Chapter 356: Return to Frelen

Tianyu Realm crystal barrier—Frelen, Yinbu Tu Kingdom.

The palace interior now has changed dramatically compared to five years ago; twelve pillars entwined with mithril thorns support the dome, and soul‑prison crystals set into the walls cast pallid light onto the crimson carpet, making everything look gloomy and nauseating.

When Sai Er's envoy shattered the last strand of blue light from the teleportation spell circle, the stunning woman on the Throne lightly tapped the armrest with fingertips stained black, her nails striking refined gold with a crisp sound like a bone snapping.

"The nights of Yinbu Tu Kingdom have never welcomed the Red Cloak. The Yinbu Tu Kingdom's queen—Yi Lisha Bai's voice is like spider silk soaked in honey, her dark‑red hem like a blooming rose, that dazzling red shines so brightly in the darkness it dazzles the eyes, especially when she comes with a condemnation scroll."

The Red‑cloaked Mage Na Zuo Er lifted his hood, revealing a tattooed bald head. He deliberately made the scarlet on his robe more striking than the queen's gown: "Half a month ago, thirty‑two tons of refined gold were robbed on Bone Avenue. The transport route existed only in Sai Er's military office's black‑iron secret box, and" He snapped his fingers, summoning a hovering parchment; blood‑red Runes formed the queen's court emblem in the air, "within Your Majesty's palace."

The attendants in the shadows hissed, and the queen raised her hand to quell the commotion. Her pupils flashed an alluring deep violet, and a blade‑like smile curled at her lips: "So Sai Er assumes the information came from me? How amusing—on what grounds should I be responsible for the loss of goods I purchased? I think you're just thieves crying 'catch the thief'."

The Red‑cloaked Mage let out a snide laugh.

"Audacious!" A figure on the left side of the Throne shouted coldly. He stepped out of the shadows, revealing a refined, handsome face—Lai Ouer, the Regent Grand Judge of Yinbu Tu Kingdom: "Before you stands the noble Yinbu Tu Queen, the last pure‑blood descendant of the Machire family!"

The proud Red‑cloaked Mage, accustomed to treating Undead with contempt, sneered at the 'human' on the Throne: "Just a vampire—did you think looking human lets you leave the ranks of the Undead?"

"We trust logic." Na Zuo Er stepped forward, and green, web‑like flames spread beneath his feet, while wraith wails seeped from the cracks. "Those who know the route are either in Sai Er's anti‑magic prison, or—" He suddenly flung his palm open, five finger bones instantly turning into pale‑white chains that lunged toward the Throne, "rotting in the cellar of the Eternal Night Palace!"

The queen did not even move. From beneath her hem, a shadow spread, forming seven barbed tendrils that coiled around the bone chain. Black smoke rose from the contact points, and Na Zuo Er realized his necromancy was being corrupted by a more sinister force.

"Audacious," Yi Lisha Bai whispered. The word seemed to trigger a seal; the defensive Runes on Na Zuo Er's robe burst in succession. He staggered, dropping to one knee, his knee striking the obsidian floor and sending out radiating cracks.

The Vampire Empress, a Legendary-level powerhouse, now loomed like a beast that had broken free from a cage, pinning the Red‑cloaked Mage beneath her and eyeing her 'delicacy' with predatory intent.

"How dare you use force against Sai Er's envoy," the Mage croaked, veins bulging in his neck, dark‑red energy jutting from his spine, coalescing in the air into twelve serrated scythes, "the wraith‑city harlot thinks she can control"

The Red‑cloaked Mage's powerful Nine‑Ring transformation spell—【Abyssal Demon‑Forging Empowerment】—had not yet taken shape when the figure on the Throne suddenly vanished.

Na Zuo Er's sentence froze on his tongue—the Vampire Empress's nail pressed against his Adam's apple, her icy breath brushing his ear: "Do you know? I have many reasons to despise the Red Cloak." She brushed her other hand across the Mage's chest, tracing intricate Runes through his robe, "But what I loathe most is the nauseating arrogance you always display."

"Stop! Sai Er will—" Na Zuo Er's threat turned into a wail. His ribs curled outward from within, flesh wrapping them into a grotesque bone blossom. The queen's fingertip, stained with a blood droplet seeping from his heart, lifted to her lips for a light lick.

"You will never learn the proper titles," the queen's voice suddenly rang like ten million wailing souls. All candles in the Throne Hall extinguished simultaneously; blood‑colored membranes covered the flesh‑winged appendages that unfurled in the darkness, and Na Zuo Er's demon pet exploded into a cloud of blood mist, "Kneel, worm."

An invisible crushing pressure shattered the Mage's protective barrier. Na Zuo Er's entire body was pressed into the ground; he frantically chanted a disjunction incantation, only to find magical energy flowing backward into the shadow vortex beneath the queen's feet.

"The final and most important reason," the queen said, tightening her grip on the Mage's throat and lifting him; her nail pierced his artery, sending a string of blood droplets. Those droplets, as if defying gravity, rose straight into the queen's mouth: "How dare you waste my time with such a crude test."

