I Became the Progenitor Vampire

Chapter 186: Chapter 187: On the Cultivation of Old Coins (Long Chapter)
 

Lide felt a familiar presence emanating from the direction of the City Lord’s Manor, and his heart skipped a beat.

Especially when he sensed that the Magic Shield over the City Lord’s Manor shattered in just a few seconds, his premonition grew even stronger.

“Is that Viscount Bernard’s presence?” he asked Emi and Grote with some uncertainty.

“Ancestor Crown, it is Viscount Bernard’s presence, no one knows him better than we do,” Emi nodded. After twenty years in the Dark Contract, although she hadn’t gained Viscount Bernard’s absolute trust, it wasn’t difficult to identify him.

Grote also gave a definitive reply.

“My Lord, it is indeed Viscount Bernard.”

Lide glanced at the two of them, his gaze inexplicably complex.

It was likely that Viscount Bernard’s target was not the Crimson Mage Tower at all, but the City Lord’s Manor.

All the previous doubts threaded together at this moment.

No wonder Viscount Bernard, despite having the power to easily crush the Crimson Mage Tower, still put so much effort into preparation.

First, he used the power of the Late Bell Church to create a mysterious weapon that could restrict a Divine Artifact,

and then spent months plotting to open a Space Gate to the Abyss, attracting Green City’s advanced professionals.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Ɲ0νǥօ.сο

Originally, Lide thought the other party was just being cautious, but now it seemed that the Crimson Mage Tower, constantly mentioned by Viscount Bernard, was nothing but a decoy.

His real goal was only one—the City Lord’s Manor.

But why didn’t he directly target the City Lord’s Manor; why go through such a big detour?

Lide then sensed something and suddenly turned his head. Through the half-open window, he saw five strong presences with levels exceeding fifteen surrounding the Crimson Mage Tower.

Five advanced professionals directly encircled Withered Bones, who was commanding the Bone Dragon to attack the Crimson Mage Tower.

This scene made him instantly enlightened.

“This play of attacking east and striking west is quite slick.”

At this moment, Lide had deep sentiments, Viscount Bernard truly deserved to be the boss behind the enormous underground force, the Dark Contract.

If he didn’t have Emi as an insider, infiltrating the Dark Contract and capturing three top-tier fighters above level fifteen,

now everyone in the Dark Contract would be used as pawns by Viscount Bernard.

Just Withered Bones, Emi, Grote, Stanley, and the deceased Kolong, these five top-tier fighters attacking the Crimson Mage Tower,

would surely attract most of the advanced professionals staying in Green City during this sensitive period of the Abyss Demon’s emergence.

At that time, Viscount Bernard would perfectly achieve his goal.

Lide took a deep look at the Bone Dragon still flying in the sky, shaking his head.

First was the Abyss Gate, then the attack on the Crimson Mage Tower, these two feints would surely draw out most of the defense forces from the City Lord’s residence, even if their guard was strong.

It seemed that Viscount Bernard’s real purpose in ordering the Dark Contract to plunder the Crimson Mage Tower was to draw away the defensive forces and create an opportunity for himself.

The more people attacking the Crimson Mage Tower, the more top-tier fighting forces would be attracted to Green City.

Moreover, once the battle started, those involved in the fight were unlikely to leave and support the City Lord’s Manor. And if a battle broke out, few would have the energy to attend to Viscount Bernard at the City Lord’s Manor.

It was dark, damnably dark.

Lide spat resentfully at this big boss who was close to becoming an Extraordinary Existence.

It wasn’t scary for someone to be powerful, but it was frightening for a powerful person to be a sly old coin; that was utterly disgusting.

Viscount Bernard had been planning for such a long time, orchestrating everything so complexly that apart from a few people in the Dark Contract, most had been played by him.

What was his true purpose? What was there in the City Lord’s Manor that attracted this boss??

A glint of contemplation flashed through his eyes, something that would compel an Extraordinary Existence to go to such lengths must be a treasure of unimaginable value.

Unfortunately, Lide took one last deep look at the distant City Lord’s Manor.

Even the most precious treasure was beyond his current reach.

Because the City Lord’s Manor was the only place in Green City inhabited by an Extraordinary Existence. Although it was very likely that the Extraordinary Mage had been lured away by the scent of the Abyss, no one dared to be sure when he would return.

The power he held was not weak, but it was still nothing compared to an Extraordinary Being.

He had initially thought that today would bring about a fierce battle, but now it seemed that the fight clearly wasn’t going to happen.

Turning his head, he glanced at the Bone Dragon in the sky, confronting five level fifteen beings in Green City’s military uniforms on the ground, with a flicker of cold light in his eyes.

“Keep an eye on that damned Undead Mage, I don’t believe he will be killed so easily.”

