Chapter 312: Casting a Net to Catch a Bat

"Ye Xi, I never imagined your cooking would be this good!" Chen Jing swallowed a meatball in one gulp and said to Luo Yexi, who was skillfully stir-frying vegetables nearby.

"This was all taught to me by Master!" Luo Yexi chuckled and said.

"I naturally know about Lingyun's cooking, but for you to be able to do this, it's not simple either!" Chen Jing picked up another piece of meat for herself.

"Hmm..." After putting the meat into her mouth, Chen Jing couldn't help but frown.

"What's wrong? Is this meat not tasty?" Busujima Saeko, who was on the side, asked.

"No, no." Chen Jing swallowed the meat in her mouth. "It's just that I felt a sense of deep malice shroud me just now. Don't you have this feeling?"

"You're talking about those few rats lurking in the darkness; I've known about them for a long time, but because the main culprit hadn't arrived yet, we didn't bother with them," Busujima Saeko said indifferently.

"You knew about it long ago?" Chen Jing said with some surprise.

"They think they've hidden their presence very well, but they have no idea that we are extremely sensitive to things like malice," Busujima Saeko shrugged.

"Then why didn't you take action?" Chen Jing asked.

"The big fish hasn't arrived yet; it's not time to close the net!" Busujima Saeko said calmly.

"Close the net? When did you set up a net?" Chen Jing said with a puzzled look.

"It was Sister Lingqi, of course!" Alice said from the side.

"Hmm? Careful, the main culprit is here. Everyone get ready, the battle might start right now!" While Chen Jing still wanted to say something, Luo Yexi's voice suddenly rang in their ears.

Hearing Luo Yexi's words, the people present nodded at each other and continued with their own tasks, but they had already raised their guard to the highest level in their hearts.

In the shadows, a burst of black smoke slowly rose and then condensed into a human shape.

"Truly delicious blood-food. I never imagined that the things I've dreamed of would appear here all at once. It seems Huaxia is truly my destined blessed land; heaven is really favoring me!" Naishi looked at the girls in the clearing, a trace of intoxication flashing in his eyes, and he couldn't help but stick out his tongue to lick his lips. "If I can really capture them all, becoming a Vampire Prince shouldn't be a problem at all."

"Hmm, wait, where is that guy?" Naishi's gaze swept around the clearing, but he did not find Lingyun's figure.

With a "Bang," a splash of water erupted on the small river, and Lingyun emerged from the water, clutching two large fish that were still struggling.

"Everyone is here, so who should I start with?" Naishi merely glanced at Lingyun and then stopped paying attention to him; for him now, the group of girls was the most important.

"Hmm, which person should I start with? I think she'll do!" Naishi's gaze finally landed on Chen Jing, a cruel light flashing in his eyes. "Being able to become my blood-food is the honor of your life!"

Chen Jing's body couldn't help but tremble, feeling an even deeper malice locking onto her.

The moment Lingyun broke through the water, his Divine Sense had already spread rapidly, instantly covering the land for several miles and putting all the circumstances under his control. At the same time, he also locked onto Naishi's location.

With a "Whoosh," a strange sound suddenly appeared in the surrounding forest, and a large swarm of bats rushed out from the woods, pouncing toward Chen Jing's direction.

The moment the bats appeared, a golden-red light flashed in Luo Yexi's eyes. She suddenly opened her right hand, and Nine Yang True Qi erupted. Countless tiny Nine Yang Sword Qi shot out from her hand, instantly shooting the bats in mid-air into disarray. Afterward, Esdeath waved her hand casually, and a burst of cold air swept out from her palm, freezing the remaining bats into ice sculptures.

"Shura Thorn!" Busujima Saeko flipped her hand, and countless blood-red needles shot out from her hand, turning into countless streams of light that disappeared into the forest.

"Ahhh..." A series of screams came from the forest; the weaker vampires lurking within died directly under Busujima Saeko's attack.

With a "Bang," a burst of black mist rushed out from the forest, blocking Busujima Saeko's second wave of attacks. Subsequently, a black figure rushed out from the forest, looking at the people present with an angry face.

"Yo, you finally came out, little bat hiding in the dark!" Lingyun's Source Power surged, instantly steaming the water vapor off his body, and he waved his hand at the newcomer.

"You, you knew I was there all along?" Naishi's face sank, and for the first time, a feeling of unease rose in his heart.

"That's right, including the fact that you had your subordinates turn into bats to monitor us in the dark and followed us the whole way, I knew it all!" Lingyun said calmly.

"You, this is a trap?" Naishi was shocked in his heart.

"That's right, it is a trap—a net to catch you, and it has already been deployed!" Lingyun slammed his right foot onto the ground. "Array, activate!"

"Boom, boom, boom..." In the distance, rays of light of different colors suddenly rose, and countless Array Patterns appeared in the Void, rapidly weaving into a large-scale Array that covered an area of one mile in radius.

"Damn it, when did you set up this Array?" Naishi said through gritted teeth.

"Guess!" Lingqi popped out from behind Lingyun and winked at him playfully.

"Heh, do you think such an Array can really stop me?" Naishi sneered. "Let the person behind you come out. It's been years; let me see how much he has improved!"

"The person behind me?" There was a trace of confusion in Lingyun's tone, but then he understood. This guy actually thought he didn't have the ability to set up such a feat, so he assumed there was someone behind him!

"The person behind me? You're overthinking it. The person you're talking about doesn't even have the qualifications to be the person behind me!" Lingyun waved his hand indifferently.

"What an arrogant brat, just as arrogant as he was back then. However, do you think you'll be my match?" Hearing Lingyun's words, Naishi became even more certain that the person behind Lingyun was the one he was looking for. "I'll take you down right now and see if he comes out!"

As Naishi spoke, he instantly turned into a black afterimage and pounced toward Lingyun's direction.

Lingyun was completely unafraid; his Source Power surged, and his right fist instantly tore through the air, colliding fiercely with Naishi's fist.

"Thump, thump, thump," Naishi only felt a huge force coming from the opponent's fist, and his body couldn't help but retreat backward, only dissipating this massive force after taking several steps back.

"You, you are actually a powerhouse at the Duke level?" Naishi's face changed slightly.

However, what surprised Naishi most was not that Lingyun had reached the Golden Core realm—after all, such things had happened before. Nor was it that Lingyun could repel him with one punch, as vampires were not a race that excelled in strength. What surprised him most was that Lingyun could actually keep up with his speed and make his own fist collide head-on with his.

"This brat is strange; it's not easy to get entangled in a fight. It's more important to capture those girls first. Once I become a Vampire Prince, who can do anything to me!" Naishi's thoughts raced.

"Do it!" Naishi let out a whistle, then pounced toward Lingyun's direction again.

Countless black shadows instantly pounced out from the jungle, then turned into black human figures and rushed toward the direction of Luo Yexi and the others.