Mutual Scheming

A bright moon hung high in the sky, bathing the ground in silver radiance. A few stars clustered feebly around it, watching helplessly as their own light was utterly eclipsed. A bat-like shadow landed on the platform of the seventeenth floor. Clutching his scorched chest, Liao Xiaojin cursed wildly. "Damn it! Those old fossils! I only evolved into a lowly baron last month, and they sent me on such a dangerous job—tracking a Light Priest from the Church. His rank may not be high either, but he's still not someone a little viscount like me can handle! Good thing I ran fast, or I'd have been roasted into a bat by that holy light!"

Cursing was one thing, but Liao Xiaojin greedily absorbed the essence of moonlight. An extremely thin ray of blue light descended from the moon and entered his mouth. The scorched flesh on his chest gradually began to regenerate.

"In the name of the Lord, dispel the evil of this world." Holy light appeared out of nowhere and blasted Liao Xiaojin, who was using the moonlight to heal his wounds. With a thunderous boom, he was hurled seven or eight zhang away and nearly fell from the building, his bones and flesh smashed to nothing.

"I never expected the Vampire Clan to dare develop descendants in China!" A middle-aged foreigner with golden hair and deep-blue, faintly sinister eyes appeared on the rooftop. Looking at the Vampire Clan viscount, whose entire body was scorched as he groaned in pain, Anthony was beside himself with excitement. Oh, Lord! A baron was hit by Baptism of God without any magical defenses and only suffered serious injuries. He didn't die. How miraculous! The constitution of Easterners is truly miraculous. But beneath the radiance of the Lord, even the miraculous East shall be conquered by us. If I bring his heart core back as an offering to the bishop, he will surely be delighted. This is an Eastern Vampire Clan member!

As if performing a magic trick, Anthony drew a distinctly Western-style rapier and smugly stabbed it toward Liao Xiaojin's chest. A cloud of blood mist suddenly burst from Liao Xiaojin's body, instantly concealing him in its dense crimson haze. Anthony froze for a moment. "Blood Escape Spell? Trying to run? Do you think you can escape? To use Blood Escape Spell after suffering such grave injuries—you really are full of surprises!"

"In the name of the Lord." Holy light in Anthony's hand shone upon a spot three zhang away. "Ah!" With a scream, Liao Xiaojin crashed to the ground and gave a bitter smile. There was nothing he could do. The gap in their strength was simply too vast. Though he had deliberately concealed his strength, hoping to play the pig to eat the tiger, a Light Priest of the Church was absolutely not someone a Vampire Clan baron could contend with. Not even after evolving into a baron.

"Damn it, I'm going all out!!" Liao Xiaojin pressed his hands together before his chest and muttered several incantations. Dense dark energy surged from his body. Two fangs emerged from the corners of his mouth. Riiip! The clothes on his back tore apart, and two pitch-black, bat-like wings extended from behind him. "Tsk! Tsk!" The smile on Anthony's handsome face did not change. "I underestimated you. I never expected you to be so close to evolving into a viscount. But what use is that? Go meet Satan! Light of Judgment!!" A seemingly gentle point of white light emerged above Anthony's head. In the blink of an eye, the entire rooftop was enveloped in holy radiance. The Light of Judgment was holy light invoked by devout believers, drawing upon the heavenly Lord God to eradicate all dark creatures in the world. Its power was immense. The moment Liao Xiaojin was illuminated by it, the black energy around his body vanished without a trace. Wisps of black smoke rose from his flesh. "Aoo! Aoooaah!" Liao Xiaojin howled in agony. Yet Anthony did not intensify the holy light, as though he were deliberately tormenting this Eastern Vampire Clan member.

"By the law, swift as an edict! Five Thunder Righteous Method!" Whoosh! A streak of blue Sword Qi tore straight through the Light of Judgment blanketing the rooftop. Lightning seven or eight zhang long descended from the void and slammed heavily into the smug Anthony. The wheel of fortune turned; this year it turned to our house. The old saying could not have been more fitting. Anthony's entire body was charred black, reeking of burnt flesh. "Who?!" Dazed by the lightning strike, Anthony had just opened his mouth to shout when he saw an enormous iron block, four zhang wide, crashing down at him. This was no joke. If it hit him, he would be pounded into a pulp of bones and flesh, flattened into a meat patty with no chance of survival.

