Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  That also meant that despite being a newly advanced Fourth Grade major clan, the Crimson Clan was being propped up entirely by Second Grade adepts. Though Greem didn’t want to put down Meryl and Gargamel’s effort and achievements, their grades certainly did not hold enough on certain occasions.

  It would cause the Crimson Clan to lose out on many benefits during negotiations unknowingly.

  After all, the clan leaders that came over for negotiations and discussions were mostly Third Grade adepts. To have them lower themselves to negotiate with a bunch of Second Grade adepts was demeaning, and they were naturally reluctant to do it. Given the number of resources being negotiated and the nature of their discussions, even a small difference in the benefits obtained would add up to a sizable amount.

  As such, increasing the clan’s overall power was a matter of utmost urgency!

  With her fire-dragon bloodline and her status as a disciple, Greem would likely be able to help Meryl advance to Third Grade if he played favorites and tilted some resources in her favor. However, Third Grade was the limit of her potential. It would be incredibly difficult for her to advance even one grade further.

  Meanwhile, Gargamel’s potential was even worse than Meryl’s. Second Grade was already his limit.

  The more heartless clans wouldn’t even waste any effort on a ‘hopeless’ adept like Gargamel. For the Fourth Grade organizations, adepts that did not have the potential to reach Third Grade were not even worth cultivating. Moreover, anyone that wanted to be a core adept of Fourth Grade organizations would at least need to have the potential to reach Fourth Grade.

  Of course, having the potential to reach Fourth Grade didn’t mean that they were guaranteed to succeed.

  But if they had no potential, then they didn’t even have a chance to succeed!

  At this point, as the leader of the Crimson Clan, Greem had no choice but to start considering the replacement candidates for Gargamel. It wasn’t cruelty, nor repaying service with disloyalty, but…practicality.

  Of course, out of his personal feelings, Greem could still find some way to further improve Gargamel’s talents. However, the resources and effort he would invest into Gargamel would be enough for the Crimson Clan to cultivate two to three adepts of the same level!

  Which choice to take was something that Greem had to mull over and properly consider.

  “Do you think there is still value in cultivating Gargamel?” As Greem was seriously considering the question, he couldn’t help but blurt it out loud.

  Alice closed her eyes and thought. She then opened her eyes and stared into Greem’s own black eyes as she smiled and said, “He’s reached the limit of his potential. He might be loyal and willing to work himself to the bone, but his power is a huge limiting factor! Given his age, he would be an appropriate manager of the clan for another two to three hundred years if the Crimson Clan was still the Third Grade organization it used to be.

  “However, he’s not suited to be the core adept of a Fourth Grade organization.”

  “You mean we should replace him?” Greem’s eyebrows unknowingly knitted into a frown.

  Alice extended her hands and rubbed Greem’s frowning forehead. She smiled. “Gargamel’s been serving you loyally for over a hundred years. Would you actually be okay with replacing him at the drop of a word like that? Moreover, the current situation of the clan was forged with Gargamel’s blood and sweat. If you replace him freely with an outsider, there would most certainly be turmoil within the clan!”

  “Then, you mean…?” Greem was a little confused now.

  “There’s definitely a need to replace him! However, our choice of replacement has to consider Gargamel’s feelings, as well as the opinions of his subordinates. It has to assuage them and not cause any instability. You understand who I’m talking about now, don’t you?”

  “You mean her? She’s just a little brat still, isn’t she? Would she be able to prop up the clan’s affairs?” Greem instantly understood Alice’s meaning, but he was still hesitating.

  “You…always running about outside and never caring about the clan’s internal affairs. It’s no surprise you have no idea how much that kid has improved!” Alice pursed her lips and smiled. “You probably still don’t know, do you? That kid is already advanced Second Grade. Also, she’s already a hundred and forty-three years old. She’s not that kid in your mind anymore!”

  “Advanced Second Grade. Doesn’t that make her more powerful than Meryl?” Greem was shocked.

