A campsite in the woods.
A blazing bonfire dispelled the night's chill.
Ella, Olivia, Avril, and Flora gathered around the fire.
Four faces, each with a distinct temperament but equally beautiful, glowed faintly in the firelight.
Four pairs of eyes fixed on the tall young man sitting across from them.
Alan held a black magic stone in each hand.
Both were spherical crystals, the size of a walnut.
The one in his left hand was pure black, like obsidian.
The one in his right hand was slightly different; two grayish-white veins could be faintly seen within the black crystal.
"Alan, do you see the difference?" Olivia explained.
"Pure Black Magician, needless to say. For the other Black Magician, I've already absorbed the soul fire of two undead creatures to demonstrate this to you and Ella."
"Ghouls and Will-O-Wisp: one is a corporeal undead creature, the other a ethereal one."
"After destroying them, you can use the Black Magician to absorb their soul fire, preventing them from being revived by negative energy."
"The Will-O-Wisp's overall strength is slightly stronger than that of the Ghoul, and its soul fire is more vigorous. After being absorbed by the Black Magician, the resulting 'soul pattern' is thicker and longer."
"If you think the difference isn't significant, it's because both undead creatures are relatively weak."
"Absorbing a more powerful soul fire, like that of a vampire, is a bit of a challenge in comparison." It's obvious."
"I've heard that when necromancers, or monsters with undead bloodlines like the half-vampire descendants known as the 'Moon People,' use a black magic stone to aid their cultivation, they can absorb the soul patterns stored within the black magic stone, with a certain probability of fusing with the undead bloodline corresponding to the soul pattern."
"Of course, such unorthodox methods are useless to us. After all, we're not necromancers, let alone Moon People."
"The reason we go to such great lengths to collect the Soul Fire is because we must use the black magic stone that seals the Soul Fire as a key to open the portal to the 'Evergarden,' the secret realm of the Natural Trial."
"Once inside Evergarden, this key will be of great use."
Olivia continued.
"Evergarden is the home of animated plants and fairies."
"Plants and fairies above level five are not normally seen. They must be sacrificed in a specific location using the soul fire sealed within the Black Magic Stone, and a requiem ritual performed to allow the deceased souls to rest in peace. Only then can one be granted the opportunity to challenge it."
"Succeed in the challenge and you'll gain the corresponding bloodline essence."
"Meet the requirements and you'll advance."
"If you're willing to take the risk, you can also attempt fusion."
"The Nature Warlock's Trial sounds similar to advancing to a Behemoth!" Ella whispered to Allen.
"The entire trial space was designed by Origin City, so it's not surprising that the patterns are similar."
Alan pondered for a moment, then asked Olivia.
"Tell me about your advancement goals, and how much Soul Fire you need to collect."
"Avril has the Burrowing Root Vine bloodline, and plans to advance to the Primal Magic Vine. The requirements are at least Level Five, and the physical fitness and mental strength must also meet certain thresholds."
"You can pay the butler to inquire about the specific standards."
"Flora has the Piranha Plant bloodline, and plans to advance to 'Lady of Flowers,' Elona. The level threshold is similar to Avril's, but the attribute requirements are higher."
"That's right..." Flora said with a wry smile. "To meet the advancement requirements, I need to buy a complete set of three attribute holy elixirs. The financial pressure is enormous..."
"Sister Olivia, what bloodline are you planning to advance to?" Ella asked.
"I haven't made up my mind yet," Olivia said hesitantly. "Originally, I was planning to advance to a higher level of treant, which is about the same difficulty as Flora's."
"But during my Evergarden adventure, I met a little dryad. She told me about an advanced class called 'Tree Herder,' and it really caught my eye."
"Tree Herder..." Allen became interested. "I've never heard of this warlock advancement. How powerful is it?"
"The upper limit is at least level seven! Don't you think it's powerful?"
Olivia's eyes shone with excitement.
"A tree herder is actually a combination of a high-level treeman and a symbiotic tree spirit."
"If I can advance to the tree herder level, I'll unlock my ancestral form, transforming my body into a high-level treeman and my soul into a tree spirit!"
"The treeman's body excels in melee combat!"