Anthony roared and threw himself aside with every ounce of strength he had, barely escaping the fate of becoming a meat patty. Strangely, when the iron block struck the concrete rooftop, it made no sound at all. Before Anthony's eyes, which bulged so wide they nearly popped out, the iron block four zhang across rapidly shrank into a seal four inches square and flew back into the hand of a masked man standing at the edge of the rooftop.

"A Chinese cultivator?!" "A magic treasure?!" Before coming to China, the cardinal had repeatedly warned him to act carefully in the East and never clash with Eastern cultivators. Anthony broke out in a cold sweat. Terrifying cultivators! Mysterious cultivators! When the cardinal had spoken of them, Anthony had been somewhat disdainful. Now he finally understood. They could actually command lightning as a means of attack, and they possessed such miraculous magic treasures that could grow or shrink at will. Everything surpassed the limits of his imagination.

Anthony's mind went blank for only a second when a sharp pain shot through his neck. Liao Xiaojin had been struggling bitterly to resist the Light of Judgment. If Anthony had not deliberately wished to torture him, he would already have been reduced to ashes. Then the pressure suddenly lifted, and he saw the other man blackened all over, seemingly gravely injured. How could he possibly hold himself back? Throwing caution to the wind, he lunged forward, bit Anthony's neck, and sucked frantically at his blood. The Vampire Clan was naturally known for speed. Caught off guard, Anthony had fallen prey to the attack.

"Aha! A Light Priest's blood—what a powerful tonic! If I drain him dry, I'll evolve into a viscount soon enough."

With another furious roar, Anthony forced out every last bit of holy light within him. Though he had taken a heavenly lightning strike just now and half his holy power had been scattered, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse, wasn't it? With a pop, Liao Xiaojin was blasted three zhang away. His wings and fangs retracted, revealing his human appearance. Meanwhile, wrapped in a mass of holy light, Anthony floated toward the edge of the rooftop, preparing to use the Sacred Escape Technique to flee.

The masked man shook his head. "When cutting grass, remove the roots. Those not of our kind must harbor different hearts!" Blue light flashed again. A sword-light ten zhang long and one zhang wide cleaved toward that mass of holy light. "Ah!" Anthony screamed. Seriously weakened, how could he withstand the razor-sharp Sword Qi formed from Prime Gold of Taiyi? He was split in two by a single stroke, and the enormous iron seal that followed crushed him into a meat patty. Silently, blood splattered all over Liao Xiaojin. Stunned, he watched the masked man toss out six jade pieces. Floating in the air, the jade pieces glimmered with hazy blue light, tiny talismans faintly flickering upon them as they formed a Taiji pattern. A ray of red light shone from the Taiji pattern onto the ground. Instantly, the remaining blood and minced flesh were burned into a wisp of blue smoke. A light breeze blew by, and they vanished without a trace. Liao Xiaojin swallowed hard. This man's Dao techniques are formidable, and his actions are ruthless and watertight. He is someone destined for great things! I might as well try to build a relationship with him. Perhaps it will bring unexpected results. After spending several years as a vampire, Liao Xiaojin had long since become incomparably shrewd.

Drawing upon the movements he had learned from period martial arts films, Liao Xiaojin performed a deep salute. "Many thanks, Senior, for saving my life. This junior is endlessly grateful! May I ask Senior's honored name?"

Zhou Qing nearly laughed aloud. His cultivation had recently advanced greatly, his True Essence was abundant, and he had gained a deeper understanding of formations. He had also comprehended several low-powered formations from the Refining Equipment Grand Summary and wished to test their might, but had lacked anyone to test them on. Who would have thought that just as sleepiness came, someone would bring him a pillow? A fight happened to break out nearby. With Zhou Qing's current cultivation, close to the Qi Induction Stage - Mid Phase, how could he fail to sense it? Remembering the benefits he had reaped last time by sitting back and profiting like the fisherman, Zhou Qing's heart grew hot with excitement. When he saw that it was a battle between a Church member and a vampire, he became even more curious. During his school days, Zhou Qing had read quite a few fantasy novels with vampires as their protagonists. He held a trace of goodwill toward the Vampire Clan but loathed the Church to the bone. Especially after seeing that the vampire appeared to be Chinese, he resolved to save the poor fellow. No matter what, he could not let a foreign devil kill a Chinese man.