At the brink of death, the Red‑cloaked Mage used his last strength to crush the communication crystal hidden in his cuff. The queen showed no fear; she merely sneered as she ripped his heart from his chest, splattering putrid black blood.

"Tell your master," she said, crushing the still‑beating heart, letting flesh fragments drip between her fingers. "Next time send a tail‑wagging dog."

The communication crystal faithfully recorded the scene, converting it into magical data that traveled through the Magic Net's channel back to Sai Er's Spellcaster.

The dark great hall fell into dead silence again, only Lai Ouer's faint breathing echoing.

——

Degeng City, Rosa Castle.

Naimi Xisi, Luo Silien, and Ke Li Te gathered around a crystal sphere, its interior showing everything that was happening in the palace.

"Is this the holy relic of the God of Prophecy? To detect the scene from a thousand li away without a Legendary strongman's noticing—simply incredible!" Naimi Xisi exclaimed, gazing at the crystal sphere.

Luo Silien set the crystal sphere down; the half‑elf's already pale skin grew even whiter, his iron‑blue face exuding a heavy aura of death: "The Thousand‑Eyed Orb's power is indeed great, but master, it does not come without a price."

He gave a wry smile, removed the blindfold covering his eyes, and extracted two writhing maggots from his blackened eye sockets: "Each time I cast a prophecy spell, a portion of my body necrotizes and rots."

"It siphons my life force as the price for glimpsing fate."

Naimi Xisi shook his head, a trace of regret in his eyes. "The Thousand‑Eyed Orb's side effects are too severe," he said.

As holy relics, the "Thousand‑Eyed Orb" and "Vikna's Demon Eye Palm" belong to the same tier of treasures; they both possess power beyond mortal endurance, naturally bearing lethal side effects for mortals.

Do not be fooled into thinking "Vikna's Demon Eye Palm" lacks side effects; that is only because Mind Power happens to counter Vikna's evil will. If anyone other than Naimi Xisi used this relic, even the most devout paladin would, over time, become a follower of the Hidden God.

Ke Li Te watched the scene inside the crystal sphere turn dark, her expression growing heavy: "Is that the queen? Since I saw her once five years ago, this is my second time seeing her."

She found her expression a bit odd: "Her eye color has changed."

Naimi Xisi shook his head, explaining: "That is her original color."

"The Jasmine Bloodline distinguishes status by pupil color; those capable of producing offspring—the 'Tree Roots'—pure‑bloods have deep violet pupils."

"Those unable to produce offspring—the 'Branches'—lower‑grade bloodlines, and various vampire offshoots, have blood‑red pupils."

"The queen, as the highest‑ranked vampire Empress of the Jasmine Bloodline, naturally possesses pure deep‑violet pupils."

"This is actually one reason vampires have not dominated the world; within the entire bloodline, the 'Tree Roots' capable of producing offspring constitute an extremely small fraction, and each time they create offspring they must grant their blood."

"Do not be misled by the current prevalence of vampires across Yinbu Tu Kingdom; most of those vampires are the result of decades of hidden accumulation and immigration from other regions."

Naimi Xisi sank back onto the soft sofa, beginning to contemplate everything he had just seen in the crystal sphere.

Last night, after arranging everything on Earth, Naimi Xisi raced back to Frelen without pause.

He reviewed his gains from the trip; foremost was the holy relic "Vikna's Demon Eye Palm," followed by the two strands of divinity.

One strand of divinity, Naimi Xisi had already merged into the White Mage Staff, becoming the third divine strand after 【Sun God Taizka】 and 【War and Slaughter God Zharthek】.

Vikna's divinity, for Naimi Xisi, proved more practical than the other two, because it wielded the power of magical domains.

Compared to the Sun God, which better augments Plastic Energy spells, and Zharthek, which suits necromancy, Vikna's divinity offers universal enhancement to all Arcane Power.

However, this is not the most important; for Naimi Xisi, the divinity within the White Mage Staff plays a more crucial role.

During the war on the Maztek Continent against the Kurtaka Kingdom, Naimi Xisi once excavated a secret technique called 【Dark Seed】 from the enemy's Grand General's body.

At that time, he recognized the technique's potential—to remodel his bloodline after gathering various divine powers, allowing him to acquire different gods' strengths and even reach for authority.

Divinity, he believed, was a more suitable medium for this technique than raw divine power.

He studied for a long time, discovering that attempting to recreate a deity's power via divine power alone was exceedingly difficult, requiring astronomical amounts of divine power.

Divinity, however, was different.

Divinity is the essence of a deity; whether divine fire, priesthood, or divine form, all stem from divinity.

Although its specific secrets are beyond a mortal like Naimi Xisi, he could still conclude—Divinity is crucial.

Thus, he began the project to remodel the 【Dark Seed】 technique.

In his vision, the new technique, rather than being called 【Dark Seed】, should be named 【Divine Bloodline Repository】.

(End of Chapter)