Chapter 506: [Bloodline Tracing Summoning Ritual], Contracted Servant |
"Lord Hammond, Lord Hammond, save me! You have to save me!"
A feeble, exhausted voice rang out. Yu Yuan turned to look.
He saw Jiu Feng, Miller, and Hammond walking toward him.
Behind them was that Bronze-tier vampire.
But unlike the first time Yu Yuan had seen him, his condition was drastically different. He wasn't just thinner—his body had shrunk significantly, and dark, heavy bags hung under his eyes.
"How did he end up like this..."
Yu Yuan was somewhat surprised.
Miller said calmly, "It might be due to excessive blood draws over the past few days. Time was tight and the workload heavy—we needed to collect more useful data before performing the ritual, so the research has been quite intensive."
As he said this, a smile curled at the corner of Miller's lips. Clearly, he had made some new discoveries in his research on the vampire.
"Oh?" Yu Yuan raised an eyebrow, looking at Miller.
"Explain."
"According to our tests, a vampire's heart doesn't actually stop beating. It just beats extremely slowly—roughly once every hour. That's what created the illusion that their hearts don't beat at all.
Additionally, by comparing physical examinations with Hammond, we discovered that Silver-tier vampires have crystallized hearts that have transformed into Blood Energy Cores. The Blood Energy concentration in their blood has increased by over a dozen times, creating an energy tide phenomenon.
The reason Silver-tier vampires are exceptionally powerful is definitely closely related to the appearance of Blood Energy Cores."
Yu Yuan immediately seized on the key point.
"What is an energy tide?"
Excitement gleamed in Miller's eyes.
"It's the activity level of Blood Energy or bloodline. Bronze-tier vampires haven't formed Blood Energy Cores, so their energy tide characteristics aren't very obvious.
But Silver-tier energy tide features are extremely pronounced—active at night, sluggish during the day. This perfectly overlaps with vampire activity patterns. That means the reason vampires prefer nocturnal activity isn't just due to sunlight sensitivity.
The energy tide characteristics in their bloodline also play a significant role."
Yu Yuan's expression shifted slightly.
No wonder Mona had chosen this exact time for the ritual—it was precisely when vampire bloodline energy tides were at their peak.
"Then let's begin."
The vampire behind them was dragged onto the [Altar of Life], and his pleas shifted into curses.
"Hammond, you damned traitor! The Lord of Moon Shadow won't forgive you, and Duke Yegu won't forgive you either! Not to mention our ancestor Gu..."
Before he could finish, Mona slapped him across the mouth.
The vampire's howls and curses immediately turned into garbled, incoherent sounds.
After stuffing the vampire's mouth, Mona dragged him to the center of the ritual area.
A ritual dagger forged from silver appeared in Mona's hand. At the dagger's hilt, a black crystal the size of a pigeon egg gleamed with dazzling light.
Yu Yuan checked the time. Ten minutes remained.
Everyone prepared in silence.
After thinking for a moment, Yu Yuan opened the Virtual Light Screen—the Book of Fate.
He had accumulated quite a few cards recently.
Quite a few intelligence cards and Celestial Phenomena cards.
Finally, Yu Yuan's gaze settled on two of them.
— [Intelligence Card - Secret Aura] (Bronze-tier): Upon using this card, affinity with spirituality increases significantly for a period of time. Success rate for spirituality-related actions greatly increases.
— [Celestial Phenomenon - Omen of Frenzy] (Gold-tier): When released on a target, severs all external connections and disturbs all traces of the target's existence. Stealthily applies the [Frenzy] effect to all entities closely connected to the target.
[Frenzy]: Cognitive deviations occur, gradually amplifying inner irritability and rage.
The [Bloodline Tracing Summoning Ritual] could only summon at most Silver-tier lifeforms.
But Yu Yuan knew that among Silver-tier beings, there was a world of difference.
Hammond was also Silver-tier, yet his combat power was pathetically weak.
Meanwhile, the Duke Yegu, representative of the [Newborn Faction], was also Silver-tier, yet he was already a Top 0 existence below Gold-tier.
The two couldn't even be compared.
As fusion material for a blood-sucking werewolf, if they wanted to minimize the influence of the vampire's higher-ranking sire, the closer to the bloodline's source the better.
But bloodline rank and power were directly proportional—the higher the rank, the stronger the being.
And the more dangerous it would be later.
These two cards were exactly what he needed here.
"Let's gamble. If we're going to do it, let's go big!"
Yu Yuan made his decision.
Time gradually approached the scheduled moment for the ritual.
Just before Mona began the ceremony, Yu Yuan activated [Intelligence Card - Secret Aura].
The card dissolved, transforming into flowing light that enveloped Mona.
Qingqing, already in position, led others to light the six candles surrounding the ritual area.
Then each of them took out a handful of powdered spiritual materials, scattered them toward the candles, and immediately withdrew from the ritual hall.
Holding the silver dagger, Mona stabbed it straight into the vampire's heart.
*Chhhh—*
The dagger pierced his heart.
The candle flames surged.
A bloody scent filled the ritual hall.
Dozens of bat-like black shadows flew out from the vampire's body, darting chaotically around the assembly hall.
They had no physical form—just shadows, moving freely through the candlelight unhindered.
The vampire's heart was pierced, and dark-red blood flowed across the ground, absorbed by the ritual grooves and moving outward along the channels.
The blood gushed uncontrollably from the wound in the vampire's heart.
The vampire's body began to convulse, his instincts fighting desperately for survival.
But Mona had already moved to the head of the vampire.
She pressed one hand on his forehead.
"Dark Sanctum!"
With her soft whisper, deep purple light radiated from Mona's body, and her long hair whipped through the air.
The vampire gasped out his final breath, unwilling.
In the moment of his death, the deep purple light around Mona transformed into chains that clattered and writhed, burrowing directly into the vampire's body.
Then she made a pulling motion outward, straining with visible difficulty.
"No... no..."
The vampire's spectral soul was dragged out from his corpse, its ethereal form already wrapped in deep purple chains.
It was the vampire who had just died.
Yu Yuan narrowed his eyes.
This was his first time witnessing the terror of the [Dark High Priestess].
"No... no! You will all die! All of you! I swear it! I swear it..."
Amid the vampire's harrowing curses, the chains delivered him before Mona.
Mona raised one finger and, like stamping a seal, pressed it onto the vampire's forehead and heart.
Her lips moved slightly.
"I am the master. You are the servant. The contract is established."