Facing the hunt of five top-tier level fifteen fighters, even Grote, Child of the North, had to be careful and vigilant. But the Undead Mage Withered Bones showed no fear at all, instead letting out piercing shrieks in the air.

“Gaga gaga~ Foolish mortals, the great Withered Bone is not something you can withstand!”

“Meeting the Death God is your best destiny.”

“Rage, my darlings, I want you to taste the flavor of the Undead Breath~!”

Among the five advanced professionals who came to the Crimson Mage Tower to hunt the Undead Mage Withered Bone, there were two warriors, a thief, plus a priest, and an archer.

They formed the classic trinity of warrior, mage, and priest, and naturally, they did not shrink back when facing a level 14 Undead Mage like Withered Bone.

Even if this Undead Mage had an 18-level Bone Dragon at his command.

The massive Bone Dragon suddenly turned and flew toward the middle-aged man in priestly robes on the ground.

Despite the distance of several dozen blades, the breath bearing the aura of death, the Undead Breath, spewed forth.

The 18-level Bone Dragon’s breath, had the power to destroy the sky and earth.

Any building that came into contact with the Undead Breath would instantly decay and collapse, reducing half a street to ash under the dragon’s breath.

At this moment, the priest standing in the street did not panic. At the critical moment, he blinked, and his figure instantly left the range of the dragon’s breath.

Meanwhile, the nearby thief had also gone invisible, and the two warriors were protecting the archer, who kept drawing her bow and shooting arrows while also looking for opportunities to attack.

Lide was witnessing the combat style of human advanced professionals for the first time.

Apparently, these humans were often in sync with one another, forming an unspoken understanding. Each knew what to do and when to do it.

So, even when faced with an 18-level Bone Dragon, there was no panic amongst them.

The warriors always stood in front of the archer and the priest, and although the thief remained invisible, the occasional strange noise from the rooftops still indicated that he was always looking for an opportunity.

Unfortunately, the Bone Dragon was too sensitive, and there was never a good moment.

The stalemate continued in this way.

The Bone Dragon had the advantage in the air, but due to its large size it lacked agility within the city, unable to deal with the five people.

The five people on the ground, although numerically superior, didn’t have air superiority. They could only helplessly watch as the Bone Dragon dominated the skies above.

Lide, witnessing this scene, was not too surprised. Both sides were tough, and after watching the lackluster battle for a moment, as if remembering something important, he suddenly turned his head to Emi and said,

“Emi, could you leave a space imprint on the Bone Dragon?”

Emi was startled and, after pondering for a moment, nodded decisively.

“The Bone Dragon’s body is very large; leaving a space imprint won’t be a problem. Moreover, since the Bone Dragon isn’t very intelligent, it won’t detect it.

The only problem is that due to the immense power within the Bone Dragon’s body, the space imprint can only last for half a Sunshine Hour before dissipating.”

Lide nodded, his eyes flashing with meaning.

“That will be enough. This Undead Mage won’t stay in Green City for long. Once the human Griffins and Pegasuses arrive, the Bone Dragon won’t have it so easy.

Once you leave the space imprint, will you be able to track this Undead Mage?”

Upon hearing the question, Emi thought for a moment before nodding firmly.

“As long as there is a space imprint and it’s within my casting distance, there will be absolutely no problem.”

As a Shadow High Priest, Emi had a strong grasp of spatial magic, or more precisely, the Shadow Side’s spatial magic.

Tracking through location was a simple operation, not a troublesome task for him.

Lide’s eyes brightened.

“Go leave a space imprint on the Bone Dragon, and be careful not to let the Undead Mage notice.

Since the people from the Dark Contract haven’t come, we should at least collect some other spoils of war.”

Emi, as the Shadow High Priest, was someone Lide did not worry about accomplishing the task of leaving an imprint on the Bone Dragon.

If he couldn’t do even that, then there wouldn’t be much use keeping this Shadow High Priest around.

Originally, he thought today would be a tough battle, but now the situation had drastically changed, and plans could not keep up with changes.

Although there was no need to confront Viscount Bernard, a being close to transcendent existence, head-on anymore, Lide was not content to let it go. He had prepared for so long, so without taking back some spoils of war, wouldn’t that be letting down his own planning today?

At this time, the Undead Mage Withered Bone, who was showing off on the Bone Dragon, naturally caught his eye. He had an enduring impression of this talkative fellow.

Furthermore, the hunting of an Undead Mage and an 18-level Bone Dragon seemed quite sweet.

Bang~

Just then, a more intense explosion sounded from the city center.

A terrifying presence, like the emergence of an abyssal demon out to destroy the world, filled the air with a heart-thumping fluctuation.

The aura of divinity.

