Chapter 19: Bloodline
2014-11-28
Author: Zhu Sheng Floating Tower
Soren saw a woman. Or rather, a woman dressed provocatively and possessing an enchanting beauty, with a head of light golden long hair and exceptionally pale exposed skin. She was leaning against a large tree, with a young man bowing his head to kiss and caress her chest, most of her fair breasts on display, and in the cold moonlight, faint blue blood vessels could even be seen. Soren had very strong eyesight, and he could even see the young man licking and nibbling on a bright red grape held in his mouth, while his other hand was fiercely groping the full, luscious flesh.
Soren’s footsteps were very light.
However, the enchanting woman easily noticed him. She lifted her head to reveal her eerie green eyes, stuck out her tongue to lightly lick her crimson lips, and teased, “It seems I have good luck today.”
The young man lost in pleasure before her remained completely oblivious, as if the fullness before him had captured all his attention.
Soren stopped in his tracks.
He gazed at the enchanting woman from a distance, and she made no movement, so he also remained still for the moment.
This was a bloodline.
A servant cultivated by vampires, far stronger than low-level blood slaves.
Despite the many embellished tales that romanticized vampires, in the eyes of adventurers, they remained dangerous and evil creatures. The challenge level of a true vampire is 8, with a personal level of 16, belonging to a branch of silver species, possessing powerful spell-like abilities. The challenge level of a bloodline is 6, with a personal level of 12, possessing some vampire abilities. Vampires are masters of manipulating negative energy!
Their reproduction follows strict hierarchical levels; many beings considered vampires from the outside are actually lower-tier bloodlines, which take a long time to meet the standards of genuine vampires. The sharp fangs of a vampire contain a deadly toxin, and despite having secretly manipulated many literati to glorify the pleasures of being drawn into the dark, it cannot change the fact that victims will gradually be eroded by the toxin and transformed into blood slaves.
This toxin turns humans into half-undead creatures, their minds gradually fading away, ultimately becoming mere monsters that provide blood.
They are dangerous and deadly!
Soren had fought vampires more than once; in the dark realm, they are among the most active creatures.
Basically every city has their presence.
High-level vampires disguise themselves as human nobles, while low-level vampires hide in basements, sewers, and graveyards.
They are like predators in the dark!
………………
A brief silence.
The young man before the enchanting woman seemed to have been enveloped in lust, completely unaware that the atmosphere around had become oppressive. He had fallen under the spell of “Charming Humans,” completely consumed by desire! Mind-related spells require a flaw in willpower. Vampires are best at using their appearance to confuse prey, enticing them to lower their willpower, and in an instant, cast charm-like spells to control their minds! Will is a force.
A strong will can even influence the elemental energies of the natural world.
Soren paid no mind to that poor prey; instead, he was calculating his odds against the bloodline. The other party’s agility was likely higher than his own, strength far beyond that of ordinary people, and possessing a strong evasion instinct. In terms of power, they were not at all inferior to the Abyss Serpent Demon before; when considering his leg injury, Soren’s final conclusion was that he had no chance at all.
Then!
There was only one way.
Soren slightly bent down, his left hand clenched into a fist with the index and middle fingers crossed over his clavicle, and slowly said, “Shadows cover the world!”…
“The masked envoy in the dark is watching us!”
“Glory.”
“Belongs to the intangible sovereign!”
The enchanting woman’s playful smile gradually faded, her brows furrowing slightly as she scrutinized Soren, saying in a deep voice, “The Night rules our destiny!”
“The will of the Ancestor guides our direction.”
“Lady of the Night.”
“Bless her believers!”
Success!
A hint of joy at surviving flashed in Soren’s heart, though his expression showed no change.
He gently nodded and took a step back, indicating that he bore no malice and bowed slightly, saying, “Respected lady.”
“May the night always favor you, please enjoy your meal in peace.”
“No one will disturb you!”
After speaking.
He turned and walked away in another direction, the enchanting woman watching his figure with a trace of hesitation, but ultimately abandoned her thoughts and refocused on the young man she was ravaging before her. She opened her lips, her sharp fangs emerging, her expression one of greed and desire as she plunged deep into the prey’s artery. Blood gushed into her mouth, and a look of satisfaction and intoxication appeared on her face. The young man in her arms remained oblivious, lost in pleasure, completely unaware that death had already descended.
A hungry bloodline.
Prey seldom survives to see the dawn under their hands.
Throughout the entire encounter.
Soren never looked at the poor man even once. Only after leaving the mass grave did he let out a long breath as if he had been relieved of a burden.
What he had just said was the secret language of the Shadow Mask, a powerful organization that controlled the gray realm, with the intersection of the dark realm and gray realm at its peak; thieves dealt with dark creatures often.
If the other party did not respond, then a fight would be inevitable!
But if she responded to his words, it meant she was aware of the existence of the Shadow Mask, which could very likely avoid this battle.
What Soren said earlier was actually a code; the former indicated he was a member of the Shadow Mask organization, including actions, gestures, and language, while the latter indicated that he believed in the Lord of Shadows, a fact only core members know—that the Lord of Shadows has no physical form. Likewise, that bloodline understood this meaning, which caused her to hesitate before taking action and ultimately choosing to let Soren go.
In the other party’s secret language, Soren understood that she was a bloodline cultivated by a high-level vampire with ancestral blood, and also a believer of the Lady of the Night. The Lord of Shadows was an ally of the Lady of the Night; their relationship was quite good, thus conflicts seldom occurred among their believers. If one added their apprehension towards the Shadow Mask, it was enough to make her abandon this extra hunting plan.
More importantly!
Soren clearly showed that he wished for her to enjoy her meal in peace, with no intention of meddling.
Taking a step back indicated he bore no hostility, nor wished for a fight, and also implicitly expressed, since you have found your meal, do you really intend to risk offending the Shadow Mask by hunting a believer of the Lord of Shadows?
………………
Of course!
Soren was not a member of the Shadow Mask, nor a believer of the Lord of Shadows.
He was actually lying.
But this was probably the best method.
The only way to solve problems is not only through battle; if he were just a fool who only knew how to fight, Soren would have never survived to the Legendary Domain.
In this world where “Saints walk everywhere, and Liches are as common as dogs.”
There are so many existences stronger than oneself, and the possibility of encountering deities is also quite high!
Defeating the strong with the weak.
Sometimes it is the only way, such as when encountering chaotic and evil demons—these creatures, bearing madness, are incredibly difficult to negotiate with. So, when conditions allow, often you must learn how to avoid battles.
At the very least, avoid battles with no chance of winning!
Until you can confirm your safety.
Only then did Soren truly breathe a sigh of relief, and he discovered that it seemed something had appeared on his attributes page.
The first phrase seemed to have emerged when he left the treasure cave, at which point he had been alerted by a strange voice and had not seen this message.
It read:
“Exploration successful!”
“After a difficult underground adventure, your skills have seen a certain improvement!”
“Stealth +1, Traps +1.”
This was the first line of text.
Then came the text that appeared after he escaped from the bloodline’s clutches, avoiding a battle with no chance of winning.
It displayed:
“Negotiation successful!”
“You successfully deceived a powerful bloodline! Avoided a battle!”
“Negotiation +1, Deception +3, Performance +1.”
A line of data was displayed.
Subsequently, Soren found that on his data page, in addition to his original rogue skills, some other skills had also been added.
“Basic Skills — Stealth 103, Theft 35, Lock Picking 45, Traps 55, Negotiation 1, Deception 3, Performance 1.”
Is this also possible?
Soren’s face revealed a hint of astonishment.
………………
