We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 488 [The Crimson Lord] and [The River of Blood]

Under Al-Kain's leadership.

The group passed through the temple's deep corridors and arrived at a hidden underground palace.

The walls here are inlaid with dark red crystals, which emit a faint light.

An ancient and mysterious atmosphere permeated the air.

"This is the safest secret chamber in the temple."

Alkain explained, "Even among the elders, very few know of its existence."

Xia En looked around and noticed a complex magic circle engraved on the ground.

At the center of the magic circle is a pattern of a blood moon.

It has the same shape as the entrance to the Crimson Realm.

"This is……"

Alkain followed Shane's gaze, his expression turning solemn, and spoke.

"This is the ancient Blood Moon Teleportation Array, which leads directly to the core of the Holy Blood Lake."

Feiya stepped forward, her rose-gold eyes fixed on the magic circle.

For some reason, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

It was as if something was calling to him.

At this moment, Alkain continued, "Your Highness, the Grand Elder is right."

"You are indeed our only hope."

"But before that, you need to accept the royal inheritance and awaken the dormant power of your bloodline."

Xia En frowned slightly: "How long will this take?"

"Hard to say."

Al-Kain shook his head: "It could take anywhere from a few days to several months."

"It depends on the degree to which His Highness's bloodline has awakened."

Xia En looked at Fei Ya, waiting for his decision.

After a moment of contemplation, Fei Ya spoke.

"I need to think about it for a while longer."

Alkain frowned slightly: "Your Highness, the situation is actually quite urgent."

"Please make a decision as soon as possible."

Xia En stepped forward: "In any case, this is Fei Ya's own decision."

"Are you going to force the prince you speak of to make a choice?"

Alkain and Shane stared at each other for a moment before finally compromising.

"alright, I got it."

After Al-Kain left, the crew members immediately sat down together.

"I always felt that things weren't that simple."

Joey whispered, "It seems there are many secrets hidden within the vampire clan."

Vivian nodded in agreement: "And their attitude towards Faia is far too eager, it's like they're grasping at a straw."

Xia En stroked his chin: "I suspect there's some hidden story we don't know about."

at this time.

Fei Ya walked to Xia En's side and whispered.

"Captain Shane, actually, when we eliminated those three [Bloodstained Descendants], they left me with some very strange information."

As he spoke, Fei Ya stretched out his hand, a drop of dark blood remaining in his palm.

This drop of black blood contains a certain secret power of blood.

As Fei Ya activated it, the drop of black blood immediately fell to the ground, transforming into a line of scarlet words.

[The Holy Bloodline has deceived you!]

You... are their perfect sacrifice!

Only by betraying the river of blood can one find a glimmer of hope!

Upon seeing this line of writing, Xia En's pupils contracted slightly.

"Sacrifice?"

He repeated the word under his breath, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

Feiya withdrew her secret power, and the drop of black blood immediately evaporated.

"Before dying, the [tainted bloodline] passed this message to me through blood."

"Although I don't know if it's true or not, but..."

Shaen's gaze turned serious: "This is enough to make us doubt the [Holy Bloodline]."

Joey leaned closer and whispered, "Captain, what should we do?"

After a moment of contemplation, Xia En decisively said, "This is, after all, information passed on to us by the enemy, making it even more difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood."

"Let's hold back for now and investigate secretly."

"If the [Holy Bloodline] really has some kind of conspiracy, they will eventually be exposed."

"Moreover, with the Black Swan here, we can also forcibly break through the void and leave this secret realm."

After thinking for a moment, he said.

"Perhaps we can try to reach out to the common people at the bottom of this temple."

"From their words, we may be able to learn some truths about this world."

"However, we are most likely under their surveillance right now..."

Upon hearing this, Xia En came up with a solution.

His [Projected Body] can be generated below the [Black Swan], which perfectly avoids the notice of the [Holy Bloodline].

Moreover, on the other hand...

Xia En also possesses the talent to control blood, which is perfect for him to disguise himself as a vampire and gather information.

With that in mind, Xia En did not hesitate and immediately activated [Projection Body].

A dark and profound figure then slipped into the shadows of the temple.

Instead of heading to the core area of ​​the temple, Shane quietly made his way towards the civilian residential area.

