Despite having long grown accustomed to others’ sacrifices and service, considering it all perfectly normal, when Depeo uttered those words, a torrent of guilt, emotion, and anger surged through Radu’s heart. For the first time, he felt the bitter taste of defeat, and yet today was destined to be his day of tribulation; the despair he was about to face had only just begun.

With no time to care for the young master’s complex feelings, Depeo, having made his decision, pushed Radu out of the crowd and charged straight toward Pei Yan, undoing the outer button of his clothes as he ran, and pressed his hand against his chest.

It was time to sacrifice for the Patriarch!

"Oh!" As he was being charged at, Pei Yan noticed a steadfast determination in the old man’s eyes. More importantly, the ever-increasing aura caught his attention. Through Moira, or rather Cai Peishen as Radu referred to him, Pei Yan had briefly understood the hierarchy of the Blood Race’s strength, ranging from the lowest blood servant to the high-levels, equivalent to seventh, eighth, and ninth-rank supernatural beings: Count, Marquis, and Duke.

Above these were the very few Prince level individuals, who stood high above ordinary ninth-rank dukes, and such figures were the pinnacle among Blood Race and across realms. Vlad I Delacuri was one such figure, and the elderly man before him was at most a distinguished one among dukes before he charged fearlessly at Pei Yan with his hand in his chest, causing his power to rapidly soar past his limit to a degree that even Pei Yan began to fear him.

"Did he use some kind of secret technique to transcend his own limits? Interesting!" Initially thinking he came merely to sweep through like a storm, Pei Yan was immediately intrigued by a powerful opponent, and his fighting spirit rose, preparing himself to engage.

However, when the elder was about to reach him, suddenly his whole body exploded, transforming into a cloud of blood mist, which didn’t even touch Pei Yan but began drifting back into the crowd of his own ranks.

The unexpected scene left Pei Yan stunned; was this a failed cultivation technique leading to a demonic self-dismantling? As he puzzled over it, the blood mist drifted through, causing blood curdling cries from the Blood Race below. The wounds inflicted by Pei Yan’s bloodline began uncontrollably gushing out blood, while the uninjured Blood Race collapsed to their knees, their skin cracking, with blood leaking from the crevices and merging into the airborne blood mist.

Amidst the collapsing Blood Race and their Bloodshed companions, terror-stricken members frantically escaped, while Pei Yan knitted his brows, focused on the cloud of blood mist in anticipation of a second assault.

But the situation once again defied his expectations; the mist made no move against him or any child of origin present, instead veering in mid-air and heading towards the outer circle of other investigators on guard.

Depeo did indeed fulfill his promise, disrupting the defense of the investigation hall at that moment, and Radu seized the opportunity, turning into a bloodline, to escape the encirclement of the four children of origin.

"Not good! Cunning old thief!" Only then did Pei Yan snap into realization, yearning to smack himself, he leapt up and shouted, "Old Sister! Save people! Xia Yu, Old Zheng! Don’t let that kid flee!"

Responding to the shout, Xia Yu and Zheng Jia Ru followed the bloodline in pursuit, whereas the Pei Family siblings remaining on site blocked the path of the blood mist from the left and right. Nevertheless, they were a step too late; those suffering first were the Bloodshed members allied with the Blood Race. As they were shrouded by the blood mist, several individuals exploded rapidly, their bodily vitality almost instantly assimilated by the mist. Subsequently, their skin began rotting, swelling, and as the sound of horrendous screams rang out, the bloated blood bubbles suddenly burst, transforming into new blood mist and merging with the rest, leaving only horrifyingly bare bones that sent chills through onlookers.

The Bloodshed members died senselessly, and soon afterward came the nearest inner circle investigators. Fortunately, those who had reached another dimension for tasks were fairly quick-witted, with most detecting the ominous blood mist and retreating outward, leaving the slower ones needing to be saved repeatedly by Pei Yan and Pei Jin, ultimately escaping with merely superficial injuries.

Among them, Pei Yan was most infuriated by Wu Xiuping. Having just surrendered, his position was closest to the battlefield, and with Depeo seemingly enraged at him, the mist wafted first in his direction upon detonating. Even with shackles hindering most of Wu Xiuping’s supernatural abilities, his fortified physique post-cultivation elevation remained, and seeing the blood mist approaching menacingly, he frantically retreated while pulling the nearby guard into the mist, sacrificing the agent to delay the mist so he could flee.

Thankfully, Pei Yan acted swiftly after saving the earlier individuals, despite the affected agent’s back becoming half-eroded by the mist. Watching the decaying flesh spread outward, encroaching on still untouched skin, Pei Yan attempted several source energy interventions to no avail, ultimately gritting his teeth, muttering "Brother! Hang in there!" before manipulating his source energy lines, slicing along the putrid wound. As chunks of decayed flesh peeled away and were kicked aside by Pei Yan, the agent’s condition was finally arrested, his screams prolonging his unconscious collapse before any gratitude could be uttered.

"I’ve stopped the bleeding! The injury looks severe, but as long as the spread of blood toxins is contained, with Elder Lin’s capabilities and the subject’s self-healing prowess, it can be cured! You guys continue retreating with him outside!" Pei Yan instructed other investigators in the hall after pressing multiple points on the bleeding man’s wound, injecting source energy to prevent blood loss and aggravation.

Having taken these measures, Pei Yan turned back to gaze at the blood mist he had enclosed with erected spatial barriers at the center of the field, gritting his teeth as he said, "Crafty old scoundrel! Well played!"

"Pei Yan, I knew that even if I boosted my power, I could not escape under the combined assault of you four children of origin. Since fighting would spell defeat and fleeing would be futile, I might as well gamble everything, taking at least one down with me!" Depeo’s roar echoed from within the blood mist, his words defying the spatial constraints that couldn’t entirely seal off the mist’s penetration. The vast barrier had already developed numerous blood-colored specks, threatening to soon break as the mist seeped through.

Yet Pei Yan remained composed, snorting mockingly in response, "What’s laughable is that so far the ones you’ve taken down are either your own people or allies! Our losses were minimal, with no fatalities!"