97: Lower Town

“What happened?”

“Did you attack the Oak Tree Cathedral?”

Inside the underground grotto.

Elvin’s face on the tree trunk stared in astonishment at the pale, perfect woman’s face in Marcus’s hand.

“Don’t even mention it.”

The steel needles on Marcus’s face trembled slightly, emitting a fine rubbing sound.

“We ran into a crazy old man.”

“He actually gathered the power of his entire Bloodline onto himself, not even afraid of exploding.”

He said in a hoarse voice.

Meanwhile, the face of Sheila in his hand,

Her features twisted abruptly, letting out a sharp, piercing female scream.

“It’s all your fault! You lost my body!”

“Otherwise, I would have torn that old geezer apart!”

“I’m going to sew his old face onto the butt of a twisted creature!!!”

Sheila’s face writhed frantically,

Tiny tendrils of flesh continuously emerged from its edges, extending outwards, seemingly trying to break free.

“Alright, alright.”

Marcus shook his head, responding hoarsely.

“If we don’t leave now, not only will you not get your body back, but you’ll lose your face there too.”

“I feel that old man hasn’t used his full power yet.”

His tone became a little heavier.

“There’s a very strong curse aura in his Bloodline power.”

“Elvin, you should recognize it, right?”

Hearing this, Elvin chuckled softly.

“The one you encountered should be the third-generation ancestor of the Claus Family.”

“He’s of the same generation as my grandfather and has lived for over seven hundred years.”

“The Claus Family also has special Bloodline secret arts, so they’re not that easy to deal with.”

“Otherwise, how could they coexist with our Oak Family in this Oak Tree Territory until now?”

Elvin paused, a hint of admiration in his voice.

“Any True Blood noble Family that has survived for a thousand years, whether it’s Claus, Grey Rock, or the semi-reclusive Osiri Family to the south, which one doesn’t have a trump card?”

“Although in recent millennia, True Blood nobles have become increasingly low-key due to the troubles of Bloodline disease.”

“Many powerful noble Families with ancient Legacies are in a semi-secluded state, and most of their strong members have fallen into slumber.”

“But one cannot underestimate the heritage of True Blood nobles because of this.”

“After all, we are the true Dominators who have ruled this world for tens of thousands of years.”

Then, Elvin’s expression became serious, and he looked at Marcus,

“Did the Witch King give you any instructions for this visit?”

Marcus shook his head,

“The Witch King asked us to help you retrieve the Substitute Yin Skeleton so you can continue with the ritual.”

He put away Sheila’s restless face, his voice solemn.

“Now that the Substitute Yin Skeleton is completely lost, we can only find a way to compensate.”

“Fortunately, we obtained a bloodline fruit, so the situation isn’t too bad yet.”

Elvin’s face on the tree trunk lowered his gaze slightly.

“The effect of the cleansing operation has gradually faded.”

“There are fewer and fewer small noble Families that can be purged.”

“And the great noble Families won’t easily fight among themselves; even beasts aren’t willing to get injured.”

“It will probably be difficult to gather so much extraordinary Blood again.”

A cold glint flashed in Marcus’s eyes.

“Then we will personally take action and slaughter a few great noble Families.”

“Anyway, whatever our Holy Meal Society does, no one will find it strange.”

Elvin was silent for a moment.

“That will definitely attract the attention of the Radiant Light Holy Court.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Marcus’s voice carried a hint of fanaticism.

“The Witch King will help us divert attention.”

“As long as it drags on until you complete the ritual, what can the Holy See do even if they find out?”

He changed the subject, his tone chilling.

“Why don’t we just kill a thousand-year True Blood Family and directly gather enough Bloodline?”

“This would be the fastest progress, and the Substitute Yin Skeleton formed from high-level Bloodline would also be of better quality, which would be most beneficial for the ritual.”

“We can’t delay any longer; the longer we wait, the more variables there will be!”

Elvin did not reply immediately, remaining silent for a long time, seemingly deep in thought.

A deathly silence fell over the grotto, broken only by the faint sound of dripping water.

“Claus and Grey Rock are both difficult to deal with.”

After a while, Elvin’s voice sounded again, carrying a hint of profoundness.

“Among the three thousand-year True Blood Families in Oak Tree Territory, the one in the worst condition is the Osiri Family to the south.”

“But they have guarded the edge of the Whispering Forest for generations.”