These vampires lived in a town behind the temple.

Among them are castles with a strong vampire theme, as well as ordinary low-rise houses.

Many weak and feeble vampire civilians were walking through the town.

These people were relatively clean in terms of their clothing, appearance, and demeanor.

Aside from his pale skin and protruding canines, he was almost identical to the other civilians in the [Secret Realm].

With his mastery of the [Laws of the Void], Shane's projected body quietly blended into the shadows of the town.

He noticed that most of the vampire civilians here were pale-faced, with weariness and numbness in their eyes.

Although the buildings on both sides of the street were neat, they exuded an indescribable sense of oppression.

"Have you heard? Wang Yi is back..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Do you want to get arrested by the patrol?"

Shane's ears twitched slightly as he caught the hushed conversation between two vampire women on the street corner.

He approached casually, adjusting his aura and circulating his blood power around his body, disguising himself as an ordinary vampire.

"But... if it really is royal blood, perhaps it can..."

"Stop dreaming! What happened to that guy who claimed to be a descendant of the king last time?"

"He was sent to the Holy Blood Lake and never came out again!"

Xia En was startled.

The information revealed in this conversation is extremely crucial.

Before Fei Ya, other "royal descendants" had come here, and their fates were not good!

Just then, a commotion came from the other end of the street.

Xia En looked up and saw a patrol of soldiers in dark red uniforms escorting several ragged vampire civilians.

"We've caught a few more traitors trying to smuggle themselves into the Bloodstained Territory!"

"Pah! Traitor to the Holy Blood!"

The surrounding vampire civilians quickly moved aside.

His eyes held both fear and a hint of...envy?
Xia En squinted.

Things are getting more and more interesting.

He quietly followed the patrol.

The patrol escorted the prisoners to a dungeon on the edge of town.

With Xia En's eighth-tier strength, as long as he doesn't want others to discover him, the vampire guards here naturally won't be able to detect his arrival.

In the dark, damp cell, the captured vampires huddled in a corner. Shane noticed.

Their skin had faint black lines, somewhat similar to those of the [Filthy Blood] that had attacked them before, but to a much lesser degree.

Why risk going to the Bloodstained Territory?

Xia En asked in a low voice.

The vampire in the cell suddenly looked up, warily eyeing the suddenly appearing Xia En.

"You...you're not from the patrol team?"

“Answer my question.”

Xia En let a trace of blood power flow through his fingertips, releasing pressure and proving his vampire identity.

One of the older vampires gave a wry smile.

"Why? Because you'll starve to death here sooner or later!"

"The quota for Holy Blood Lake is dwindling, and we commoners are barely getting any."

"And every so often, people would be conscripted to perform blood labor."

"It is said that those who persuade the [Blood Servant] will gain the favor of the River of Blood and complete the transformation of their bloodline."

"But... not a single person who had served in the Blood Service has returned to the town."

Xia En frowned slightly.

Even from the name, he could sense the eeriness of this "Blood Servant".

"That tainted land..."

"At least there, as long as you're willing to fight, you can get enough blood and food."

A hint of fanaticism flashed in the eyes of the younger vampires.

"Even though it may become ugly and filthy, it's better than slowly withering away here!"

Xia En seemed to be deep in thought.

It seems that the internal conflicts within the vampire clan are more serious than he imagined.

The distinction between the so-called "Holy Bloodline" and the "tainted bloodline" may not be a simple opposition between good and evil, but rather a fundamental difference in their ways of life.

"I heard... a new royal descendant arrived today?"

Xia En asked tentatively.

The vampires in the cell exchanged a strange look.

"Another one sent to their death."

The older man murmured softly.

"What's the meaning?"

"Do you really think the Grand Elder and the others care about royal bloodlines?"

The young vampire sneered: "All they need are sacrifices! Only by offering royal blood can the Sacred Blood Lake be kept from drying up!"

Xia En was startled.

This coincides with the information left behind by the [tainted blood species]!

"What happened with the last royal descendant?"

The older vampire's voice trembled slightly.

"He first received the inheritance, his bloodline was awakened, and his strength increased significantly."

"But soon, he was taken into the core of the Holy Blood Lake and never came out again."

"That night, the entire lake turned golden...and then a three-year period of abundant blood and food followed!"