"The tree spirit's soul excels in spellcasting!"
"Even at a distance, the two maintain a telepathic connection, serving as anchor points for each other's spells and teleporting to each other's side."
"Unless both the tree herder's treeman body and the tree spirit's soul are destroyed simultaneously, either can be resurrected!"
"Wow! Impressive!" Ella exclaimed.
"Although it's powerful, the threshold for advancement is ridiculously high!"
Olivia grimaced.
"To advance to Tree Herder, you need to be at least at the late fifth stage, and I'm only at the early fifth stage... The advancement quest is quite demanding."
"In addition to sacrificing a black magic stone saturated with soul fire, you also need to sacrifice the construct essence of a sixth-level evil construct!"
"Constructs are mostly mindless, just man-made tools. How can you even talk about good or evil tendencies?"
"These advancement requirements are too difficult! I'm even thinking of giving up!"
"Sister Olivia, you can't give up on such a good opportunity so easily," Ella offered. "Mr. Mirui, the castle's butler, is a construct with a mind and thoughts. Perhaps he can offer you some advice."
It would have been fine if the butler hadn't been mentioned, but the mention of this profiteer made Olivia even more furious.
"I spent a lot of magic stones on the steward, and the information I bought is incoherent and like a puzzle. Not to mention whether it's useful, it's even hard to understand!"
"Alas! Let's not talk about my worries for now, Junior Sister Ella. Actually, there's no need to envy me, because your future is brighter than mine."
"The dryad I met in the Evergarden even gave me clues about advancing to the Elegant Spirit stage. If you do, your potential for growth will surpass even that of a Tree Herder!"
"Sister Olivia, what are the specific requirements for advancing to the Elegant Spirit stage?"
Ella inquired eagerly.
"To advance to the Elegant Spirit stage, you must be at least at the late fifth stage."
"As for attributes, agility and spirit are very high requirements, but there are no special physical requirements."
After hearing this, Ella felt anxious.
She couldn't advance to the Behemoth stage because of her weak physique.
Agility and spirit were her strengths, and she was confident.
The problem is that her current cultivation level is only at the late fourth stage.
Even if she could advance to the early fifth stage tomorrow, it would be nearly impossible to reach the late stage within the less than two-month trial period.
Alan, sensing her concerns, sent a telepathic wave, reassuring her, "Don't worry, little sister," saying he'd find a solution.
Looking up at the blue-haired girl, Alan waved the two black magic stones in his hand.
"Olivia, do you have any extra black magic stones? Sell me some, and I'll trade them for wood magic stones."
"What's the point of talking about business between friends?" Olivia generously opened her storage bag and took out three blank black magic stones for Ella.
"Ella's advancement quest has a high threshold.
It requires at least three soul-saturated black magic stones."
"As for you, Alan, you won't advance to a naturalist anyway. Just take a black magic stone and absorb a few soul fires as a stepping stone to enter the secret realm... Shut up! What are you doing?!"
Under the astonished gazes of Olivia, Avril, and Flora, Alan stuffed two black magic stones into his mouth.
His cheeks puffed up like a hamster.
Crunch!
Crunch!
He chewed the two magic stones.
With a gulp, he swallowed them.
Hiss...
The three girls gasped in unison.
...Eating everything he saw. What kind of weird thing is this?!
Ella was no longer surprised by Allen's unusual food habits.
"Brother, is the Black Magic Stone delicious?"
"The blank one has no flavor."
"The one that absorbs ghosts tastes good, a bit like a chocolate chip cookie."
Alan smacked his lips, savoring the taste, still wanting more.
At the same time, a familiar system notification echoed through his mind.
Ding Ding—
"Consume Special Ingredient: Undead Essence (Ghoul)!"
"Potential +1!"
"Agility +1!"
"Consume Special Ingredient: Undead Essence (Wisp)!"
"Potential +1!"
"Spirit +1!"
"Draw Negative Energy Resistance?"
"Increase Negative Energy Resistance to Level 3!"
Current Attributes: Constitution 61, Agility 58, Spirit 62
Current Resistances: Virus Level 8 / Electricity Level 7 / Sonic Level 7 / Cold Level 5 / Negative Energy Level 3
Potential Reserve: 18 points
…
Closing the system page, Allen flashed Olivia and the others a charming smile, his teeth as white and neat as a beast's.
