Chapter 308: The Ancient Prince's Wariness

The vampires chasing Wang Sheng watched the Hua Republic cultivator, who had been flying backward while facing them, suddenly disappear into a thick blanket of white mist. The mist quickly spread in all directions, enveloping the sky, earth, and everything on all sides.

The vampires were forced to halt their advance. Still enraged, they looked around in bewilderment and uncertainty.

What is this? Some kind of scientifically created poisonous fog?

The moment the Ninefold Profound Spirit-Snaring Formation was activated, nearly three to four hundred vampires were simultaneously trapped within it. The vampires behind them had not noticed anything unusual either.

However, before they could enter, a withered, elderly man with graying hair and sunglasses suddenly appeared in front of the formation. He raised his left hand, and a barrier of pale-red light formed behind him. The vampires rushing from the rear crashed into one another in a rather undignified heap.

His movements seemed faintly unsteady, yet the aura he emitted and the oppressive force of his bloodline made the disordered vampires behind him immediately fall silent. Standing right at the edge of the formation, he lowered his voice and said, "Daoist sect formation."

His pronunciation hardly differed from the Hua language's ancient intonation from a thousand years ago.

In the Gelan language, he slowly added, "Do not go further. That is a formation of the cultivators of the Hua Republic. It can trap and kill without the user even needing to act. Once you enter, you may never leave."

The vampires exchanged glances. They could see the silhouettes of their clansmen flying forward, the seemingly ordinary grassy field ahead, and an Eastern female cultivator standing on the slope. More than a dozen of their captured kin were behind her.

The old man pointed ahead. The scene before them rippled faintly like a curtain and then vanished, the dense white mist replacing it. It covered several kilometers, and the three to four hundred vampires who had charged into it earlier had completely disappeared. Not even the faintest trace of their bloodline could be sensed.

The old man sighed softly. In modern Gelan, he said, "This is the outcome of your stubbornness, descendants of Vlad."

"My lord..."

A marquis and a count flew up to the old man and spoke to him in hushed tones.

The old man only shook his head gently, repeatedly refusing their pleas.

"I have warned you long ago. You may go anywhere in the world to reproduce, grow your progeny, and enjoy your long lives. However, you must never touch the East, especially today's Hua Republic. In ancient times, it had already developed enough to make us tremble.

"You may think I am exaggerating, children, but over one thousand seven hundred years ago, we did something very much like what you are doing now. Our families were several times bigger back then, and the army we prepared was dozens of times larger than this.

"When we reached the borders of that ancient land, a middle-aged man appeared before us and instantly annihilated our forces. From that day onward, we began to decline until we were reduced to a state where missionaries could chase us down and strike at will."

"But my lord, what about our clansmen inside?"

"Are we not going to avenge the prince, my lord? We have already lost so many clansmen today..."

The surrounding members of the Blood Race were all simmering with anger, yet none dared look directly at the old man's back.

Just as the old man was about to respond, a chorus of shrill screams echoed from the white mist ahead. It seemed to have come from tens or even hundreds of kilometers away, yet also right beside their ears.

Only the Blood Race could understand the meaning of those cries. They heard in them the helplessness and terror of their kin who were moments before death.

The old man shook his head slowly. "Even if I were to go in, I can't guarantee I'll be able to bring anyone out. I might not even make it out myself. Starting today, let the Vlad family become a vassal of the other five houses. The folly of their prince is theirs alone to repay."

Many vampires' expressions changed, especially those from the Vlad family, yet no one dared voice dissent. After all, they could feel the old man's power and authority as plainly as the air they breathed.

The shrieks lasted three minutes. The mist churned, and the cries abruptly vanished.

A dark silhouette slowly emerged from the white mist. The old man silently removed his sunglasses. Though his eyes were clouded with age, they now had a trace of tension.

The silhouette grew clearer, revealing a longsword in his right hand angled toward the ground. He was in a light-blue Daoist robe, his long hair was tied with a Daoist hairpin, and his expression was calm and composed.

A force of unmatched dominance radiated from the man and his sword, making the very air feel like a mire. Step by step, he came forward. Not one vampire dared meet him head-on. Many even retreated instinctively.

The old man frowned slightly, yet slowly lowered his head and bowed. In his somewhat unpracticed ancient intonation of the Hua language, he softly said, "My clansmen mean no offense, esteemed Eastern cultivator. Because of Gucci Vlad's stubbornness, what could have been the start of our friendship has been shadowed with mistrust. For this, I feel deep regret."

Wang Sheng narrowed his eyes and only snorted coldly. His gaze showed a hint of disdain, while his demeanor made him seem as though he was in a foul mood and ready to kill.

