All the Dener adepts were already gripping their staffs and wands in hand, so tight they could almost crush the magic tools between their fingers. No one expected the vampire army only to be passing by.
They watched dumbfoundedly as the vampire army cut through the sky and disappeared over the horizon. They had no idea how to respond.
Should they pursue, wait, or disperse and go back to rest?
The Dener Clan adepts had no idea what to do!
Chapter 1288 - Desperate Fleeing
Chapter 1288 Desperate Fleeing
“Where are they heading?” A Dener Clan adept asked in confusion. “What’s there southwest of here?”
Everyone shook their heads.
Only one adept suddenly piped up, “Andman City. Black Rose Manor! They are heading for Black Rose Manor!”
The expressions of all the adepts turned. They instantly understood.
They’d stabbed the hornet’s nest. Lady Marilyn Mona was in for a reckoning!
The Third Grade adept in charge of the entire army took out a communication crystal and urgently contacted headquarters.
Marilyn Mona received news of the vampire’s movements about seven minutes later.
The moment the communication concluded, she quickly summoned all the stationed adepts of Black Rose Manor and sent them to the neighboring Andman City. She departed under the escort of the Dream Garden troops, quickly separating from the clan’s main forces as she fled towards Dener Clan territory.
Coldmountain City was over five hundred kilometers away from Andman City. With the vampires’ flight speed, they would need a minimum of four hours to arrive, even if they traveled with no regard for their stamina.
Four hours wasn’t particularly short, but it wasn’t incredibly long, either. Marilyn Mona did not have the luxury of riding back to the clan headquarters in a carriage. Moreover, with all the commotion the vampires were making, it was evident that they held no regard for appearances now. Nothing was holding them back.
Even if Mona managed to escape back to clan territory, her survival still couldn’t be assured until she was protected by absolute power. The threat of death continued to linger over her head!
All the adepts were riding on massive goats as they leaped and bounded towards Dener territory like the wind. Of course, magical horses were slightly faster over short distances. However, when it came to stamina, the giant mountain goats were far superior.
Moreover, these special mounts bred by the clan could sprint for days on end on a single meal. They were superior creatures compared to ordinary mounts when it came to stamina, endurance, and docility.
They would have to pass through Stoneshard Valley to return to clan territory, the only path that connected Dener territory and Crimson territory.
The two hundred kilometers of travel took them three hours to traverse.
They received news that Andman City had been attacked by the vampires just as they arrived at Stoneshard Valley. They didn’t even have time to rest.
Simultaneously, the garrison at Stoneshard Valley also received reports that a terrifying army of adepts was marching in their direction.
“Those vampires have gone mad! Mad, I tell you!” Marilyn Mona, who had traveled here as fast as she could, was utterly shocked and furious. She might be a Third Grade adept, but even she couldn’t help but be anxious when hearing of such a terrifying horde of enemies pursuing her so insistently.
“We are leaving now! Now! We can’t stay here any longer. We must return to clan headquarters now!”
As she shouted her orders, the Dream Garden forces immediately ruffled their goats and passed through Stoneshard Valley. They sprinted towards the clan heartlands upon a road of gray and white stones.
They could see dark smoke rising from Stoneshard Valley in the distance only an hour after they departed.
“Dammit! Those vampires won’t dare to venture into Dener territory, will they?” Mona consoled herself desperately, but she did not have much confidence left.
“The situation is dire. We cannot keep traveling leisurely like this! Ansok, Muto,” Mona named four or five of her subordinates and instructed sternly, “Each of you lead a group of people in different directions. Rally back at clan headquarters after you escape enemy pursuit. Talina, you continue down the main road with everyone else. Remember, run as fast as you can.”
Talina was a young adept, but she was only a Second Grade. Her body trembled when she heard Mona’s orders, but she dared not go against her superior. She gritted her teeth and nodded in acknowledgment.
The hundred-man party of adepts quickly split up into five separate groups. The main group and its sixty adepts continued fleeing down the main road under Talina’s lead. The other groups scattered into the forest and escaped in different directions.
Meanwhile, Marilyn Mona slipped into the woods alone and fled northwest with all she had.
Since she was trying to escape, she couldn’t fly in the air.
On the one hand, flying wasn’t her expertise, and trying to outrun the vampires in the air was a foolish idea. On the other hand, flying in the sky would leave obvious tracks in the air, allowing the enemy to track her down easily.
That was why Mona cast a series of spells on herself the moment she entered the woods, including Haste, Obscure Detection, and Stoneskin. She then ignored her subordinates and started running with all her strength.
The forest’s gray trees were tall and straight, most of them growing at a higher elevation. The spots of clearing that could be found in the woods mainly consisted of shrubbery and bushes, as well as thick roots that slithered everywhere like snakes.
Night had fallen over the continent now.
Traces of white vapor rose from the ground when night fell, covering the forest in a layer of mist. The mist made it difficult for an ordinary person to see ten steps beyond where they were standing.