"Three of you, do you have any Black Magic Stones that seal other undead spirits? I want them all, and the price is negotiable."
"Wait, wait, wait a minute!!"
Avril's voice was sharp, trembling slightly.
"How could you eat Black Magic Stone? Is that thing edible?"
"I think so. Why don't you try it too?" Allen asked calmly.
"Even if it's edible...don't forget that it contains the souls of the dead. If you round it up, you're also cannibalizing people, right?"
Avril couldn't help but accuse her.
Soul-devouring? That's a classic demonic act!
"The Black Magic Stone can only absorb the souls of evil undead creatures. I'm clearly doing this to eliminate harm for the people. Why not?"
Avril's rebuttal left Avril speechless.
"In case you don't know, Allen first awakened the ogre bloodline. Even your talk of cannibalism is hilarious to me."
Olivia's sarcastic remarks weren't clear; it was unclear whether she was mocking Avril's fuss or teasing Allen's stubborn nature.
"Let me clarify this!" Allen said sternly. "I've never eaten anyone, either in reality or in the meditation world."
"Even so, there's no need to eat magic stones..."
Avril protested weakly.
"Just tonight, you devoured three days' worth of food for the three of us sisters. Still hungry, yet you insist on eating expensive black magic stones?"
"And you swallowed two in one gulp. What a waste..."
"Avril, Junior Brother Allen is tall and strong. How can we girls even compare to his appetite?"
Flora smiled and took over.
"Young man, you need to be able to eat before you can work. A big appetite isn't a bad thing."
"As for the Black Magic Stone, it's not like Junior Brother Allen can't afford it. You don't need to feel bad for him."
Avril was speechless, giving Flora a resentful look.
Avril said she'd let it go. After all, she wasn't eating for free. If she really paid, she'd have to rely on her for vampire hunting in the future.
Flora, that girl, was always crying poor, eating and drinking for free at her place.
Now, upon seeing her idol, she immediately offered him her generosity, acting like a generous and wealthy woman. How shameless!
After a few aggrieved groans, Avril got back to the point.
"Brother Allen, besides the ghouls and will-o'-the-wisp, there was originally a sixth-level Crimson Mist Demon nearby."
"It's a shame you're a little too late. The Crimson Mist Demon has already been eaten by the Beast Cult girl!"
"Besides that, only the Palace of the Dead can you find unique undead creatures, such as the vampire elves, and their creator, a powerful vampire count."
"The vampire count is at least sixth-level powerful."
"The vampire elves, the offspring of the count, number no less than a hundred, and their average combat power is no less than fourth-level."
"Excellent!"
Alan licked his lips, like a thirsty gourmet waiting for a feast.
"Let's go to the Palace of the Dead and see what delicious food they have!"
...
The Palace of the Dead.
The door leading to the attic was engraved with magical runes.
Only vampires could pass through it.
Ascending to the attic, they met Diara, the castle's master, who slept in a golden coffin.
This elven prince, obsessed with immortality, ultimately transformed himself into a vampire.
His former friends, friends, and servants, now accompanied him in his sleep within the castle as vampire offspring.
Light footsteps echoed down the spiral staircase.
Two lines of delicate footprints were left on the dusty steps.
Nora, accompanied by her magical pet, a rag doll, ascended the steps.
From the first floor to the fifth, they passed numerous coffins.
In each coffin slept a vampire elf.
If a living person approached, they would awaken.
However, Nora emanated not a trace of life.
Instead, she radiated a dense negative energy.
Like a genuine vampire.
Walking through the Palace of the Dead felt like strolling through her own home.
Without disturbing the undead guards sleeping in their coffins, she paused before the door leading to the attic.
She tilted her head, her sleepy eyes slightly wide.
Her dark, tassel-like hair cascaded over her shoulders.
"Mom, can the seal on the door be opened?"
The rag doll in her arms asked softly.
Nora nodded gently and cast a sixth-level "Higher Dispel" spell on the door.
The seal on the door was temporarily suppressed.