Xia En's expression changed drastically.

He suddenly understood the purpose of the so-called "inheritance".

This is like fattening up the chives first, and then harvesting them all at once!

at this time.

The cell door was opened.

A vampire guard coldly looked at the many vampires present and spoke.

"It's almost time. It's time to take you to serve as [Blood Service]."

Xia En's heart sank.

As soon as the guard finished speaking, the vampires in the cell began to stir.

Terror and despair were evident on their faces, and some even began to sob quietly.

"No...no! I'd rather die here!"

A young vampire retreated frantically, only to be roughly dragged out by the guards.

Shaun's projected form was hidden in the shadows, his eyes flashing with cold light.

He had to see for himself what this so-called "blood service" really was!
The guards escorted the prisoners through the dark corridors and deeper into the dungeon.

Xia En followed silently behind, each step precisely placed in the guard's blind spot.

The deeper you go, the stronger the stench of blood becomes in the air.

Strange, blood-red patterns began to appear on the wall, pulsating slightly like blood vessels.

Finally, they arrived at a huge, blood-red stone gate.

A ferocious vampire face is carved in the center of the stone gate, with two scarlet gems embedded in its eyes.

The guard leader stepped forward, cut his palm, and dripped his blood into the groove of the stone gate.

"In the name of holy blood, open the gate of sacrifice!"

As the incantation was recited, the stone door slowly opened, and a strong, nauseating stench of blood wafted out.

Xia En's pupils suddenly contracted—

Behind the stone gate was a huge circular pool of blood!
The dark red liquid in the pool churned continuously, and countless white bones floated on the surface.

What's even more chilling is...

Twelve stone pillars stood around the pool, and a dying vampire was tied to each pillar!
Their wrists were cut open, and blood was flowing continuously into the pool of blood.

"Hurry! Tie these traitors up!"

The guards roughly dragged the prisoners toward the stone pillars.

And at the same time.

Xia En sensed an unusually familiar aura emanating from these stone pillars.

"—【Lord of Crimson】!"

Without a doubt, this blood pool, which resembles an altar, is where vampires were sacrificed to the legendary "Crimson Lord"!
Dense malevolent energy, resentment, and all sorts of filth from the souls floated and sank in this pool of blood.

It's even more disgusting than the so-called "tainted bloodline"!

But then, Xia En thought of the [Holy Blood Lake] he had seen earlier.

The blood on that lake appeared remarkably pure and clear.

There seems to be some kind of contradiction between these two?

"The Holy Blood Lake is a projection of the River of Blood..."

"And at this moment, they sacrificed the vampires to the [Crimson Lord]..."

Within a few breaths, Xia En figured out the source of the strange feeling in his heart.

The Crimson Lord does not represent the River of Blood!
Although this vampire deity is hailed as the first drop of blood in the "River of Blood," He can never truly reach the level of the "River of Blood."

Xia En's heart skipped a beat, and a bold guess surfaced in his mind—

Perhaps the relationship between the Crimson Lord and the River of Blood is not as sacred as the legends of the vampires suggest.

Rather... it's a relationship of theft and plunder!
The moment this thought crossed his mind, the blood pool suddenly began to churn violently.

The dark red liquid churned as if boiling, and a huge whirlpool formed in the center of the pool.

"here we go!"

The guards looked on in awe and knelt down.

At the center of the vortex, a column of foul blood shot into the sky.

A distorted face could be vaguely seen in the pillar of blood, its gaping maw emitting a silent roar.

The vampire prisoners bound to the stone pillars visibly withered away.

Their blood, vitality, and even their souls were greedily devoured by that filthy pillar of blood!
Shaun's projected form was hidden in the shadows, his eyes flashing with cold light.

He recognized the true nature of that distorted face—

That was a projection of the will of the Crimson Lord!
"As expected..."

Xia En sneered inwardly.

The so-called "blood service" is nothing more than a bloody sacrificial ritual.

The high-ranking members of the [Holy Bloodline] sacrifice the lives of their own kind in exchange for the [Crimson Lord's] favor.

No wonder the power of the Holy Blood Lake is constantly diminishing.

With such a greedy "deity" secretly drawing blood, how could the projection of the [River of Blood] not weaken?
(End of this chapter)