A slender figure charged out of these mists, running straight into a green bush. The petite figure did not seem to be injured at all. Instead, it was the bush that had been stomped beyond recognition with overwhelming force.
Snap.
Marilyn Mona stopped abruptly in her tracks. She lowered her head, only to realize that her beautiful dress had been torn to ribbons by the bramble. The dress barely clung to her body now. Light red marks could be seen on her white, exposed skin, but there were no signs of injury.
Like the majority of elementium adepts, Mona focused most of her effort on improving her Spirit. She did not pay as much attention to raising her Physique. Even though she was Third Grade, her Physique was still a pathetic 11 points. It was barely enough for her to survive the planar radiation and suppression of foreign planes.
Eleven points of Physique already made her as terrifying as a mammoth compared to an ordinary human. However, it was hardly noteworthy among the adepts.
With the Haste spell, Mona sprinted at superhuman speed. Her figure had turned into a blur, making it difficult to capture her silhouette. However, such horrifying speed also carried unexpected risks.
Even common bramble and branches could inflict scratches; she had to put up elementium shields to avoid being hurt. However, with so many brambles and branches flying past her, she was lucky to have been able to keep the shield up for more than a few minutes.
If she wasn’t quick enough to swerve away from crashing into a tree, Mona’s 11 points of Physique meant that she wouldn’t be the unfortunate one. The tree would be the unfortunate one. However, too many collisions and scratches started to add up, making for an unpleasant feeling.
Compared to her Physique, Mona’s Strength and Agility were only worse!
She only had 6 points of Strength and 7 points of Agility. They were neither enough for her to rampage through the forest nor enough to control her tremendous speed.
After fleeing madly for fifty kilometers, Mona finally had to stop and breathe. She took this opportunity to examine her aching body and her shredded dress.
> She braced against a tree with her arm and panted for a while before regaining her breath. She then took out a magic crystal from her ring and took a look. She frowned.
It had been one and a half hours since she separated from her subordinates. Four of the six red dots in the crystal ball had been extinguished. That meant that four of her subordinates had fallen victim to the vampires.
Such speed and power. It also served to demonstrate the power and terror of the vampires on her tail!
What was even more terrifying was the ferocity and resolution they displayed!
It seemed like her decision to kill Spalla had been a foolish one. Her actions had called down such disastrous calamity.
However, regret was of no use at this point.
Mona had already sent out a call for help to the headquarters before she departed. She believed that the clan elders would not hang her out to dry, given her position and status. In fact, it was also possible that Lady Kerala herself was making her way toward her.
Mona’s anxious, beating heart slowly calmed down at the thought of this.
She looked back at the path she had come from and frowned even more.
She’d had no opportunity to cover her tracks when she fled in that frenzied manner. The ravaged shrubs, crushed grass, the fallen trees. There was even a tiny gap left in the mist that indicated the path she had taken.
These tiny tracks were practically nothing to an ordinary person, but they were as clear as day for the adepts and their powerful Spirit.
If those vampires were on her tail, she would not be able to shake them like this.
She was a noble Third Grade psionic, yet she was being chased around in the woods by a bunch of vampires like she was nothing more than a lowly mutt. This humiliation burned furiously in Marilyn Mona’s heart. She cursed, but there was nothing she could do.
She gritted her teeth angrily and cast another Invisibility and Concealment spell on herself. It wasn’t until she had turned wholly invisible and had wiped away all traces of her elementium aura that she carefully hovered over the ground and flew deeper into the woods.
Chapter 1289 - Mary Intercepts
Chapter 1289 Mary Intercepts
A small lake deep in a forest.
It was only two to three hundred square meters in surface area, but it was the favorite resting spot for the nearby forest creatures.
Even the most savage and ferocious of predators became tame and gentle here. They came to the lake quietly and left quietly after they had had their fill. The lake was crowded with all sorts of animals that had come here to have a drink.
Night fell, and the curtain of darkness hung thick in the air.
The calm surface of the lake appeared even quieter as it reflected the beautiful moonlight.
Two black forms suddenly landed on top of a boulder sticking out of the lake. Their arrival also caused the bright moon in the skies to be obscured by a layer of crimson mist.
Puff! Puff!
Two muffled puffs could be heard as the two silhouettes turned into humanoid forms.
“Soros, what’s the situation on your side? Did you manage to find that fellow’s tracks?” It was a gentle and elegant nobleman who asked the question, his carefully-groomed mustache gleaming in the moonlight. The clothes he wore were intricate and exquisite.
He was Marquis Rothers, who had submitted to Mary with his entire clan of vampires. In return, he had become an important subordinate that Mary frequently relied on.
Rothers had brought nearly all of his subordinates on this hunt for the Third Grade psionic. It was obvious he had his eyes set on that promotion to Fourth Grade. Naturally, he was Soros’ strongest competitor, who held the highest reputation amongst the vampires apart from Mary herself.