With a creak, it slowly opened.
The stench of decaying flesh and blood, accompanied by a chilling breeze, flowed through the crack of the door, ruffling the little girl's long hair and skirt.
Nora, clutching the doll, entered the unsealed Blood Gate.
The frail figure of the girl in the red dress was slowly swallowed by darkness.
A short while later.
The vampire elves slumbering within the castle simultaneously sensed the stirrings of life from the outside world.
They pushed open the coffin lids and climbed out.
These pale elves, clad in ornate chainmail, wielded rapiers or longbows.
Following an ancient oath, they guarded the castle, preventing any living being from entering and disturbing their slumbering master.
However, they were completely unaware that a being neither living nor undead had already quietly infiltrated the castle's attic.
…
"Anar!"
Olivia chanted a spell, granting herself the "Daylight" spell.
She radiated a brilliant light, illuminating the square in front of the castle gate!
"Ella! Alan! Remember not to make eye contact with the vampire elves!"
"Their gazes hold a captivating power!"
"Avril! Flora! Activate your atavism now!"
While warning her companions, Olivia herself activated her fifth-order atavism.
From a slender young woman, she transformed into a towering, upright treeman!
With a single slap, the castle gate shattered to pieces.
Two vampire elf warriors, who had just reached the gate, were buried alive by the rubble.
Bang!
A giant foot, entangled in gnarled tree roots, stomped down fiercely.
Amid the rubble, the two vampire elves were instantly crushed into meat patties.
Olivia, in her atavism, slowly raised her giant foot.
The girl's face, faintly visible on the tree trunk, wore a solemn expression.
As expected,
However, the vampire elf, crushed to death by her, remained undone.
It emerged from the ruins in a bloody mist, transforming into a pitch-black bat.
It flapped its wings in the air, its blood-red eyes filled with resentment.
"Get down!"
Ella , transformed into the cat-eared bee girl, stood atop the sturdy branch of Olivia's ancestral form. She raised her hand and swung out two threads of Dou Qi.
They entangled the vampire bats and forcibly pulled them toward her.
The vampire bats struggled desperately, shrieking.
Olivia took two strides forward, enveloping the two monsters within her radiant daylight barrier.
The vampire bats, dazzled by the intense light, immediately began to smoke.
They fell to the ground with a scream.
Ella followed up with two "Sky Slashing Waves," interrupting their struggles.
The vampire bat's corpse crumbled to dust under the light.
Wisps of soul fire emanated from the dust.
Ella held a black magic stone in each hand, absorbing the soul fire of a vampire elf.
Thick, twisted soul patterns emerged from the magic stone's interior.
One magic stone was as heavy as thirty ghouls!
"Absorbing higher-level undead creatures is truly more efficient!"
Ella's brows beamed with joy.
Across the square.
Flora transformed into a gigantic man-eating plant.
Its roots, as thick as tree trunks, nimbly crawled along the ground.
The vines stretched out like green pythons.
The most eye-catching thing was the vibrant bud.
When fully opened, it was as large as a beach umbrella.
The pink petals, speckled with black, were thick and moist, exuding an intoxicating nectar fragrance.
In the center of the petals, a ring of gear-like teeth sliced at the vampire's corpse, sucking out the squeezed sap.
Both living and undead creatures could satisfy the Piranha Plant's appetite.
So, Flora understood Alan's voracious appetite.
Boom!
The square floor, paved with large square bricks, suddenly exploded!
A root, like a giant python, burst from the earth, opening its maw covered in thorns and barbs, and simultaneously seized two vampires, devouring them frantically!
The burrowing root, a throwback to Avril's ancestor, also possessed a voracious appetite.
Its efficiency in hunting vampires surpassed even that of Tona and Flora.
Swarms of vampire bats flew out of the castle tower.
In the blink of an eye, they were above the square.
This reinforcement arrived well prepared.
They unleashed various spells from the air.
Olivia's "Daylight Spell" was the first to be dispelled.
The square was instantly plunged into darkness.
Without the suppression of light, the vampires were practically immortal!
The vampire bats they had previously shot down revived en masse!
"Oh no! We have to retreat..."
Flora transformed back into human form and cast a portal within seconds.
