Chapter 258

The moment the words fell, a drop of blood fell from Luo Luo Kexi's fingertip, tapping gently on the ground and turning into a deep red ripple.

At the same time, the purple flames on Zakro's body surged violently, a wild wind whipped up the sky full of ashes, and the twisted flames condensed into a huge demonic shadow behind him, as if reality itself were twisting in fear.

The air solidified at this moment, darkness and blood intertwined, as if time itself were holding its breath for this battle.

Zakro moved first.

His palms opened suddenly, purple flames gushing from the ground, and countless purple flame spears rushed toward Luo Luo Kexi with a piercing roar.

Every spear formed by those flames carried terrifying energy of fear; the air they passed through twisted, and the rocks on the ground were instantly turned into black dust, as if everything that touched the flames would be completely destroyed.

"Go to hell!" Zakro's voice carried anger and pain.

Luo Luo Kexi's gaze sank, his footsteps unmoved; he merely raised his hand, and a scarlet blood mist spread from his palm, drifting in the air like some kind of ghost.

The blood mist condensed in front of him, turning into a crystal-clear blood-crystal barrier.

The purple flame spears struck the barrier, the flames roared, and the blood-colored barrier trembled slightly but remained motionless.

"This bit of flame cannot hurt me."

Luo Luo Kexi's voice was gentle and elegant; he waved his hand lightly, and the blood-crystal barrier instantly turned into fine blood threads and dissipated.

Those blood threads did not dissipate.

With a backhanded grasp, those thousands of fine threads suddenly seemed to come alive, weaving into hungry beasts in the air, pouncing on Zakro like starving wolves!

Seeing the suddenly changed move, Zakro's expression changed drastically; he raised his hand abruptly, a huge purple flame condensing in his palm, and smashed it forward with a boom.

"Fear Melt-Flow!" Zakro roared, his voice filled with madness.

The purple flames swept out like a violent torrent, accompanied by countless shrill whispers, as if countless souls were wailing within. Fear energy spread with the flames, the entire battlefield twisted in an instant, the air seemed compressed to the limit, the ground began to crack, and gravel splashed everywhere!

However, that blood mist seemed unaffected, continuing to spread toward Zakro, passing through the purple flames as if passing through nothing.

Zakro's heart sank.

It was obvious!

Luo Luo Kexi's ability was not just as simple as defense!

And just as he had expected, a terrifying energy was brewing in the blood mist, devouring everything that blocked it, just like an endless abyss!

Zakro's pupils contracted violently; he could feel that power ruthlessly devouring his fear energy.

Unwilling to sit and wait for death, a low roar came from his throat; he reached out and tore at his own arm, deep purple blood gushing out and dripping into the burning flames.

"Fear Sacrifice—Demon Descent!" Zakro's voice carried madness and despair, "Go to hell!!!"

The shadows on the ground suddenly began to twist and squirm, as if the darkness had come alive!

Immediately after, a huge purple claw crawled out from the depths of the flames, carrying the power of decay and destruction, and smashed fiercely toward Luo Luo Kexi!

The surface of the claw was covered with hideous warts, emitting a nauseating odor; even just looking at it was enough to make one's SAN value plummet.

However, that was only for ordinary people.

Luo Luo Kexi raised his head slightly, his expression still calm, as if all this before him were irrelevant.

He spat out a few short syllables, his voice understated yet heavy as a thousand pounds!

"Blood Realm Expansion."

The sky full of blood mist instantly condensed into countless blood-red whips, crazily wrapping around that huge claw!

The whips were like roaring thorns, twisting and contracting, trying to crush the claw, the spikes sinking deep into it!

Zakro's pupils contracted sharply, looking in disbelief as his fear energy was being absorbed by Luo Luo Kexi.

"This is impossible..." He gritted his teeth, his voice filled with shock and anger, and half with disbelief.

He knew Luo Luo Kexi's strength.

Although this guy was indeed a Grandmaster-tier, his strength should have had a lot of water in it, just like his two grandsons... just a vase suppressed by his elders, strong on the outside but weak on the inside!

And looking at himself, he was not only a general who had galloped on the battlefield, but also the true head of the Delagong family!

Whether in strategy or bravery, he had the confidence that he would absolutely not lose!

Even when facing Caesar Prince Kelin, he had not lacked the strength to fight; how could he be locked in a stalemate with a junior?!

Zakro's analysis was actually not without reason; the tiers of supernatural power in this world did not necessarily mean absolute strength or weakness, just like the exam scores at the Demon King Academy, which were only one of the indicators for measuring strength.

However, this guy had ultimately forgotten that the last time he galloped on the battlefield was over a hundred years ago, and a hundred years of vicissitudes were enough to change too many things, whether it was others or himself.

