Novels online

Chapter 112: The Best and Worst of Times

Bai Mo sat on a laboratory stool, formerly a living room chair, gazing blankly at the pile of delivered items.

Three silken cocoons, each containing a vampire; several jars of liquid gold, the remnants of deceased vampires; a whopping five hundred kilograms of Spirit Stones; and, of course, three crates of books.

"Is there anything you wish to say?" Bai Mo wanted to see if he could extract any more valuable information from them.

After his mental fluctuations reached the cocoons, there was a swift reaction within, but he waited for a while longer and heard no reply.

"I forgot you can't speak right now."

Just as the ghost had taught him before, Bai Mo transmitted a simple method of mental communication via spiritual fluctuations. Soon, information successfully emerged from within.

After all, this method of communication, apart from requiring a certain level of mental strength, was not difficult to learn at all.

"If you have no intention of letting us go, then there's no need to talk." They stated their stance bluntly, their long-held arrogance not yet completely shattered by their crushing defeat.

"If you cooperate, letting you go isn't an issue."

"You want to cooperate with us?"

"No. Cooperation only exists between equals. Your only choices are to obey orders, or to become food."

"..." Hearing these words, the voices from within the cocoons became somewhat irritated.

"I'm not in a hurry; it should be you who are more anxious," Bai Mo hinted.

"How could you know!"

"I know far more than you can imagine..."

After receiving Ou Gao La Si's memories, he was quite clear that the cultivation techniques practiced by these "vampires" before him were still a considerable distance from the stage where they would no longer require blood. For them, being unable to absorb blood for extended periods was as repulsive as a normal person being forced to breathe only through their mouth and not their nose.

"Ugh..."

"Take your time; I'm not suffering at all," Bai Mo said patiently.

"Alright, I agree."

"We agree too."

In the end, the desire to live still overshadowed their so-called dignity, especially for vampires who possessed long lifespans. Years of lavish indulgence had already eroded their last vestiges of fighting spirit...

"Could you release us first?" The three impatiently pleaded.

The sensation of their entire bodies being mixed together like a paste, combined with the nauseating feeling caused by the lack of fresh blood, was undoubtedly an unforgettable experience.

Before their voices had faded, a "bang" resounded. The large cocoon, which would have required two people to encircle, burst open from within. However, under Bai Mo's ingenious control, not a single piece of its contents fell to the ground; everything floated suspended in mid-air.

The three figures, neither human nor ghost, coalesced into human forms in mid-air, then struggled and crawled out of the cocoon, which had split into two halves.

"The Undying Body."

"How could you possibly know that technique! I left absolutely no records of it in the ancient castle!" They immediately grew agitated at the mention of the term.

"That is not your concern," Bai Mo said, adopting an unforthcoming demeanor.

"Over the next few years, your task will be to teach the individuals we designate how to cultivate the Undying Body." He continued to ignore the agitated trio, calmly assigning their mission.

"Understood." Upon hearing the task Bai Mo assigned them, Ma Li instantly realized — Bai Mo, or rather the organization behind him, was not content with merely capturing existing members of the Blood Clan; they intended to artificially cultivate a far greater number...

After all, many years ago, they themselves had merely been human. With a sufficient supply of blood, mass production was entirely possible.

Having grasped this, she knew perfectly well that if any of them raised objections after hearing these secrets, the three of them would undoubtedly be silenced immediately.

...

One after another, the three human figures emerged from the restroom, having restored their normal appearances.

"For the next month, do not leave my house. Otherwise, it will be considered a breach of our agreement, and I will personally eliminate you."

Hearing these conditions, and comparing the strength of both sides, they immediately chose to enter hibernation mode, finding a random corner to lie down in.

"According to Ou Gao La Si's memories, vampires not in hibernation can likely only go a maximum of fifteen days without ingesting blood. After a major battle and these ten days of depletion, they should be just about at their limit."

"No matter how many times I see it, there's always an intense desire to devour it..." After handling the three, Bai Mo used his mental power to purify all the delivered liquid gold, erasing the residual spiritual imprints upon it.

He had always been intensely curious as to why this substance, originating from the Blood Clan, triggered his appetite. In a sense, liquid gold also belonged to "human" tissue, so consuming it could probably be classified as cannibalism.

A normal life form should not possess such a strong desire to consume its own kind unless pushed to the brink of desperation.

In the blink of an eye, another week passed. Ever since the independence movement erupted in the southern United States, ambitious individuals around the world began to emerge once more, one after another.

In several small nations, numerous young people who had gained abilities and, after a period of evolution, felt themselves invincible, launched coups at the instigation of ambitious figures.

Yet, most of them underestimated the power of those in authority. Some died at the hands of ability users loyal to the government forces, while others were pacified, or succumbed to various subtle pressures, becoming mere enforcers.

The remaining few embarked on paths of exile, becoming destabilizing factors in turbulent regions.

Of course, there were also a few successes, or rather, lucky individuals, who, when the major powers were too preoccupied to interfere, successfully took power, established new governments, and ushered in an era of ability user rule.

However, whether in victory or defeat, the battles between ability users directly or indirectly led to massive casualties among ordinary people, greatly increasing the public's resentment towards ability users.

After the "Black Emperor" Ga'nan successfully took power in Ethiopia, he enacted new hierarchical decrees that granted extensive privileges to ability users.

This decree even more thoroughly fractured the two social strata. If it weren't for ordinary people breaking through into the Spirit Animation Stage daily and becoming members of the ability user class, he even intended to turn all non-ability users nationwide into slaves.

Ga'nan's actions were swiftly emulated by several nations where ability users held power, and the promotion of hierarchical decrees temporarily gained widespread momentum.

The renowned modern world historian, Cicero, used the following subtitle in his latest published article: "This is the best of times, for everything begins anew; this is the worst of times, for the strong can act with impunity.".