If someone who knew Wang Sheng had been here, like Huai Jing or Liu Yunzhi, they would probably feel a twinge of doubt in their hearts. They would even wonder if he was truly Wang Sheng or if he had been possessed.

His open display of dominance and air that seemed to say, "I alone stand supreme," as if no one else was worth his regard, was completely different from his usual behavior. Normally, he spoke with a faint smile, and his eyes were always calm and still.

***

A few minutes earlier, the instant the formation was activated and the ancient vampire prince appeared, Yaoyun immediately warned Wang Sheng.

"An ancient foreign devil at the Tribulation Realm?"

Wang Sheng was startled, but he quickly realized that she was probably talking about one of the three ancient Blood Race princes from a thousand years ago.

"

Yes. A fiend steeped in slaughter,

"

Yaoyun said softly.

"

Do you have the will to slay such a being?

"

Wang Sheng smiled bitterly. "A Tribulation Realm vampire's combat methods are rather limited, but even if we were to consider him to be only as strong as a peak Rebirth Realm cultivator, he would still be two major realms above me. I can't win against him."

He then looked at the surrounding mist.

"Can we lure him into the formation?"

"

This formation can trap him for three days. To kill him, you and Hua Qing would have to work together or prepare an even deadlier killing formation.

"

Wang Sheng pondered for a few moments, then looked for his senior sister to discuss the matter. This was also why, after the formation was triggered, they had not immediately killed the vampires trapped inside.

Wang Sheng had already anticipated that an ancient vampire would appear. What he did not expect was for them to be as strong as Xi Lian.

To their dismay, the half-immortal fox was nowhere to be found. She had said that she would catch up, yet she still hadn't appeared.

Thanks to Yaoyun's guidance, Wang Sheng did not lose his way within the trapping formation despite not being an expert in formations. He soon found his senior sister and Flying Haze, which was hovering beside her as the core of the formation.

While the old man outside was speaking to his "descendants" about the Blood Race's eastern expedition a thousand years ago, Wang Sheng, Mu Wanxuan, and Yaoyun discussed countermeasures. The formation could last at most three days. If the ancient prince outside did not leave, it would be a grave problem for Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan.

Even without Yaoyun's help, Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan could still fight the ancient prince. However, if the standoff dragged on, it could spark a battle between the Blood Race and the Daoist sects right here. One ancient vampire prince was enough to place unprecedented pressure on the Daoist sects, not to mention three.

The Daoist sects naturally had their own ways to deal with the situation, such as the sixteen "grand elders" whom they had recently brought back from the Small Nether Realm. In Wang Sheng's opinion, though, those elders were not particularly reliable.

"

That fiend seems somewhat wary of the Daoist sects. Even though he's only facing a simple trapping formation, he's been hesitating for so long.

"

An idea suddenly occurred to Wang Sheng.

"Why don't we try psychological warfare, then? Let's take a gamble."

Yaoyun was puzzled. "

Psychological warfare? What is that?

"

Mu Wanxuan tilted her head as well.

"It means to engage in a battle of wits. Let's see if we can intimidate him," Wang Sheng explained as his thoughts began to flow.

The Blood Race currently seemed formidable because their power came from awakening their bloodline. The Daoist sects, on the other hand, passed down the path of cultivation, with each generation of cultivators training step by step. That was why the Blood Race could now threaten the Daoist sects' peace.

However, before the world's primal qi was severed over a thousand years ago, the Blood Race would have been nothing more than foreign fiends of little consequence. Moreover, before the Heavenly Court departed, the heavenly soldiers and generals had surely purged the ancient Blood Race as well. Their "ancient princes" were just mere survivors of that incident.

Wang Sheng grew more convinced that the vampires harbored a deep, instinctive fear toward the Daoist sects.

Maybe we can put their fear to use.

"Senior sister, work with me here. Kill all the vampires within the formation as quickly as possible."

Yaoyun instantly understood Wang Sheng's plan. "

If you fail to intimidate him, your plan will spiral into a fight to the death.

"

"That's fine. The odds are slim, but never zero."

Wang Sheng tightened his grip on Spiritless. He exchanged a smile with Mu Wanxuan, and they vanished into the mist from opposite sides.

Flying Haze also vibrated faintly as it activated the various mechanisms within the formation. Lightning flashed, and the yin-yang millstone turned.

Protected by the formation, Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan moved as if they were traversing uninhabited lands. They swiftly cut down the vampires who ran about like headless flies. Screams rang out in quick succession.

A few minutes later, the vampires within the formation were annihilated. Wang Sheng signaled his senior sister to return to Flying Haze and prepare to assist at any moment. Afterward, he gripped Spiritless again, took a deep breath, and walked out of the formation.