white wolf met her, it had truly treated her like a junior of its clan. Its simple, kind personality and warm attitude made Tang Qiu highly suspect that this white wolf might be from the same bloodline as Jemma.
She was just about to mention Jemma to the white wolf, but before she could speak, she suddenly sensed something, and her steps came to an abrupt halt. “Lucille…”
She stopped to confirm it carefully. Her sky-blue eyes slowly deepened. Meeting Cynthia’s gaze, she raised a finger and pointed in a certain direction, speaking slowly, “In that direction.”
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