Chapter 446: The Arrival of the Blood Clan

After a brief pause, Leiketon lowered his tone and continued:

"These two systems do not conflict; they can even influence each other and bring positive enhancements."

While speaking, he closed his eyes, swiftly entered a meditative state, and outlined the brass-colored ring in his mind, its rhythmically oscillating spirit resonating within him.

As a pale blue, wave‑like radiance rose, a slightly broken ring materialized behind him, its center depicting, with twisted lines, the image of an opening book page that seemed to flip rapidly as if solid.

"Once the corresponding knowledge is mastered, a spirit realm sorcerer can, through his connection with the spirit realm, draw its power and perform the appropriate spell."

He gave a brief explanation, then Leiketon murmured a Dragon Tongue word: "Frost!"

A crystal‑clear azure light burst beneath his feet, instantly coating the ground with a thin layer of white frost that spread outward, and within moments the area concealed by Butis turned entirely silvery.

Before the surrounding crowd could react to the sudden chill, Leiketon had already whispered a second Dragon Tongue term: "Sun!"

As he spread his arms, a magnificent, pure, blazing sunlight descended, enveloping the area; the freshly formed frost melted instantly, the temperature rose swiftly, and within moments a sweltering summer heat was felt.

The sudden blaze lasted about ten seconds before fading, completing the display of the spirit realm sorcerer's ability; Leiketon then stepped toward Butis, giving a slight nod.

Butis slowly nodded, then raised his right hand and gave a gentle tug; the concealed area vanished, the shadow‑distorted sunlight brightened again, and a cold wind gusted, snapping the awe‑struck onlookers back to attention.

Having finished, Butis turned his gaze back to Leiketon and, curious, asked:

"The spirit realm sorcerer system centered on knowledge must have substantial entry requirements; how do you intend to spread this brand‑new system?"

Upon hearing Butis's question, the workers who had been about to return to the factory for afternoon shifts involuntarily slowed their steps, lowered their voices, and angled their ears to listen for Leiketon's reply.

Leiketon observed all this, then deliberately raised his voice and answered:

"I plan to establish a relatively loose school where anyone interested in spirit realm sorcery can study; once the Pas River Valley area stabilizes, the project will be promoted,"

"Before that, after each sermon I will explain some knowledge to the listeners,"

"Seems I'll need to attend your sermons frequently," Butis chuckled, adding.

The surrounding workers, having received an answer, quickened their pace; there was still some time before the afternoon shift, allowing them a brief rest in the workshop.

When the nearby workers had all left, Butis spoke again:

"Have you seen that city just now?"

"In a sense, I have, but it does not truly exist—at least not now,"

Leiketon pondered and replied, his eyes on Butis's unmistakably knowing expression, almost making him laugh.

He didn't know what Butis was recalling, but it was certainly an over‑interpretation; it was merely a three‑dimensional cyber‑punk city map I had rendered.

The scene fell silent for a moment, then Butis whispered in a sighing tone:

"As a mystic, I consider myself to have visited many places and witnessed countless customs, yet seeing that city still astonished me; it surpassed my imagination,"

"Even though I am already a demigod, I still look forward to the future you speak of,"

"The future will inevitably arrive, driven by everyone and everything, but its exact shape is determined by our efforts,"

Leiketon sighed thoughtfully.

Butis gave a noncommittal nod and swiftly moved past the topic; compared to the future, he was now more curious about the extraordinary system independent of demonic elixirs.

That evening, Leiketon returned to an inn on the opposite bank of the Pas River Valley, sitting by the hearth and enjoying dinner delivered by the innkeeper: a fried rice mixed with roast meat and a glass of freshly mixed fruit juice with alcohol.

While he savored his meal, inspiration suddenly struck; a scarlet, hazy moonlight seeped in through the window, rapidly reshaping before it to reveal two figures clad in long black tailcoats.

Leiketon chewed his roast meat while curiously eyeing the two sudden intruders.

The leading man was a good‑looking mixed‑heritage individual, probably over 1.8 m tall, with dark‑gold hair that fell to his shoulders, eyes a vivid blood‑red, a slight curve at the mouth, and a subtly raised chin that gave him a cold, aloof air.

He wore a long black tailcoat with a dark‑red interior; his posture and bearing were somewhat haughty.

Behind and to his side stood another gentleman in a black long tailcoat, his attire and hair impeccably groomed, faint fish‑scale lines around his eyes, appearing in his thirties, near forty, whose casual gestures exuded refined elegance.

He was sturdily built, a robust middle‑aged gentleman, holding a black staff set with a dark‑green gem.

Whether it was their newly displayed moon‑light ability or their blood‑red eyes, both proclaimed their identity: blood clan! And of a high sequence!