Luo Luo Kexi was indeed a weak heir, and his indecisive personality was indeed not favored by many nobles, but the one who overshadowed his light was Caesar Prince Kelin—the most unfathomable Minister of War in the Six-Member Cabinet, a vampire prince in his prime, the living legend the Prince Kelin family was proud of!

Still had the strength to fight Caesar?

In any case, Caesar clearly didn't know about this.

Unable to accept this cruel reality, Zakro let out an angry roar.

His hands clenched into fists, purple flames erupted crazily around him, trying to release more fear energy to break through the shackles of the Blood Realm.

However, Luo Luo Kexi only slowly raised his right hand, the blood mist in his palm condensing into a crystal-clear blood-crystal sword, and then swung it down cleanly!

"Break."

The blood blade flashed and disappeared, the purple flame claw shattered in response, turning into countless fragments and flying away!

Zakro's body shook violently, his chest hit by a powerful force, and his whole person flew out like a kite with a broken string, smashing heavily against the wall of the ruins.

"Boom!!"

The wall collapsed with a roar, rubble splashed everywhere, burying him entirely under the dust!

Dust stirred, filling the entire street, as miserable as if it had been washed by cannonballs.

Luo Luo Kexi frowned slightly.

Because he had won too smoothly, he couldn't help but suspect whether this guy was holding back some trump card, so he paused his forward steps.

Only now did he realize that the "family pillar" he had always relied on was not as reliable as he had imagined.

Was he being too cautious?

At this moment, Zakro's face was terrifyingly pale, cold sweat oozing from his forehead, his palms clutching the ground tightly, his nails sinking deep into the scorched earth. The purple flames wrapped around him were no longer as violent as before, flickering on and off, appearing very weak, almost reaching the point of exhaustion.

It was obvious—

He was completely no match for this guy!

This cruel truth was like a sharp dagger, stabbing fiercely into Zakro's heart, leaving no room for any doubt.

He adjusted his breathing, slowly steadying his body from the ruins, his eyes interlaced with terror and despair, as well as resentment and anger.

Various complex emotions intertwined, suddenly turning into manic laughter, gushing out from his chest.

"Haha... Hahahaha...! Very good! Your power is strong, worthy of being the next head of the Prince Kelin family, but—you probably haven't grasped the power of a domain yet!"

"Oh?" Luo Luo Kexi raised his eyebrows noncommittally, looking at him with interest and saying, "And you have?"

"To tell you the truth... although I have neglected my cultivation, my research into the power of rules over the past hundred years has never stagnated. Hehe, if we old things didn't have some foundation in our bellies, wouldn't we be outdone by you juniors?"

Zakro's face carried a sickly smile; he coughed, bright red blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, and continued miserably.

"Since you want to see it so much... then I'll let you take a look at my real trump card."

Rules are the domain of gods.

Mortals cannot reach them in their entire lives!

Only demigods can open up limited rules within a small world, and these rules within a limited range are the power of a domain!

As soon as his words fell, the surrounding air suddenly became sinister, purple flames swirling around him, as if summoning some terrifying power!

Luo Luo Kexi's expression added a touch of contemplation, his serious demeanor seeming a bit more earnest.

However, he still did not act rashly, but quietly observed the flow of magic power, analyzing its changes.

In this regard, Luo Luo Kexi felt that Luo Yan was quite like him; compared to suppressing the opponent with power, he was better at using his brain, never attacking without absolute certainty. Conversely, Vivian was more like her father, Caesar Prince Kelin; compared to careful consideration, she preferred to rush up in one go, not at all like him.

Of course, in terms of feelings, the two children seemed to be the opposite.

Luo Luo Kexi always felt that his son's popularity with the opposite sex was a bit too much, very much like his father when he was young, while Vivian was more extreme in feelings than him; due to that arrogant personality and violent temper, she had reached the point where everyone feared her, and it was only recently that she had suddenly become a bit more sensible and knew how to restrain herself.

Speaking of this, he was quite grateful to Luo Yan for not venting his hatred for him onto her, but instead influencing her with love.

Just in the time he was distracted, Zakro seemed to have finally finished his preparations.

The increasingly thick purple flames gradually turned dark brown, gushing out from his constantly expanding body, instantly covering the entire ruins!

He saw his palms press suddenly on the ground, a sinister and terrifying fluctuation spreading out, black runes emerging from his fingertips, the light condensing into the patterns of a barrier in the air, rapidly spreading along his unfolded wings to the entire battlefield!

"Altar of Releasing Fear—Descend!"

"In my kingdom!!!"

Boom—!