  “Yeah, the kid’s speed of advancement is no less than yours. Who would’ve thought that a wandering adept like Gargamel could have given birth to such a talented daughter. If you promote Emelia, Gargamel will not only not hate you, but he would be more grateful than ever before.”

  “Gargamel and Eva have practically invested all of their efforts and hopes into Emelia. Emelia’s lived up to their expectations as well. Much of the foundation that Gargamel has established in Ailovis over the past years can be attributed to Emelia’s contributions. Even Gargamel’s subordinates trust and believe in her!”

  “Emelia’s background is a little strange.” Greem still had not made up his mind.

  “What difference does this make? Isn’t it just the assimilation of the soul of a spore princess? Are you actually afraid that the spore people would come looking for trouble when you are a Fourth Grade adept?”

  Greem started laughing at ease when he heard Alice teasing him.

  “Then find a time and call Emelia over. I will bestow her a treasure and confirm her position!”

  Alice immediately started laughing.

  “I am real close with the kid! I will go and inform her right now.”

  Chapter 1162 - Troll Camp

  Seawoods Plane.

  There was a troll tribe deep in the vast stretches of forest in the mountains.

  The fires of war had just been quenched, and the vampires were hastily clearing up the battlefield.

  Mary beat her wings, hovering in midair and watching the piles of troll corpses gathered on the stone plaza.

  These trolls were all three meters tall. They had violet skin, thick hair, two fierce tusks, and long, red hair flowing down from their heads. They were all exceedingly strong and muscular. Their hands and feet were long and slender, while the weapons they used were wooden spears and javelins made out of sticks.

  Of course, all of these weapons were tipped with poison!

  It was a sort of paralytic poison extracted from plants. Even a teaspoon of this poison was enough to put down an adolescent Berserk Elephant.

  Unfortunately, poisoned weapons like this were practically harmless to vampires!

  Mary casually threw aside a withered troll corpse and wiped the traces of green blood on her mouth. She then slowly examined this lifeless camp.

  The gashing wounds on her body slowly healed and mended together under the effects of her blood energy.

  For the sake of exterminating these trolls as quickly as possible, Mary and Soros had charged right into the troll camp. They had cut down the statue of the Feathered God in the plaza in a most humiliating fashion. In doing so, they infuriated the entirety of the tribe.

  All the trolls, be they troll warriors dedicated to battle or ordinary women and children, all emerged from their huts and houses as if they had gone mad. They rushed at the two vampires and attacked in a berserk manner.

  Meanwhile, Mary and Soros stood in the center of the plaza, enduring wave after wave of attacks from the trolls. Meanwhile, the other vampires had spread out, subtly and quickly killing the trolls that had gotten separated from the others.

  Ordinary vampires were still too frail, after all!

  Their weak bodies couldn’t bear the weight of heavy metal armor. As such, most vampires wore light silk robes and clothes to avoid affecting their agility.

  Naturally, the lack of armor meant they could not endure the powerful strikes and attacks from the trolls. To minimize the deaths of her subordinates, Mary
had no choice but to take the lead, attracting all of the troll’s attention towards herself and Soros.

  The two of them were Third Grade now. That gave them the unusual power-drain skill, allowing them to obtain part of the enemy’s power and strength by absorbing their blood. It gave them the ability to fight endlessly.

  Even so, the sharp, heavy spears and metal javelins of the trolls still inflicted many injuries and wounds to their bodies that continued to accumulate.

  The trolls weren’t a difficult opponent because of their strength, but because of their unbelievably resilient lifeforce.

  Even if they lost several limbs or had a hole opened in their stomach, they could continue to attack with all their savagery and vigor until their heads were lopped off.

  In general, adolescent trolls were all qualified warriors, male or female; their bodies had already reached the standard of First Grade creatures. In addition to their reckless fighting style and unbending will that drove them to fight until their deaths, they were no weaker than ordinary Second Grade creatures.