Anthony was quite powerful. In a direct battle, even if Zhou Qing won, it would certainly not be easy, and killing Anthony would likely leave him severely wounded as well. But a sneak attack was different. How sharp was Sword Qi formed from Prime Gold of Taiyi? It easily tore through the Light of Judgment. Coupled with the Five Thunder Jade Talisman he had recently made, which drew upon the essence of primordial lightning, there was no way Anthony could avoid serious injury. Yet Zhou Qing had still been greatly astonished that Anthony, despite being badly wounded, had escaped the first of his three killing moves—the strike of the Lesser Heaven-Turning Seal. If the vampire had not ambushed Anthony and bought him some time to gather a second streak of Sword Qi, Anthony might have escaped. That would have brought endless future troubles.

In an instant, Zhou Qing absorbed the lesson from this experience. Just then, he heard Liao Xiaojin speak. Zhou Qing was not particularly concerned about this vampire. He was too weak; if he made any suspicious move, Zhou Qing was confident he could kill him with a single sword strike. This was a good chance to ask about the foreign Vampire Clan and the Church. After all, knowing more was never a bad thing.

"This is not a place to talk. Follow me!"

Along the way, Zhou Qing set up several small Lost-Trace Formations and took a great detour, spinning the little vampire around until he was utterly disoriented. Only then did he bring Liao Xiaojin to his residence.

"Senior, your divine abilities are vast and your magic power boundless!" Upon seeing Zhou Qing's face, Liao Xiaojin was astonished. Judging by the strength Zhou Qing had displayed, he should at least have looked like an immortal sage, with an otherworldly bearing and long beard flowing in the wind. Who would have expected him to be so young? Our Chinese Dao arts are truly miraculous! The legends of eternal youth and immortality must be real! Even we vampires can only live for around a thousand years, and we still slowly grow old. Liao Xiaojin's eyes rolled constantly as he pondered something unknown.

"You needn't be surprised. My actual age matches my appearance. As for your Vampire Clan, I truly know little about you. I can't tell your age at all." Zhou Qing naturally knew what Liao Xiaojin was thinking, and there was a faintly questioning tone in his voice.

"Ah! His actual age matches his appearance? That means he attained such divine abilities in his twenties. His strength must be at least equivalent to a Vampire Clan marquis! How is that possible? How can it be possible?!" Liao Xiaojin's mind went blank again for several seconds. Hearing the questioning note in Zhou Qing's voice, he respectfully replied, "This junior is Liao Xiaojin. I was turned into a Vampire Clan member three years ago. This junior is twenty-six years old." Though he knew the other man might be even younger than himself, Liao Xiaojin still called himself junior. Strength reigned supreme—no person, no existence, could escape that rule.

Zhou Qing finally could not hold back and burst into laughter. "What era do you think this is? Do you think we're filming a movie? That's hilarious. My name is Zhou Qing. Just call me by my name."

Seeing how easygoing Zhou Qing was, Liao Xiaojin laughed as well, and the distance between them closed considerably. "Brother Zhou, your abilities are incredible. You took care of that Church Light Priest in a single stroke. Surely no one is your match, right?" Liao Xiaojin asked probing questions. Yet inwardly, he calculated, Aha! He's quite young. If I can get cultivation manuals or methods from him, I'll definitely evolve quickly. That brat Edward dared steal my Jenny—I'll drain your blood dry and turn you into my blood slave! And that old ghost Kurak, isn't he just a count? If he hadn't backed you, how could Jenny have been stolen by that puny viscount Edward? Twenty years... This guy is only in his twenties, yet he's stronger than a marquis. Then what about me?! A savage gleam flashed through Liao Xiaojin's eyes.