Lide suddenly turned his head, his eyes narrowing.

Although he did not know what kind of battle the city center was undergoing at this moment, he was certain it was a hundred times more intense than at the Crimson Mage Tower.

Viscount Bernard opened the most central cabinet in the City Lord’s secret chamber with magic and took out a grey Magic Scroll made of unnamed Magic Materials, two palm-widths wide and half a blade long, his face showing a thick smile.

“The dense evil aura is no wonder that Transcendent didn’t carry it on him, this power can only be controlled by us from the Abyss.

Roy, let’s go, the Twelve Magic Scrolls are in hand…”

If Lide were here, he would be shocked by Viscount Bernard’s words, as the ultimate goal of the boss of the Dark Contract was actually the Legendary Divine Artifact crafted by the Creator God himself—the Twelve Magic Scrolls.

The Twelve Magic Scrolls, as the legend goes, were divided into twelve parts, each sealing a powerful and mysterious energy.

Most crucially, the Twelve Magic Scrolls could bestow unimaginable powers upon the Spellcasters,

and thus, the Twelve Magic Scrolls had always been regarded as the supreme Divine Artifact among mages; however, there had never been any reports of anyone acquiring it, so most Spellcasters considered it just an ancient myth.

The figure of the Eight-Armed Snake Demon, Roy, appeared in the secret chamber, its narrow green eyes taking a deep look at Viscount Bernard.

The gaze remained cold and brutal, and his body emitted a chilling aura.

“Viscount Bernard, don’t forget our agreement.”

Viscount Bernard smiled faintly, “I received the information about that young dragon last year, I swear by my soul, I have not deceived you.”

Roy nodded in satisfaction; the eight arms behind him carried eight long sabers, and the enormous grey-patterned snake tail writhed on the ground, appearing both resilient and terribly frightening.

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

The two exchanged a smile, but in their eyes, each held a meaning unknown to the other.

This was cooperation among Abyss Demons.

“Viscount Bernard, the people from the City Lord’s mansion have arrived, we need to withdraw.”

At that moment, an urgent figure came from outside the secret chamber. Hearing the report from the newcomer, Viscount Bernard nodded.

He left the secret chamber with Roy.

Now that he had obtained what he wanted, there was no need to stay any longer; the Gold Puck and various treasures in the secret chamber couldn’t even make Viscount Bernard take a second glance.

Quickly following his subordinates to the courtyard of the City Lord’s estate, Viscount Bernard was preparing to lead the subordinates of the Dark Contract to retreat when suddenly space rippled, crackling—

Like glass shattering, space violently shook and then collapsed.

A white-robed, short-statured old mage, his expression full of rage, appeared about thirty blades away from Viscount Bernard.

Magic Energy madly converged around the old man, even stirring up a Magic Tide within a few seconds.

The person was none other than Rock Hart, the only Extraordinary Mage from Green City who had entered the Abyss during Sunshine Hour.

“Lord Rock”

The guards, clad in Dwarf-forged full armor, hurriedly arrived upon seeing the old man, with unrestrained joy on their faces.

The moment Rock appeared, the crowd thought they were assured victory, as no one doubted how powerful a Transcendent could be.

“How is this possible, didn’t Lord Barro stop you from coming back?” Viscount Bernard’s eyes flickered with deep wariness and confusion upon seeing Rock, the Transcendent.

He had arranged for an Extraordinary Level Abyss Flame Demon to ambush Rock in the Abyss, even if the Flame Demon couldn’t kill Rock, he shouldn’t have let Rock escape the Abyss so quickly.

Hearing this, Rock’s wrinkled face showed a trace of disdain as he waved his hand and the space in front of him shattered.

Then, under everyone’s gaze, a giant skull, half the height of a person, fell out of the shattered space.

The skull bore enormous horns and exuded an extremely evil aura, chilling the ordinary guards even in death.

Drops of burning hot blood fell from the neck onto the ground, and the bluestone immediately corroded, creating pockmarks in a grotesquely horrifying scene.

An Abyss Demon.

“This weak Flame Demon is your ally??”

Viscount Bernard’s eyes widened in shock at the sight and he instinctively took a step back.

Looking back at Rock, his heart was filled with awe.

Too strong, this Transcendent was too strong!!

He guessed that the other might already be nearing Legendary status.

Even the Flame Demon, who was also of Transcendent-level, couldn’t withstand a single Sunshine Hour, too strong.

“Hand over the Twelve Magic Scrolls, Abyss Devil, these are not for you to touch.”

Rock’s tone was calm, but the presence of the Transcendent-level Flame Demon’s skull exerted tremendous pressure on Viscount Bernard and Roy, the Eight-Armed Snake Demon.

