Chapter Sixty-Four: The Return of the Bloodline

The three of us peered out from behind a wall ten meters away from Li Fei’s door, watching as he stepped outside and instantly froze in shock. The timing of his appearance couldn’t have been worse—he was walking straight into the jaws of danger! Thankfully, Tongxuan, quick-witted as ever, shouted to Li Fei, “Get back inside, there’s a zombie out here!”

By now, Li Fei had rubbed the sleep from his eyes and, seeing what was before him, let out a piercing scream before slamming the door shut and locking it. The zombie, having caught sight of its kin right before its eyes, began to hurl itself desperately against the heavy wooden European-style door, like a wolf who had just spotted fresh meat.

It was then that Wang Sheng spoke up. “We have to subdue it before it drinks Li Fei’s blood. My master said, once it tastes the blood of its own kin, its corpse nature will be fully awakened. It’s already become a spirit; if it is tainted by Li Fei’s fresh blood, it might evolve into an even more fearsome demon, at which point things will get out of hand.” As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled a short copper coin sword from his backpack and charged forward.

Seeing Wang Sheng rush ahead, Tongxuan balled her fists and followed, making me marvel at how different cultivators truly are—each one a valiant hero, their martial skills unsurpassed. Unlike me, a rather undisciplined youth, whose fighting style is nothing but wild flailing. In hindsight, I’m almost ashamed to have let down the legacy of Chinese martial arts.

Honestly, I wasn’t even interested in dealing with this kind of zombie. So what if its body was tough? That’s nothing to me. They clearly underestimated the capabilities of a first-generation corpse demon like myself.

Just as I was about to step in and put an end to the zombie fighting with Wang Sheng and Tongxuan, a wave of blood-scent filled the air. There was no mistaking it—this was the aura of a vampire, far stronger than any baron I’d ever encountered before. Could it be Marcus himself?

But contrary to my expectation, it wasn’t Marcus. Instead, a Western man I didn’t recognize appeared.

To be honest, aside from Te, I don’t know any Westerners. The only other foreigner I know is Bingo, a Black man from South Africa, but he’s just an ordinary person—nothing like this vampire before us.

At his arrival, the traditional zombie shrank back in terror, instinctively trembling and seeking to hide. This led me to suspect that this Chinese zombie must have previously crossed paths with this mysterious man—and lost badly.

Judging by the overwhelming scent of blood, I knew this newcomer came with ill intent. Yet he hovered high in the air, making no move, as though he were hesitating.

By now, the Li family zombie had been frightened into curling up in a corner, the perfect moment for elimination. Wang Sheng plastered a dozen of Uncle Mao’s talismans all over the unsuspecting zombie. With a piercing scream, the traditional zombie dissolved into a pool of thick blood, leaving nothing but a tattered shroud floating atop it—not even bones remained.

At that instant, the man in the sky finally showed emotion. His voice, as cold as his demeanor, suggested we owed him something.

Arms crossed, he looked down at us icily, then spoke in a slow, deliberate tone: “I am Louis, strongest warlord under the Western Blood Emperor Marcus the Third, and Vice Blood Emperor to Marcus the Third. By command of the Blood Emperor, I am here to invite the three of you to dinner at the Versailles Grand Hotel.” With that, he lifted his chin, not deigning to spare us another glance, though to me, his attitude practically begged for a beating.

Still, I restrained myself. After all, he was a direct descendant—Marcus’s third son, Louis Marcus. I had to show a little respect.

I knew the Versailles Grand Hotel; it was a foreign-owned luxury hotel, one of the finest in all of Z City, with a minimum charge of a hundred thousand—US dollars, at that. Clearly, Marcus had arrived in the East, though he operated discreetly, not wanting to alert too many from the corpse demon clan and risk igniting a full-scale war between the Eastern and Western night races, which would set everyone back by centuries—a price that’s simply too high.

As I glanced at the infuriating Louis, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the Marcus bloodline. The father had become Blood Emperor after centuries, and now even his third son was Vice Blood Emperor. Could it be that the two older sons had already ascended to Blood Emperor themselves?

If so, then the gap between East and West was closing rapidly. At this rate, the Western vampires would one day surpass the East.

Of course, the East still had the Demon Ancestor Jiang Chen, so we wouldn’t be trampled underfoot just yet. But with Jiang Chen’s current muddled state, who knows whom he might choose to help? If, at the critical moment, he decided to flee or even betray us, it would spell disaster for us first-generation corpse demon kings.

Raising my head, I assumed a half-crouched stance, arms folded, head slightly bowed. Then, with a silent sweep, my four-meter-long wings unfurled from my back. I grabbed Wang Sheng in one hand and Tongxuan in the other, pushed off with my feet, and with a powerful stroke of my wings, soared up to meet Louis.

Before taking off, I told Wang Sheng and Tongxuan, “Free dinner—no reason not to eat!” We probably looked like freeloaders heading to a banquet.

Led by Louis, the three of us entered the Versailles Grand Hotel. The moment we stepped inside, our jaws dropped in astonishment. The place looked like a masquerade ball—could it be that Marcus had booked the whole hotel?

For a Western aristocrat like Marcus, this was pocket change; every family like his has assets in the hundreds of millions.

Louis gestured for us to proceed, exuding elegance. It was clear he was trying to impress the girls nearby, and his refined manners were his best weapon for conquering these starstruck women.

What puzzled me, however, was that all the women here were blonde, all the men had brown hair—there wasn’t a single dark-haired Easterner apart from the three of us.

Louis led us up the grand staircase to the second floor. The pure European architecture was a delight to behold, and I couldn’t help but wish I could live in such a place one day.

The second floor was different from the first; here were reception rooms and lounges, but the atmosphere was eerily quiet—so quiet it was unsettling. Louis turned around and said, “Vampire nobility prefer peace and quiet, not noisy crowds.” Then he turned back and continued walking, until a white marble door appeared ahead. I guessed this must be where Marcus was waiting for us.

...

(Vampires have appeared once again. What could have brought these bloodlines from the distant West to the East? Why have they sought an audience with me, the newly ascended corpse demon king? There are a thousand questions waiting for answers. To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode! Please support the story!)