Swallowing his food, Leiketon took a handkerchief from beside him to wipe his lips, then rose from his seat and addressed the two blood clan members:

"Good evening, gentlemen. How should I address you?"

"Biers," the young leader replied coolly, his expression rather haughty.

"Matthew Kuins," the middle‑aged gentleman, a step behind Biers, smiled and answered.

Leiketon gave a gentle nod, offering no comment on their demeanor; after all, the blood clan had etched arrogance into their very bones.

He recalled the intelligence obtained from the Knowledge Church, which indeed contained information about these two blood clan members:

Biers, a blood clan earl around a hundred years old, known as the "Crimson Eye," excels in dark and bizarre domain spells; any creature he gazes upon can be cursed, and his combat style is exceedingly bloody.

Matthew Kuins, a blood clan who has lived over two hundred years, appears to have been a viscount early on but never advanced to earl; he studies the moon deeply and seems closely linked to the Earth Church.

Leiketon quickly steadied his thoughts and, looking at the two blood clan members, said gravely:

"So the blood clan intends to send you both into action? The devotee of the Primordial Moon is preparing the Sequence‑Three ascension ceremony,"

"Crimson Eye," Biers snorted lightly, his tone disdainful as he said:

"Of course not; we are merely here to discuss subsequent cooperation plans and the final division of spoils,"

"The Primordial Moon's minion is merely an ancient alchemist below Sequence Three; the Full Moon Grand Guild watches the battlefield personally, and under its gaze no mishap can occur,"

Leiketon gave a slight nod, having no intention to argue, and said directly:

"Solo combat rewards belong to the individual; items and subsequent gains from cooperation will be allocated uniformly by the Knowledge Church after everything concludes,"

To his surprise, the seemingly haughty blood clan earl did not object when Leiketon mentioned the spoils would be distributed by the Knowledge Church; instead, he waited calmly for the next words.

Indeed, though he appears young, the fellow is actually a centuries‑old elder and no longer as impulsive as Emlin.

He then gathered his thoughts and continued:

"The Knowledge Church has no special demand for these traits; the Moon pathway traits may be selected first by your blood clan, and likewise the Cultivator traits will be prioritized for the Earth Church. You shouldn't have any blood clan wishing to jump pathways for ascension, right?"

"Of course not; that would be a betrayal of the Moon, and any blood clan that jumps pathways will cease to be a blood clan,"

Biers furrowed his brow slightly, his tone deepening as if voicing displeasure.

Leiketon, as if not noticing his expression, continued on his own:

The approximate time of action is in these few days; to prevent any possible accidents, we still need to make some preparations.

You blood clan can also use this time to make more arrangements, but it's best to stay sufficiently concealed and not expose yourselves; that follower of the Primordial Moon has many puppets in the Pas River Valley area, and it would be bad if he noticed the problem in advance.

"Puppets? That madman actually developed this kind of technology!" Matthew Kuhns frowned slightly and muttered.

Lei Kedun looked at him somewhat curiously; this blood clan viscount seemed quite familiar with that follower of the Primordial Moon.

Before he could ask, Matthew Kuhns began to explain on his own, his tone as if telling a story:

"That happened over twenty years ago; it just happened to be the night of the Blood Moon. I happened to run into a few fools who were conducting a ritual to the Primordial Moon, begging for a blessing. They had already been contaminated, so I casually disposed of them. He was born at that time, crawling out from the womb of his mother whose body had already mutated under the Blood Moon."

"From the moment he was born, he attracted the gaze of the Primordial Moon, or perhaps it was precisely because of the Primordial Moon's influence that he crawled out of his mother's womb at that time."

"I originally intended to dispose of him directly, but the people of the Earth Church arrived too quickly; I thought they would handle the aftermath, so I just left."

He paused there, his tone becoming solemn:

"But the developments obviously exceeded my expectations; in less than a year, the bishop of the Earth Church who was in charge of local affairs defected. The church gave no concrete explanation, merely announcing externally that he had been stripped of his office and clerical status. Hah, but the truth is obvious, isn't it?"

"Until two years ago, I met someone in Litepu who called himself Suolike, a follower of the Primordial Moon. My spiritual intuition and that special scent on him told me he was that infant I had seen back then."

"At that time he was merely a druid, seeking the opportunity to advance to an ancient alchemist. I had brief contact with him, and he constantly gave me a feeling of great danger; furthermore, he was not an extraordinary being of the Moon Path, so I gave up the idea of hunting him."

Beiers's expression shifted with Matthew's narration, becoming shocked and solemn; he looked at Matthew somewhat surprised and said:

"Why haven't I heard you mention this before?"

(End of chapter)