No one dared to ignore the will of a Transcendent, unless they wanted to meet Death right away.

Viscount Bernard’s face changed again and again, his previously graceful demeanor was nowhere to be found, his eyes filled with tension.

He gritted his teeth and fiercely pulled out a Magic Scroll from his bosom that emitted a heart-palpitating aura, tearing it open directly without giving anyone time to react.

An indescribable, terrifying presence appeared.

Brutal, cold, and at the same time—unparalleled in strength.

Divine Power!

Upon sensing that aura, Lord Rock’s eyes widened sharply and his hands instantly conjured two Four Circle Magics, but just as he was about to cast them, half a second before, the abundant Magic Energy in the air disappeared without a trace as if it had been drained.

The Spell that the Extraordinary Mage had just gathered shattered instantly.

“Magic Prohibition Domain?!!”

Lord Rock’s gaze narrowed, unable to contain the fury in his heart.

Damn it, this Abyss Demon was too prepared, actually borrowing the power of the Divine to create a Magic Prohibition Domain.

After seeing this scene, Viscount Bernard finally showed a smile, his blue eyes taking a deep look at Lord Rock.

“Lord Rock, I hope the next time we meet, we can have a real confrontation,” he said, then lifted the gray-white Divine Artifact in his hand, the Legendary Twelve Magic Scrolls emitting an extremely chaotic and evil aura, irresistibly eye-catching.

Then, under the gaze of everyone around, Viscount Bernard took out another Magic Scroll and tore it open.

A Teleportation Array immediately appeared under their feet, also infused with Divine Power.

“I’ve borrowed your Divine Artifact.” After saying these words, whoosh—the Teleportation Scroll activated, and Viscount Bernard and Roy vanished on the spot.

Lord Rock watched this scene, his wrinkled face turning ashen.

Deep anger filled his eyes.

A mere Abyss Demon who hadn’t reached the Transcendent realm dared to play him like this!! The damn bastard!!

With a wave of his hand, explosive Magic Energy surged, and the Magic Prohibition Domain created from Divine Power shattered like exploding glass.

A Magic Prohibition Domain made with Divine Power lasted only a mere ten or so seconds before this Extraordinary Being. If Viscount Bernard had delayed even a little longer, he would likely have been taught a lesson in Magic by this Extraordinary Existence.

After Viscount Bernard left, Lord Rock did not give up. After sensing briefly, he waved his hand, and the space in front of him fractured, and he stepped into it.

“The Space Gate outside of the city has been sealed by me. Deploy the troops to clear out the Demons in the city,” he said, then turned to look at Viscount Bernard’s subordinates, “And these evil Underground Forces, don’t let a single one escape.

“You don’t need to come for me. No matter where that damned Devil flees to, I will retrieve what belongs to me, Lord Rock.”

After his voice fell, the space healed, and the place that was bustling just moments ago was now empty.

The crowd outside the scene looked at each other, somewhat at a loss.

From Viscount Bernard’s surprise attack on the City Lord’s residence that broke the Magic Shield, to Lord Rock’s return, followed by the disappearance of the three, the entire process took only a few minutes.

Most people were still dazed.

But when they saw the people of the Dark Contract scattering and fleeing, they quickly came to their senses, following Lord Rock’s instructions to cleanse the damnable Underground Forces.

After Viscount Bernard used the power of the Divine to trap Lord Rock, the Transcendent, and escape, the Withered Bones who were fighting around the Crimson Mage Tower also withdrew the Bone Dragon after their last clash with the subterranean five-man squad, and with a flash, entered the Space Gate.

Because in the not-too-distant sky appeared thousands of Griffins and Pegasuses, if he delayed any longer, even with a Level 18 Bone Dragon, he would undoubtedly perish.

“Cackle cackle cackle~ Despicable humans, the great Lord Withered Bones is not someone you can resist. Today I’m graciously granting you the privilege to live a little longer.

Until our next meeting, I’ll send you to meet Death.”

The mocking blue gaze beneath the black headgear vanished behind the Space Gate after finishing these words.

On the ground, the five Advanced-Level Professionals did not have a Spellcaster skilled in Space Magic, and the only Spellcaster Priest was not familiar with Space Magic.

The group exchanged glances, only able to shake their heads and stop in their tracks.

This damned Undead Mage!

With that, the sudden attack that occurred within Green City came to an end.

Many civilians were still utterly confused, unaware of what had happened. Only a few high-ranked Professionals faintly understood the truth but dared not speak of it.

Because, the wrath of Lord Rock was not something that just anyone could bear.

Lide narrowed his eyes slightly after Withered Bones entered the Space Gate.

His sharp gaze fixed on where Withered Bones had left.

“Emi, pinpoint his space, and follow him,”

This prey, he was determined to capture!