“Without them, I’m afraid the twisted creatures from the Whispering Forest will soon enter Oak Tree Territory.”

“That will lead to another chaos.”

Marcus chuckled lowly.

“Isn’t that just perfect?”

“The more chaotic the situation, the harder it will be for the Holy See to notice us.”

“The Osiri Family, what is their Bloodline?”

Elvin slowly uttered a few words.

“Ancient Harpies.”

...

Oak Tree City, the dirty and chaotic Lower City District.

Grey-white, low-rise buildings were crammed together, their plaster peeling off in large sections, revealing the rough earth beneath.

Sewage mixed with various filth flowed wantonly on the muddy dirt roads, emitting a nauseating, sour stench.

Li Ke’s figure, Li Ke a ghost, walked through these streets.

His face was enveloped by a layer of hazy, illusory fluctuation,

This was the effect of Phantom Building Fist,

Everyone around him would see a different appearance when they looked at him, and then immediately forget it.

Li Ke’s purpose in coming here was clear:

To find suitable candidates for planting Demonic Path.

The Demonic Path itself contained extreme emotions such as destruction, subversion, and resentment.

Therefore, the more painful a place was, the more likely it was to breed demonic nature.

And in this world, those who truly understood pain might not be the innocent children,

But rather these lowly people barely surviving on the edge of despair.

Li Ke’s gaze swept around.

Many commoners infected with disease sat slumped in the sewage in the corner, their bodies showing signs of flesh withering and decaying in many places, their entire beings reduced to mere skeletons, their eyes hollow.

“Wasting Sickness.”

Li Ke frowned slightly.

According to the memories he obtained through soul-searching,

This plague had been spreading in Oak Tree Territory for quite some time.

It was especially widespread near Oak Tree City, breaking out from time to time and claiming a batch of lives.

The symptoms were the gradual withering and festering of flesh, leading to death.

Once contracted,

There was almost no effective treatment method other than waiting for death.

Fortunately, this plague generally only affected people with particularly weak resistance,

Normal ordinary people rarely got infected,

And Bloodline Knights with strong vitality had never been recorded to be infected.

So this plague was most severe in the Lower City District,

While the noble Families completely ignored it.

Li Ke continued to walk forward,

Gradually entering the deeper parts of the Lower City District.

The foul smell in the air grew even more pungent.

At the entrance of a narrow alley,

A emaciated woman, her face struggling to force a smile,

Struck a seductive pose, trying to exchange her allure for a bit of food for her child.

Several naked, scrawny children,

Gathered around a stinking mud pit,

Prodding the wriggling maggots inside with their fingers, as if it were a fun game.

When Li Ke approached,

The refugees all showed fearful expressions,

Hastily lowering their heads or dodging away.

“Is it because of my clothes?”

Li Ke looked down at himself.

Although he wasn’t wearing any luxurious clothes,

His clean cloth robe already stood out immensely here.

Li Ke’s thoughts stirred,

An illusory fluctuation enveloped his entire body,

Making him appear completely familiar to the commoners, Li Ke one of their own, without any sense of abruptness.

As he walked along,

Dark light quietly circulated in Li Ke’s eyes,

He carefully examined the Qi on these commoners.

However, the result was somewhat disappointing.

In the special vision granted by the Demon Summoning Scripture,

On these suffering commoners, he could only see faint wisps of grey-white vitality, barely maintaining their most basic life activities.

There was hardly a trace of demonic nature to be seen.

“Have they become numb?”

Li Ke mused in his heart.

“That’s how people are; once they’re completely desperate, they self-dissolve.”

“They start to believe that everything should be this way, has always been this way, everyone is Li Ke this...”

“Or they comfort themselves with fantasies, Li Ke praying for a next life, hoping for peace after death...”

“But.”

“Demonic Path is about unwillingness, dissatisfaction, refusal...”

“It is the most unrestrained and lawless existence in the world.”

“Once even the will to resist is completely worn away, naturally, no demonic nature will be bred.”

Li Ke sighed softly, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

He turned around, preparing to leave this oppressive area.

Just then,

From behind a few low-rise buildings in the distance, a clear, melodious ringing suddenly sounded.

Ding-a-ling... Ding-a-ling...

Upon hearing this ringing,

A group of children who had been dazed by the mud pit,

As if hearing some kind of summons, quickly ran past him, surging towards the direction from which the ringing came.

Some commoners who had been slumped against the wall,

Also struggled to get up from the ground, tottering towards that direction.