"There are plenty of people stronger than me. I've only just entered the path. Your chest has been bleeding this entire time. It looks like your injury is serious, so why are you acting as though nothing is wrong?" Zhou Qing was curious as well. Liao Xiaojin did not find those words surprising. After all, Zhou Qing's strength was greater than that of a marquis, but the Vampire Clan still had dukes, grand dukes, and even princes. Not to mention mainland China.

"Our Vampire Clan has extremely powerful regenerative abilities. Even an ordinary descendant who has been drained of blood will not die as long as he drinks fresh blood in time. Those of us with ranks have grown heart cores, and as long as we absorb moonlight, we will recover quickly." Liao Xiaojin answered truthfully. "Besides, I seem to recover several times faster than ordinary Vampire Clan members, and I evolve faster than they do too." After a pause, Liao Xiaojin finally voiced the question that had troubled him for a long time. This also revealed a small secret of his, so as to gain Zhou Qing's trust.

"Oh, it is a full moon tonight." Zhou Qing walked over to the window and pulled open the curtains. Pale blue moonlight, like flowing water, streamed in. The full moon hung directly overhead. Zhou Qing sighed inwardly. Liao Xiaojin nodded and let out a low growl. Wings and fangs abruptly appeared. Zhou Qing had sharp eyes and saw tiny silver-white specks within the blue moonlight rapidly enter Liao Xiaojin's mouth. They flashed once at his heart before vanishing, while the wounds on his body slowly regenerated at a faint but visible rate.

"So the Vampire Clan cultivates with the supreme yin energy from the Yin Star! But according to Daoist theory, isn't that an imbalance of yin and yang? So much pure yin energy accumulates in the body, without yang energy to harmonize it. As more and more builds up, trouble will arise sooner or later. Ah! No wonder they drink blood. Blood is naturally an object of utmost hardness and utmost yang! But why don't they absorb the primordial true-yang energy of the Solar Star? Wouldn't that harmonize yin and yang even better?" Zhou Qing could not figure it out. Looking at Liao Xiaojin, who was absorbing moonlight with great enthusiasm, he shook his head. "This Vampire Clan really is strange. He lost so much blood, yet he acts as though nothing happened."

Forming several hand seals, Zhou Qing said, "Taiji Qiankun, Heart-Devil True Fire." He threw out six jade plaques, intending to burn away the blood Liao Xiaojin had dripped on the floor. This was a method Zhou Qing had recently comprehended: using the Taiji Array alongside his True Essence to invoke primordial fire essence and produce Heart-Devil True Fire. Though it was far inferior to Samadhi True Fire, it was more than enough to melt ordinary objects and refine fine steel and iron.

The high heat of the red light, enough to melt gold and liquefy iron, shone on the pool of blood but had no effect. Specks of golden light flashed within the blood and barely neutralized the red radiance. Zhou Qing shuddered, his eyes nearly falling out. How was that possible? Though he was using only one-tenth of his True Essence to activate the Taiji Fire Formation, even an iron plate would melt quickly, let alone a tiny pool of blood.

"By the law, swift as an edict! Retract!" Retracting the Taiji Fire Formation, Zhou Qing rushed to the pool of blood, dipped a finger into a drop, and examined it carefully. A faint strand of divine sense passed through his True Essence to analyze it. The records from the Refining Equipment Grand Summary flashed rapidly through his mind: Nine Li Sacred Blood, Chiyou Bloodline.

In an instant, countless thoughts rose in his heart. Glancing at Liao Xiaojin, who was wholly absorbed in taking in supreme yin energy, Zhou Qing took out a jade bottle and carefully collected the pool of blood.

"I should give you some benefits. Otherwise, why would you follow me wholeheartedly?" "Mysterious female of heaven and earth, Taihua Power, by the law, swift as an edict!!!" Zhou Qing threw out the six jade plaques again, and they floated above Liao Xiaojin's head. This time, Heart-Devil True Fire did not emerge. As Zhou Qing continuously changed his hand seals, the Taiji pattern formed by the jade plaques began spinning faster and faster. A powerful suction force!! Countless rays of moonlight were forcibly drawn into the Taiji pattern. Then, a silver pillar of light as thick as a teacup shot from the Taiji pattern and entered Liao Xiaojin's mouth. Liao Xiaojin was startled at first, then an ecstatic expression appeared on his face, and even his breathing grew rapid.