  Even the weaker elderly and children among the trolls had formidable will and skill in combat.

  If they scattered into the forest and waged a guerilla war, the vampires would not be able to cleanly exterminate each and every one of them, even if they had ten times their current number. For the sake of dealing with this camp of three hundred trolls, Mary could only use herself as bait, firmly keeping the enemy within the center of the camp.

  The wounds on Mary’s body were innumerable at this point.

  At a glance, terrifying gashes the length of a finger could be seen everywhere on her body. Her skin had also turned purple and green, a sign of the excessive accumulation of poison.

  Even so, Mary still used the dagger in her hand to execute the trolls that charged at her.

  Wound for wound, blood for blood!

  Mary’s attacks were always direct and straightforward, but shockingly effective as well.

  Of the 183 adolescent troll warriors and the 133 ordinary trolls, 207 of them had died at the hands of Mary and Soros.

  During this process, the intermediate Second Grade chieftain had managed to pierce Mary through the heart with a spear. However, his attack utterly infuriated the Bloody Queen Mary.

  Mary did not cut off his head nor crush his heart. Instead, she slowly let him bleed out by slicing him with a flurry of attacks, all while moving around with her incredible speed.

  The once-proud troll chieftain had died of pure blood loss!

  Of course, his blood had not gone to waste. Mary had absorbed all of it using her crimson halo before converting it into horrifying blood magic and turning the spells onto the troll warriors.

  Draw Blood, Blood Frenzy, Blood Spear, Boiling Blood, Reverse Bloodflow.

  As a peak Third Grade vampire adept, Mary had already established a series of blood magic that combined the powers of her blood abilities and the spells of adepts. Each of these spells had terrifying power in combat. Meanwhile, as the blood master of the blood knights and blood elves, Mary could bestow upon her subordinates some of these spells.

  It indirectly enhanced the powers of the vampire adepts!

  If they only fought with a vampire’s instincts, they would always remain vampires despised by the collective group of adepts. However, through their mastery of blood magic, they could proudly proclaim themselves as blood adepts instead.

  The pursuit was ongoing in the distant forest.

  When the number of trolls in the camp fell below fifty, the survivors finally became scared. They fled towards the forest with all their strength.

  Mary did not participate in the ensuing chase. Instead, she flapped her battered wings, hovering above the pile of corpses and absorbing the dense mist of blood that now hung in the air, trying her best to heal her wounds.

  A short moment later, Soros walked over, clad in his heavy armor. He kneeled and placed a wicked and terrifying troll head in front of Mary’s eyes.

  It was the head of an old troll!

  His skin had already turned loose and wrinkled from age. The hair had fallen off his head. There was a white animal tusk that pierced his nose, while two gleaming earrings hung on his large earlobes.

  The old troll’s eyes were still opened wide, fangs bared in a savage and vicious expression.

  However, the most interesting thing about the troll was the layer of magical light that shrouded its head.

  A troll voodoo doctor!

  The voodoo doctors of the trolls were spellcasters that had mastered some elementium powers.

  However, their mastery of elementium powers extended only to the combination of elementium with herbs and plants to create a unique method of poison brewing.

  The purple and green poison on Mary’s body that had yet to fade was his work.

  After the troll chieftain had died, the sly and cunning voodoo doctor had immediately realized that the trolls would be massacred. He ordered his people to scatter and escape, while he disappeared among their ranks, hoping to escape the pursuit of these fearsome enemies.

  Unfortunately, he had no idea how to hide his elementium powers. Naturally, this meant that he could not evade the senses of the vampires.

  Mary remained here to recover while sending out Third Grade Blood Knight Soros to hunt down the voodoo doctor.

  As expected, Soros had returned with the head of the beginner Second Grade voodoo doctor just fifteen minutes later.

