“What’s this? What is this!? Aren’t you going to explain?”
The special page formed from the Vampire Countess’s soul naturally caught Lin Jun’s attention right away, and a Puji was currently flipping it back and forth curiously.
The Yellow Book behaved quite obediently this time, without the slightest attempt at evasion.
[Boss, just give me a little blood and I’ll show you.]
Very soon, a Puji’s fresh blood was brought over.
The faint golden border on the page lit up. The blood was pulled into the air, instantly transforming into countless micro blood blades—the very same technique Uniel had once unleashed on the battlefield!
The blood blades whirled like a storm toward a nearby cliff face, screeching as they shredded it. In an instant, the hard rock was gouged into a mangled, pockmarked mess!
Then the blades dissipated, spilling uselessly to the ground.
At the page’s edge, the golden border dimmed by one-fourth.
Lin Jun nodded in understanding. “So it’s basically a consumable that can fire off four hall-level attacks?”[Exactly.]
“How weak…”
[Boss! I’m just a poor little book—this is already a rare life-saving measure!]
“Fair enough.”
Were there hidden abilities? Perhaps yes, perhaps no—Lin Jun couldn’t tell for sure.
But since the Yellow Book had shown this of its own accord, and given that it had just played a key role in Louisa’s ascension, Lin Jun didn’t press further or tear the page apart.
Uniel alive had never been much of a threat. Her soul sealed into a page was even less so.
As for the Yellow Book, at most it was scheming to escape control. It would never again get a chance like when it had tried to seize the dungeon core.
And if one day it really did run off? That wasn’t a problem. As long as Lin Jun had wrung enough value from it before then, it was worth it.
Just like today!
“By the way,” Lin Jun changed the topic, “you still haven’t finished atoning for your crimes!”
[Boss! You promised I could keep my pages!]
The book pressed its last two sheets flat against its hard cover, terrified of being torn out.
“You can keep the pages. I’m talking about you serving as armor!”
…
Lin Jun strapped the Yellow Book back onto Jida, but this time, instead of the chest, it was fixed to the left arm—serving as a shield.
Now, against ranged attacks, Jida had both the magic shield and the Yellow Book.
Against melee? The Yellow Book again.
[Wait… doesn’t that mean I’ll just get hit more?!]
“This is for your own good.”
[?]
“The more hits you take, the sooner you’ll finish atoning. Then you’ll regain your freedom sooner. Don’t you get it?”
A long silence.
[Boss… you are absolutely right.]
Norris didn’t comment, but it was obvious—he really liked having the Yellow Book fighting at his side.
…
Little Pig slept for three full days. The moment she woke, she rushed to test her strength.
[Blood Manipulation LV9]
The standard blood clan ability, but each user had their own style.
Little Pig’s piercing blood threads, Uniel’s storm of petal-shaped blades, even the Pujis’ clumsy lumps of blood control—all had their unique forms.
Now, however, Little Pig’s style bore traces of Uniel.
Her formerly simple blood threads now outlined countless elegant petal shapes.
Stronger or weaker? Hard to say. But it looked suspiciously like… fusion.
If Lin Jun hadn’t seen with his own eyes the Yellow Book devour Uniel’s soul, he would almost suspect the ritual had forcibly fused two souls together.
Another result: Little Pig’s level had jumped from LV50 to LV53 in one go—three levels at once!
If this ritual weren’t so risky… could a vampire spam it on their kin and power-level to the max?
What a sinister ritual!
Fortunately, it only preyed on vampires. The Pujis couldn’t care less.
The last change was the mycelium.
Normally, mycelium proliferating to repair the body wasn’t unusual. But no one else’s growth had ever been this wild.
Usually, once the body was healed, the new flesh would replace the fungus and restore balance.
But in Louisa’s case, after finishing the repair… the mycelium refused to retreat!
Her skin now bore nearly twice the fungal markings from before.
The pale surface was crisscrossed with dense, conspicuous white-grey lines.
What little beauty she still had in her pallor was completely ruined.
If this ritual was repeated, would Little Pig end up entirely replaced by fungus?
The Ship of Theseus, perhaps?
Even Lin Jun thought it was absurd. Yet Little Pig herself didn’t care in the slightest.
Looks “downgraded”? Not worth mentioning. She focused fully on testing the changes.
The fused blood blades, the livelier mycelium—what new power could they grant?
Strength was all she sought!
——
The demonkin castle still stood tall atop its hill.
Even at night, the clang of weapons and shouts of training echoed from its yard, though some were missing.
A bat burst from the night sky, swooping down!
A stationed demonkin mage instantly shot up to intercept.
He didn’t immediately trigger the castle’s defensive wards—after all, the visitor was clearly blood clan. Still, etiquette demanded even blood clan enter by the front gate, not barge in like this.
But the newcomer had no intention of showing courtesy. With a flick of its wings, violent winds erupted!
The demonkin mage was tossed like a leaf, spinning out of control, about to smash into a stone wall—
A large hand grabbed his neck scruff.
The demonkin chieftain leapt up, set his clansman down, and glared at the hovering bat. “Visarius, a dignified prince—picking on juniors? Aren’t you ashamed?”
The bat landed, black mist surging, revealing a brooding yet strikingly handsome man. “Dean! Uniel is dead! I can feel it!”
“Oh.” Dean’s reply was flat.
“And that false intel you fed me—don’t you owe me an explanation?!” Prince Visarius stepped forward. Though not as physically imposing as Dean, the chilling aura around him froze the air.
“Explanation?” Dean’s lips curled without humor. “I lost a hall-level elite myself. You stuffed your own people in here just for some fresh blood, and now you want to blame me when it backfires?”
“Wasn’t there another one?” Visarius’s voice cut like ice. “That one called Grey. After random teleportation, he crawled out of Dragoncliff Dungeon. Where is he?”
Dean’s eyes narrowed. Grey’s survival wasn’t exactly secret, but few knew the details so clearly.
So this old bat had planted spies among his own ranks?
“Where is he?!” Visarius pressed.
“In the dungeon. Locked up.” Dean’s tone was heavy.
“I’m taking him.” Visarius strode forward, but Dean blocked his path like a wall.
Dean could guess: Visarius wanted to use Grey for some tracking method. And knowing vampire secret arts, Grey would likely be ruined afterward.
“How he’s handled is our demonkin’s internal matter. No need for a prince to meddle.”
The air froze. The two auras clashed, escalating toward a fight.
Nearby demonkin guards clenched their teeth, trying to lift weapons—but their arms felt like lead, cold sweat soaking their backs.
Then suddenly—the suffocating pressure lifted. The guards could breathe again.
Prince Visarius merely smoothed his fine robes.
The emperor would never allow prince and duke to fight in earnest.
In other words, “small friction” was tolerable.
With one last bloody glare at Dean, Visarius turned, became a bat, and vanished into the night.
Dean stood firm, chest heaving once, then strode off toward the dungeons.
Unless he gave Grey another beating, his fury would not be quenched!