“Hmph! Do you think I’d be loitering around here if we found her already?” Soros grunted. “These damned adepts. They aren’t much good at fighting, but they are very good at hiding and concealing. We’ve managed to hunt down most of the psionic’s subordinates, but we haven’t seen any sign of her yet. Hmph! A bastard that is willing to cast aside her subordinates to escape alone; she had best pray she doesn’t run into me!”
Rothers caressed his mustache with his fingers as he stared at the quiet forest around him. He said casually, “Us vampires have all come out this time. We’ve destroyed two enemy outposts. It is almost certain that their retaliation will arrive soon. We don’t have much time left. Why don’t we cooperate, Lord Soros!”
“Cooperate? How so?”
“If we thoroughly surround these woods and seal off all possible paths of escape, the only thing left would be a narrowing of the circle and the search of the remaining area. If we work individually, our net will be full of gaps, leaving her with plenty of room to dance around and evade our searches. If we work together, with one person on the outside watching for any gaps in the encirclement, and the other dedicated to searching for the psionic, we will be much more efficient!” Rothers still had the same gentle smile on his face.
Soros’ gaze focused as he replied in a deep voice, “And who would be in charge of laying down the encirclement, while the other searches?”
In the end, this was the most crucial question for the both of them!
Rothers fell silent for a moment before speaking up, “Lord Soros, you are a talented individual. You have an excellent chance of advancing to Fourth Grade even if you don’t rely on our blood master’s ability to promote us through the Embrace. Since that is the case, why don’t you leave this opportunity to me? Of course, I won’t disappoint you. I can—”
At this point, Rothers’ voice turned hushed as he silently sent a voice transmission to Soros instead.
The promises Rothers’ made moved Soros tremendously. However, even if Soros were confident in advancing by his own power, he wasn’t willing to so easily give up on the path with a higher chance of success.
Moreover, if Rothers were to advance to Fourth Grade ahead of him, he would have to treat him as a superior for the foreseeable future. Soros felt incredibly upset at the thought of that awkward situation.
Moreover, the vampires were very particular about seniority. If Rothers were to advance before him, Rothers would always remain his senior by a little bit, even if Soros were to advance to Fourth Grade after. Didn’t that mean he would always be one step inferior to Rothers then?
Rothers seemed to have perceived Soros wavering, but still hesitating. Thus, he spoke again, this time promising greater and even richer benefits to Soros for him to bow out of this competition.
His efforts were rewarded by Soros’ silent nod.
“If that’s settled, then let us start now! If things drag on for too long, I’m worried that reinforcements from the Dener Clan will mess things up for us.” Rothers was overjoyed and impatiently suggested that they get to work.
“Don’t worry. Only some intermediate or low-grade small fry can get here. As for their Fourth Grade adept? She had best stay obediently in her tower!” Soros chuckled coldly.
He didn’t explain anything, and Rothers knew better than to pursue the question.
After all, he already understood something from what Soros said. Their blood master must have divulged something to these direct subordinate vampires of hers. Otherwise, Soros would not be so confident in their operation.
In the end, their blood master still treated her people with more importance.
Rothers reflected resentfully before turning into a bat and flying toward the edges of the forest.
It was undoubtedly the most dangerous and helpless point in Marilyn Mona’s life as an adept.
She hid carefully within the hollow of a big tree, several dozen meters above the ground.
The entrance to the hollow was only the size of a fist. This place was once the home of some squirrels.
However, that family of squirrels was now lying in the corner of the hollow, utterly unmoving. Strange runes spun deep in their eyes.
Marilyn Mona, who once ha
d a pretty and slender figure, had now shrunk to a squirrel’s size. She was nervously hiding in the tree hollow as she awaited news from a distance.
It was so quiet outside in the forest that she could even hear the squirrels’ breathing and the beating of their hearts. Every so often, she could hear an odd sound of beating wings outside the tree.
These vampires had arrived so quickly and in such haste that Mona had no opportunity to make more preparations.
If she had not discovered this tree hollow unexpectedly and subdued the squirrels to serve as her cover, the enemy would have already found the faint magic aura of Shrinking Size.
She did not kill the squirrels.
That was because she still needed their weak life auras to conceal her own aura.
However, at that moment, the snake-eye ring on her right little finger flashed slightly.
Mona quickly rubbed her ring, and an elderly female voice appeared in her mind.
“Mona, where are you now? Why have you not returned to the clan?”
It was the voice of Adept Kerala.
Mona almost started tearing up when she heard that familiar voice.
“My lady, I have been surrounded by the enemy. I cannot escape anymore. The enemy is searching everywhere for me. I expect them to find me in a few more hours.”
“Hmph! You were too reckless. How could you have killed an enemy Third Grade adept just like that?!” Kerala reprimanded solemnly.
“My lady, it was my mistake. I will not repeat it again in the future!”
“Hmph! As long as you understand where you went wrong.” Kerala remained silent for a moment before speaking again, “You’ve been following me for five hundred years. I won’t abandon you. Stay where you are, and remain hidden. I will depart from my tower to rescue you. You must hang in there until I arrive!”
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