She planned to escape the vampire elves' encirclement with her companions.
Just then, a thick, cone-shaped beam of light shot up into the sky!
Swish!
The bright moonlight instantly illuminated the night sky.
The vampire bats circling in the sky, caught in the cone of light, collectively transformed back into their elf forms.
Like hail, they crashed down.
They fell to the ground, breathless.
Even the vampires' powerful regenerative abilities couldn't change their fate of being instantly annihilated.
Olivia, Avril, and Flora were horrified by the sight, their faces filled with astonishment.
"What kind of magic is this... It's too perverted!!"
"Moonlight Cannon,"
Ella explained softly.
"My senior brother created a sixth-level martial art based on the fifth-ring magic 'Moonlight Veil.' It's particularly effective against shapeshifting creatures."
"Vampires can transform into rats, bats, wolves, mist, and other forms. They're naturally photophobic, which happens to be countered by the Moonlight Cannon!"
"It hasn't been more than a few days since Alan reached the early stages of the sixth level?" Olivia raised an eyebrow in surprise. "He's mastered a sixth-level martial art so quickly, and he created it himself... What a talent!"
"You're worthy of being my idol!"
Flora stared at Alan, her face filled with infatuation.
Avril scratched her head. She had to admit, Alan's reliance on money wasn't just due to his tall and handsome appearance.
He was an idol with real talent. No wonder he attracted so many fans, willing to spend lavishly on him.
Ella curled her lips, amused by their naiveté.
In reality, Brother Allen had already mastered more than one sixth-level martial art before he was promoted to a sixth-level sorcerer.
"Moonlight Cannon" wasn't even his strongest move.
Ella didn't say this, partly because she didn't want to reveal Brother Allen's true strength and partly because she didn't want to scare the three sisters.
"Alright, we've cleared out the vampires."
Allen pulled out the Black Magician and waved it at Ella and the others.
"Hurry and collect the Soul Fire before it dissipates!"
Soon, the Soul Fire that lingered above the square was divided up by everyone.
Avril, Flora, and Olivia's Black Magicians were all saturated, and their pretty faces beamed with joy.
"I told you! Asking Alan for help is absolutely reliable!"
Olivia put away her Black Magic Stone and turned to Ella:
"Junior Sister, how much do you need?"
"I've already saved two Black Magic Stones, one more."
"That's easy!" Olivia turned to Alan and asked, "Transfer all the Soul Fire you absorbed to Ella. See if that'll add up to three saturated Black... You, you, why are you eating again?!"
"Crunch...Crunch...Huh? What did you say?"
Alan asked incoherently, chewing the Black Magic Stone.
"...Forget it! Pretend I didn't say anything!"
Olivia slapped her forehead and turned back.
Alan swallowed the crumbs of the Magic Stone, feeling like he was eating a cheese cracker.
Ding Ding—
"Consume special ingredient: Undead Essence (Vampire Spawn)!"
"Potential +3!"
"Spirit +1!"
"Do you want to absorb negative energy resistance?"
"Increase negative energy resistance to level 5!"
Current Attributes: Constitution 61, Agility 58, Spirit 63
Current Resistances: Virus Level 8 / Electric Shock Level 7 / Sonic Level 7 / Cold Level 5 / Negative Energy Level 5
Potential Reserve: 21 points
…
After closing the system page, Alan wiped his mouth and walked straight towards the castle gate.
The gate was already open, and a chilling, cold wind blew from the dark hallway.
Besides the difference in strength, vampire spawns differ from real vampires in another important way.
Anyone bitten by a vampire will be transformed into a vampire spawn, bound to obey the vampire master's orders.
Vampire spawn do not possess this ability.
Unless their master bestows their blood upon the vampire spawn, transforming it into a true vampire.
This is known as the "Blood Ceremony."
The vampire elves just destroyed were all spawns of the castle master.
Alan gazed toward the castle gate, his eyes filled with anticipation.
A vampire spawn provides three potential points, plus one spiritual attribute point.
Consuming a more powerful vampire lord would surely bring him even greater benefits.
Alan licked his lips.
With the heartfelt expectation of a feast, he approached the castle gate.