  However, after this bloody battle, Soros’ well-crafted armor was heavily dented. Many of the spikes on his armor had also snapped off. The pungent and sticky troll blood covered his entire body, layer after layer. Even though he was only kneeling on the ground, a pool of blood had already gathered beneath him, pieces of flesh and unknown shards of organs floating on the liquid.

  “Isa, he’s yours! I need to know the location of the troll empire and the distribution of their tribes as soon as possible. Also, I want to know every single powerhouse that exists in their tribes,” Mary shouted loudly from midair.

  “Understood!”

  A slender figure flew out of the forest and knelt down before Mary.

  Blood Elf Mage Isa stood up and grabbed the head of the voodoo doctor. She leaned forward and kissed the head on its vicious mouth, a trace of madness appearing on her pretty face.

  “Come, come…your blood, your life, your soul…all of it belongs to me! Become one with me, and through this, you shall be reborn.”

  As Isa continued to mumble these chilling words, the already dead voodoo doctor suddenly started howling madly. Unconcealable terror and fear appeared on its old and ugly face.

  Isa pursed her lips and sucked. Countless sickly green lights appeared from the voodoo doctor’s head, quickly flying into her red lips like birds flying back to their nests.

  “Evil adepts, you will suffer the heavenly punishment of the Feathered God! Even…if I die, I will curse you.”

  A strange soul appeared above the voodoo doctor, furiously cursing at the blood elf before him. Unfortunately, he had already lost his ability to protect his soul. He could only howl crazily while being devoured by the enemy.

  Blood Elf Mage Isa began trembling uncontrollably after devouring the beginner Second Grade voodoo doctor. She was only an intermediate Second Grade, after all. A strange poison erupted in her body, staining her white skin a shade of violet.

  However, a dead voodoo doctor didn’t have much power. Isa managed to devour his soul after just six minutes, and with it came a wealth of disjointed memories.

  Chapter 1163 - The Feathered Serpent and the Heir of the Plane

  “I found it.”

  Isa suddenly shouted in joy.

  However, before she could raise her hand and point in the direction of the troll empire, an incredibly thick blast of lightning fell from the sky, crashing furiously towards her frail and slender body.

  “Divine lightning!”

  Mary screamed and lifted one hand. Endless blood energy surg
ed from her body, turning into a crimson barrier shielding Isa from above. The golden lightning clashed with the ruby barrier, causing countless sparks of electricity to crackle outwards. Even space itself began to distort from the intense energy.

  “Hurry up and dodge!” Mary kept up the shield with all she had and shouted at Isa.

  Isa finally came to her senses and backed away from the reach of the golden lightning with Soros.

  Mary dispelled the barrier, and the golden lightning instantly crashed onto the stone plaza.

  A loud, thunderous crack echoed throughout the forest.

  All the stone slabs within ten meters of the impact turned into dust and fell downwards into the massive crater that had formed. Even the stones at the edge of the crater had been charred black as the thick lightning chains spread across them. The air was filled with a strange smell; it was the smell of lightning currents of incredible voltage.

  Isa’s face flushed white with fear as she saw the lightning’s terrifying power. Even her body was trembling slightly.

  “Master, this is…lightning of divine punishment?”

  Mary did not reply. Instead, she turned around and hovered in the air. Her gaze landed deep in the mountains.

  She could sense that this tremendous power of divine punishment had come from there.

  Mary finally spoke up after a slight pause.

  “It seems like the Feathered God these trolls worship is somewhat capable. To think it has already mastered the power of divine punishment! That bastard Greem. There’s been a great mistake in the information we’ve been given. There’s probably a powerful peak Fourth Grade lightning creature over there. If we run into its base with what few people we have, it would most certainly be a suicide mission!”

  Peak Fourth Grade.

  Isa and Soros looked at each other. They were shocked and terrified.

  It didn’t matter whether Mary’s guess was right or wrong. A creature of such power was way out of their league. If they were to run into an enemy like that, all the vampires apart from Mary would only have one choice– fighting to their deaths.