Purple flames swept across the night sky of Black Wind Fortress in an instant; among the ruins of the Goblin community, pitch-black totems rose from the ground, twisted flames burning in the void, the surrounding air seeming to become heavy, echoing with heart-palpitating whispers.

The residents of Black Wind Fortress felt an invisible chill; it was fear originating from the depths of their souls.

Those Goblins hiding in the ruins, the workers fleeing in fright, and even the players watching from afar—everyone was shrouded in a strange mental pressure, the fear in their hearts seeming to be infinitely magnified, eroding their sanity!

A Hell Dwarf craftsman who was watching the battle suddenly had his eyes unfocused, his legs went soft, and he knelt on the ground trembling.

He looked at the purple flames burning all around, his eyes filled with irrepressible fear, muttering to himself, then suddenly screaming loudly.

"No... don't come over... Ahhhhh!!!"

Not just him!

The surrounding civilians, low-tier soldiers, and even some players with weak wills felt their heartbeats accelerate violently, their hair standing on end, as if once they fell into this fear, they would never be able to break free!

Feeling the fear reaching his soul through the equipment, 【Longxing Brother Wanli】 couldn't help but let out a hearty dragon roar.

"Damn... why is it a bit refreshing?"

Longxing Longxing Baili: "???"

Longxing Longxing Qianli: "...??"

Zakro stood at the center of the Altar of Fear, his aura climbing crazily, his disheveled expression becoming sharp again.

"Hahahaha... Do you see? This is power, true fear!" His voice echoed like a ghost, as if blowing the horn of victory, "Residents of Black Wind Fortress, be afraid! Tremble! Give me your fear, and I will use it to reshape my power!"

The wounds on his body were healing rapidly, his declining aura becoming strong again!

At this moment, he seemed to be on an altar condensed from the fear of countless people, absorbing that panic toward the unknown, that trembling toward death, and transforming it into the purest dark energy!

Luo Luo Kexi watched all this quietly, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"Not a bad method."

However—

"A bit crude."

He evaluated softly, then extended his own palm.

A drop of blood condensed at his fingertip, flying out thousands of threads, drifting in the air, and weaving into a huge blood-colored net.

The surrounding air changed suddenly.

Black and white faded from heaven and earth, leaving only scarlet blood!

"Temple of Blood—"

"Open!"

As soon as the words fell, the temperature on the battlefield dropped suddenly, and a thick blood aura swept across Zakro's Altar of Fear like a tide.

Scarlet light covered the entire battlefield in an instant, the sky seeming to be dyed deep red, like a palace rising from the ground, swallowing this sloppy ritual whole!

The purple flames that had originally shrouded the Goblin community began a terrifying wither under the shroud of the Temple of Blood. Those flames burning with fear energy seemed to be drained of vitality the moment they touched the blood aura, rapidly fading, withering, and finally turning into pools of bright red liquid, ultimately becoming nutrients for the Temple of Blood to continue growing.

Looking around, Zakro's expression changed from ecstasy to unbelievable shock.

"What... what is this thing?!!!"

He turned his head abruptly, his gaze fixed on that blood-colored temple, only to see Luo Luo Kexi standing in the center of the temple.

Blood mist rolled under his feet, like an endless abyss squirming.

This guy also awakened domain power?!

This, how is this possible?!

Could it be—

He has already broken through the bottleneck of a Grandmaster?!

But how is this possible?!

If the soul tier of a Grandmaster is something that can be reached innately, then wanting to go further requires some coincidences.

For example, the Demon God's selection, or specific rituals or artifacts; the situation of each family is different in this regard.

Taking the Prince Kelin family as an example, only by inheriting the prince title of the Prince Kelin Principality can one become the only vampire prince in the entire Underworld, and once the prince title is abandoned and one enters the Senate as an elder, the strength will decay to the state before inheriting the title within ten or several decades. Generally speaking, it is Grandmaster, but occasionally it is Amethyst; after all, soul tier is something only gods can see, and mortals can only guess based on their own intuition.

Or change jobs to become a Lich, using evil rituals to devour the souls of others. Or become the Demon God's selection, breaking through one's own upper limit in ways other than titles... but generally speaking, the Demon God will not arrange the identity of a selection for members of the Prince Kelin family. After all, their own surname is already a legend, and the Demon God has no reason to give them more historical missions, unless the Demon God wants to replace himself.

It is precisely because of this that it is almost impossible for a family to have two demigods, unless it is an extreme coincidence, such as catching up with a power transition, or catching up with a special historical cycle.

However, looking at Luo Luo Kexi's domain, Zakro was stunned, to the point that he lost his speech for a time.

It can't be wrong—

That is clearly the power of a domain!

