SHHINK SHHINK SHHINK...

The sound of razor-sharp slicing, like a violent storm, swept up the two Shadow Bats.

Their Defense was already significantly weaker in their Shadow Bat forms.

And now they were facing a powerful Forbidden Curse with immense destructive force.

The two Level Four Shadow Bats were shredded into a pile of minced flesh without any resistance.

SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT...

Some of the scattered bits of flesh and blood pattered to the ground.

But as the rest fell, countless Shadow Threads burst forth, like tens of thousands of strands of hair, rapidly converging into a Shadow Cocoon.

SHIING—

A blade of Shadow flashed past, and the Shadow Cocoon was sliced open.

A murky gray shadow fell out from within, quickly transforming into the humanoid form of the Blood Race.

His blood-red pupils swept over his female companion, who had been diced into mincemeat.

Viciousness instantly flooded the mind of the Shadow Blood Race member, Hermosa, and his killing intent surged to an unprecedented height.

He had captured this Transcendent from the outside and painstakingly converted her into a close Blood Servant. He had only been able to enjoy her for half a month before some shameless ambusher used Magic to slice her to bits.

"You damn bastard, I’ll tear you apart!"

Amidst his furious roar, his echolocation quickly locked onto the ambusher.

Hermosa’s figure blurred through several hazy flickers, moving at extreme speed to get behind an ancient shadow tree.

His opponent was a Caster, while he was a member of the Shadow Blood Race with extremely high mobility and close-combat Ability.

As long as he got close, it was a guaranteed win.

Just as Hermosa’s figure landed behind the ancient shadow tree...

...he saw a young face with a faint, playful smile.

Just as Hermosa was about to tear that smiling face to shreds...

...a hand glowing with starlight suddenly slammed down on him.

His neck seized, Hermosa was viciously slammed against the gnarled, wrinkled bark of the ancient shadow tree’s trunk.

THUD! 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Even the ancient shadow tree couldn’t help but tremble slightly, and a few scattered leaves rustled down.

At that moment, Hermosa felt as if a Giant Dragon was pinning him down.

’This... how is this possible? Isn’t he a Caster? What is this Gang Qi? Is he... a Fighting Master?’

Horror, terror, and a host of other astonished emotions instantly crowded Hermosa’s face, a chaotic mess.

"There’s no need to struggle. It will all be over... soon!"

A calm, detached, and indifferent voice poured into Hermosa’s ears.

The voice boomed like thunder, completely irresistible.

In an instant, he was submerged in that strange, thunderous torrent of sound.

As Zorn performed the baptism with the power of the Evil Spirit’s [Evil Spirit Authority]...

...a gloomy silhouette of Black Mist and a sliver of a murky golden outline could be faintly seen behind him.

The power of [Evil Spirit Authority] was certainly not weak.

But with the amplification from the [Spiritual Realm], the effect was even more astonishing.

Originally, it would have taken three or four attempts, along with some waiting time, to gain complete control over this Level 4 Peak Shadow Blood Race member.

But now, under the enhancement of the powerful [Spiritual Realm]...

...a single baptism was enough to completely enslave this rare Shadow Blood Race member, who was the same Level as Zorn.

’As expected, the attack methods of an [Evil Spirit Wizard] are more effective.’

Just moments ago, Zorn had used a single Forbidden Curse to instantly kill the Level 3 and Level 4 Shadow Blood Race members.

Moreover, Zorn had anticipated that this Level 4 Blood Race member would have mastered the "Blood Cocoon" technique.

It was the perfect method to prevent being instantly killed during a transformation. Every member of the Blood Race would try their best to master "Blood Cocoon" in the early Levels.

If the opponent had tried to escape after emerging from the Blood Cocoon, Zorn was prepared to pursue them with a Mirror Transmission Passage.

If they had charged at him instead...

...this was the result.

’How dare a Level Four Blood Race member try to fight me in close quarters while I’m a [Fighting Master] at my peak?’

As the round of baptism concluded...

...the moment Zorn released his grip...

...the Level Four Blood Race member, Hermosa, knelt on the ground in terror, trembling as he spoke.

"Greetings, great Holy Envoy!"

The hierarchy of the Blood Race was arguably the strictest among the many Sequences.

They followed the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak.

This was especially true in the resource-scarce Shadowlands.

High Level Sequence members in a state of hunger capturing Low Level ones for food was a common sight.

"Rise,"

Zorn said coolly.

"Yes!"

Even after standing up, Hermosa kept his head lowered and his eyes downcast, not daring to look directly at Zorn.

"The sleeping Prince Morse inside—what Level was he when he went into slumber, and how many years has it been?"

Zorn asked in a low voice after a moment of thought.

"Prince Morse went into slumber about 240 years ago. He was Level 8 at the time."

Level 8.

years.

’Then he’s most likely at a Level Six standard now.’

Zorn breathed a small sigh of relief.

The difficulty of a Level Six was a huge step down from a Level 7.

If the Prince had been Level 7, Zorn obviously wouldn’t have gone.

At Level Six, Zorn could still go and test the waters.

"Are there any other Middle Rank Level Blood Race members in the Blood Race Castle right now?"

Zorn asked again.

"Yes!"

Hermosa replied decisively.

Hearing this, Zorn’s brow furrowed slightly.

’This is a bit troublesome!’

"How many? What are their Levels?"

Zorn continued to ask.

"Only one. She was just promoted to Level Six a little over a month ago."

"It was only through the nourishment and sacrifice of the Transcendents we captured outside that Susanna was able to get promoted."

As he said this, the Blood Race member named Hermosa was clearly a bit indignant.

’A newly promoted Level Six Blood Race member poses a certain risk, but it’s still manageable overall.’

After thinking for a moment, Zorn spoke slowly.

"Take me to the Blood Race Castle. Not the path that goes up the mountain ridge, but the one that leads to the castle’s cellar passage."

"The path to the castle’s cellar passage?"

Hermosa’s voice was hesitant.

"G-Great Holy Envoy, that path to the castle cellar... our forefathers sealed it before they went into slumber. It’s completely impassable."

Zorn just smiled faintly.

"Just take me there."

Although still confused, Hermosa obediently complied.

"Yes! Great Holy Envoy."

Shadow Castle had an entry threshold limited to Level 5.

Overall, the difficulty was still extremely high.

This was especially true for the group of at least fifty Level 5 Blood Race members sleeping deep within the old castle’s cellar. They were to serve as "Blood Bags" for the slumbering Bloodline Prince.

Once the slumbering Bloodline Prince was awakened...

...if he could win the fight, that would be one thing.

But if he couldn’t, he would play dirty and mobilize the "Blood Bags" hidden within the "Shadow Realm" in the cellar.

After absorbing these "Blood Bags," his strength would rapidly increase to Level 7, or even back to his original Level 8.

Once he finished leveling up, the only option left would be to run.

And this was one of the reasons for the special [Shadow Castle]’s high difficulty.

But, if one made arrangements in advance...

...it was a completely different story.

More importantly, Zorn, who had already constructed his [Spiritual Realm], was fully qualified to destroy the "Shadow Realm" inside the castle cellar.

This would return the power and resources of the Shadow Realm to the Shadow Treasure Chest.

After killing the old, Level Six Bloodline Prince...

...he could definitely reap some extraordinary and valuable resources when opening the chest.

...

「Two hours later.」

At the base of a towering, steep mountain cliff.

Zorn looked up and could see the Shadow Castle perched atop a sword-like peak.

WHOOSH...

A massive swarm of bats blotted out the sky, circling the Shadow Castle.

The intrusion of this group of Transcendents into the Shadow Realm had already put the Shadow Castle on high alert.

Fortunately, Zorn had crafted an Invisibility Cloak long ago, allowing him to arrive here safely and easily.

The Witch’s Mirror would have also worked, but the free usage time each day was limited, so it was naturally better to save it when he could.

As Zorn waited, a large number of Shadow Bats suddenly came whistling out of a dark tunnel nearby.

This continued for a good ten minutes before the last of the bats finally trickled out.

At that moment, Hermosa’s figure appeared near the cave entrance.

The number of Shadow Bats inside was immense. If Zorn had entered alone, getting attacked would have been troublesome and might have even attracted other members of the Shadow Blood Race.

But with Hermosa driving them out and clearing the area, Zorn could enter safely.

Deep inside the dark tunnel.

A shaft, a dozen meters in diameter and over a hundred meters deep, appeared before Zorn.

Using a Mirror Image, he easily reached the platform at the top.

The ancient Sealing Gate also appeared before Zorn.

He lit a black candle.

Zorn silently began to chant the ritual Spell to open this ancient Sealing Gate.

The chant ended.

A moment later.

KLANG KLANG KLANG...

Accompanied by the grinding of old, ritualistic gears...

...the "Sleeping Cellar" of the Blood Race Castle’s main lair slowly opened before Zorn.

"Conceal your aura. Don’t release it carelessly, or the Shadow Realm in here will gain Insight into our entry."

"It’ll be troublesome if we prematurely activate the old, sleeping Prince."

"Yes, Master!"

Hermosa said with extreme reverence.

The ancient Sleeping Cellar opened up to reveal a rather old, low-ceilinged corridor paved with flagstones.

The corners and doorframes were covered in numerous cobwebs, and a thick layer of dust coated everything.

The left and right walls were lined with a dense series of arched doorways.

Within the small room behind each archway rested a Blood Race coffin.

These specially made wooden coffins, combined with the characteristics of the Blood Race, ensured they would not decay over centuries of slumber.

’Some of these sleeping Level 5 Blood Race members might have even grown to Level Six.’

’But whether they’re Level 5 or have advanced to Level Six in their sleep, they are all fated to become the Prince’s ’Blood Bags’ or ’nutrients.’’

Zorn passed through the long, dust- and cobweb-filled corridor.

He arrived at the central hub of the cellar.

The Hexagram Array pattern on the floor had not been damaged by the passage of time.

Taking a deep breath...

...Zorn walked to the center of the Hexagram Array.

The [Blood Race Castle] was a relatively rare dungeon.

During his time as a Player, Zorn hadn’t entered it that many times.

But Zorn was completely confident he could destroy this "Shadow Realm."

Lighting the black candle in his hand...

...Zorn silently guided his "Spiritual Realm."

Then, the standard procedure other Players used to destroy the "Shadow Realm" surfaced in his mind.

’First, disable the alarm anchor points at the eighteen locations...’

’Next, gradually sever the connections between each of the sleeping Blood Race members...’

’Then...’

’And after that...’

Zorn executed the series of steps steadily and with precision.

’The final step: open any one of the six shadow valves. Remember, only open one, and don’t make the opening too large. Let it drain out slowly so as not to trigger a reaction from any of the sleeping Blood Race members.’

After completing the final step...

Zorn exhaled slowly.

A cruel smile bloomed on his face as he surveyed the cellar.

’These members of the Blood Race... they’re all perfect sacrifices!’

’By sacrificing them as materials to the Spiritual Realm, I can draw out a considerable amount of Shadow Power.’

The sleeping Blood Race members, who were originally meant to be the Bloodline Prince’s "Blood Bags"...

...were now about to become Zorn’s "Blood Bags."