Zakro's heart beat violently.

He could feel that what shrouded this space was not just a blood-colored thick fog, but a purgatory that constantly extracted life and blood!

Luo Luo Kexi's Temple of Blood not only swallowed his Altar of Fear, but also stripped away the fear energy he had just absorbed in an incredible way, extracting it from his body and transforming it into his own power!

"I guess you're wondering if I've broken through again... right?" As if seeing through his thoughts, Luo Luo Kexi said with a light laugh, "Actually, it's not that mysterious; it's not just the Delagong family that researches rule power. We also have our own research, and it has been 'passed down' generation after generation along our bloodline, rather than being held tightly in our own hands... Of course, I'm not mocking you."

Although he said so, his voice carried obvious mockery.

Zakro's face looked terrible to the extreme; gritting his teeth, his voice finally carried complete fear.

"You... you guys... what kind of monsters are you?"

Luo Luo Kexi did not answer; he just walked toward Zakro quietly.

Every step he took, the blood mist became denser, suppressing Zakro's purple flames and swallowing all his paths of retreat.

And the imprint of the Temple of Blood had already been planted deep in Zakro's blood vessels, like a withered hand grasping his heart.

In Luo Luo Kexi's eyes, Zakro was no different from a dead man—even if the latter knew nothing about it!

Watching Luo Luo Kexi pressing step by step, Zakro's breathing became rapid, his chest heaving violently, cold sweat oozing from his forehead.

All his trump cards had been used, but the result was this!

This was probably the first time in his life he had felt that sense of powerlessness of being unable to defeat an opponent, as well as the fear of being completely trapped in a desperate situation.

Even when he was a general of the Red Flame Legion and had risked his life on the front lines, no one had ever been able to push him to this point...

No matter what, he had to leave here!

Zakro's pupils contracted slightly, his eyes flashing crazily, and a thought instantly surfaced in his mind—

Luo Yan!

That guy is still at the Lord's Mansion!

If he could hijack Luo Yan, perhaps he could counter Luo Luo Kexi, or even force him to give up the pursuit!

And not only could he escape, but he could also seize the secret about the gods in that kid's hands!

Even at this life-and-death juncture, Zakro still did not give up his dream of becoming a god; the secret held in Luo Yan's hands was like a steel seal poked into his soul!

Even to this point, he still had no doubt!

Luo Luo Kexi frowned slightly.

He smelled a bad scent from Zakro, but he couldn't say what it was.

Just as he was contemplating, Zakro's eyes suddenly turned fierce, the purple flames around his body erupted violently, making a gesture to launch a final fierce attack on Luo Luo Kexi.

Just as Luo Luo Kexi waved his hand to summon a blood-colored shield to block, the flame bullets, already at the end of their strength, quickly disintegrated into sparks filling the sky!

That was just his feint!

Zakro, having pulled a feint, showed a triumphant expression, his legs exerting force, his body rushing to one side like an arrow off a bowstring, trying to escape this domain of death, and then heading straight for the direction of the Lord's Mansion.

However, he did not see that Luo Luo Kexi, standing in the Temple of Blood, had a cold smile on his lips.

"Finally thought of it?"

He had long guessed that Zakro would not carry out the glorious duel to the end; after all, that guy had never picked up his glove from the beginning.

However, this was exactly what he expected.

Vivian giving the first embrace to Luo Yan was something beyond his expectation, but if that were the case, Luo Yan's soul tier should be much higher than before; even if he couldn't reach Diamond, he could reach Gold or even Platinum.

Killing Elder Zakro was enough for him to complete a promotion!

From Silver to Gold!

This was another secret discovered by the Prince Kelin family, although it might not have been discovered only by the Prince Kelin family.

That is, if the killing is done by one's own hands, even without fusing the opponent's soul through undead rituals, one can still absorb a small amount of supernatural power from the opponent!

The greater the strength gap between the two sides, the more the weak can absorb!

Gold-tier strength is enough for a lord active in the border areas; most demons are at this level when they are in their early twenties.

As long as he isn't too arrogant and attracts real heroes or the Empire's regular army, basically no one can threaten his safety.

Failing to give Tiffany's child any identity had always been a thorn in Luo Luo Kexi's heart; for twenty years, he had lived in self-reproach every day... now he finally had the chance to give a small compensation to the child he owed the most.

"Let you finish him off yourself." Luo Luo Kexi's lips curled into a gentle smile.

The night wind blew through the burning ruins, and the Temple of Blood slowly faded away.

He stepped along the direction of Zakro's escape, following unhurriedly.

And at the same time, on the other side, looking at Elder Zakro rushing over, the people in the Lord's Mansion were facing a formidable enemy...