Bibi Dong Ambushed
Qian Daoliu also stepped to the side of the Ice Empress.
"Let us try it; the current situation allows for not the slightest negligence."
"Qian Daoliu, you!"
Tang Chen turned his head and glared furiously at Qian Daoliu.
The Ice Empress patted Qian Daoliu's shoulder with a look of satisfaction.
Looking at the Ice Empress outside who looked only fourteen or fifteen years old, with an expression that said the youth was finally teachable, Qian Daoliu wore a wry smile that was neither a laugh nor a cry.
Tang Zhen stepped forward and took the dagger from Di Tian's hand.
"Everyone is right; this is for the best, as it will clear away everyone's doubts."
As his voice fell, Tang Zhen rolled up his sleeve to reveal a sturdy arm. With a gentle exertion of force from his wrist, the silver dagger instantly sliced through his skin, a small wound appeared, and bright red blood slowly oozed out.
A vampire's blood would emit white smoke upon touching a silver weapon, and its regenerative abilities would also be suppressed.
Yet Tang Zhen's blood showed not the slightest trace of abnormality.
Seeing this, the tense expressions of the crowd relaxed.
"Hmph, let's go find Third and Fourth!"
Tang Chen walked straight out of the tent, his tone full of dissatisfaction.
Just as the group stepped out of the tent, a hurried report came once more.
"Report! A battle has broken out in the village to the northeast!"
A flying Soul Douluo flew over, his tone urgent.
Tang Zhen's expression drastically changed, and he hurriedly spoke, "Not good! The vampires must have found third brother and the others!"
"Let's move!"
Daring not to delay, the group immediately urged their Soul Power and galloped toward the village in the northeast.
Qian Daoliu, Di Tian, and the other flyers quickly flew over a low, rolling hill.
They saw that in a small village in the distance, two elders wearing Clear Sky Sect attire, holding Clear Sky Hammers, stood back-to-back, engaging in a fierce battle with a group of vampires and blood slaves.
Judging from the state of their combat, the two elders' injuries were likely not light.
Qian Daoliu's gaze turned sharp, and he shouted in a deep voice, "Kill!!"
As his voice fell, Qian Daoliu took the lead, Soul Power erupting around his entire body as he charged straight into the battlefield. The remaining Titled Douluo followed closely behind, aggressively slaughtering their way into the enemy ranks.
The number of vampires and blood slaves besieging the two Clear Sky Sect elders was not large, amounting to only a few dozen.
Under the onslaught of the various Titled Douluo, this group of vampires and blood slaves was completely annihilated within a few breaths.
Yet as the crowd looked at the corpses of the fallen vampires and blood slaves, their hearts were filled with shock.
Those blood slaves transformed from ordinary people actually possessed a strength no weaker than a Soul Grandmaster; meanwhile, the vampires transformed from Soul Ancestors and Soul Kings could even fight across a major rank. Just now, two Soul Douluo-level vampires, aided by the cooperation of various low-tier vampires, were even able to suppress two injured Titled Douluo.
Thus, it was evident how great an enhancement transformation into a vampire provided to combat prowess.
Quite a few Titled Douluo present and the Soul Douluo who had hurried over revealed looks of envy.
After the battle ended, the two Clear Sky Sect elders immediately arrived before Tang Chen, bowing in salute, their tones carrying a hint of exhaustion and relief.
Bibi Dong's brows were tightly knitted as she looked at the vampire corpses on the ground, her tone solemn.
"After these vampires undergo conversion, the boost to their strength is actually this massive. If we let them develop unchecked, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Di Tian's expression grew increasingly heavy.
"Indeed, and the Sky Curtain will expose all of this as well. If the living beings across the mainland learn tomorrow that becoming a Vampire not only drastically extends one's lifespan but also massively boosts one's strength, I'm afraid quite a few people will actively choose to fall into depravity and defect to the Vampire side."
Ning Fengzhi nodded in agreement.
"What Your Excellency Di Tian says is entirely correct. We must fight a quick battle to force a quick resolution and eradicate the vampire forces as soon as possible. Otherwise, even if the enemy fails to awaken Myotismon, our world will still be slowly eroded by the vampires and eventually degenerate into a paradise for evil spirits."
As everyone was discussing, a spatial fluctuation stirred, and Gu Rong instantly appeared beside them, holding a struggling vampire in his hand with a hint of smugness in his tone. "Look, I caught a live one over there!"
Qian Daoliu's gaze turned sharp as he stepped forward.
"Speak! What is your plan? Where is that Vampire from Slaughter City hiding now?"
The Vampire raised his head, the corners of his mouth curving into an eerie, savage grin. "Heh, do you think I'd tell you? You hypocritical Soul Masters will all sooner or later become our blood food!"
Seeing the opponent act so arrogant, Bibi Dong at the side felt a surge of coldness rise in the depths of her eyes, her tone icy. "Refuse to confess, and I have thousands of methods to make you beg for death and pray for life in vain."
With that, she executed Martial Soul Possession, a spider leg piercing into the vampire's body. Accompanied by the injection of poison and Bibi Dong's spiritual attack, the vampire's expression began to twist, emitting painful wails.
Just like that, after half an incense stick of time, this vampire lay on the ground like a puddle of mud, its gaze vacant.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong spoke up to question it once more. This time, the vampire stammered intermittently, "Blu... Blu... They've all gathered in Blu..."
Before its voice even faded, the Vampire suddenly wore an expression of extreme terror, its entire body convulsing violently as it let out a heart-rending shriek, "No! I can't say it! I absolutely cannot say it!"
The next second, with a loud bang, the vampire's body instantly exploded, transforming into a sky full of blood mist that scattered in all directions.
Fortunately, Bibi Dong reacted extremely quickly, instantly urging her Soul Power to condense into a barrier of Soul Power that tightly enveloped the vampire inside, completely blocking all the exploded flesh and blood fragments.
Seeing this scene, Zi JI gnashed her teeth in anger.
"Damn it! We were just a step away from getting a crucial clue, and it actually detonated itself!"
Bibi Dong turned to look at the Soul Douluo holding the topographical map nearby.
"Quickly check if there are any locations nearby with names containing the word 'Blue'!"
The environment surrounding Slaughter City was harsh and sparsely populated, with towns and villages few and far between to begin with.
This Soul Douluo quickly completed the check and reported in a deep voice:
"Reporting to His Holiness the Pope, within a radius of three hundred kilometers, there is only one location with a name containing the character 'Blue'."
As the words fell, he quickly unfurled an animal-skin map, his fingertip pointing precisely at a set of coordinates as he added, "This place is located to the northeast, one hundred kilometers away from here, and is called Blue River Town."
Zi JI furrowed her brow slightly, lightly twisting her fingertips, her eyes filled with confusion as she asked, "Strange, why would a Vampire abandon the geographical advantages of Slaughter City and intentionally head to Blue River Town?"
Ice Empress suddenly spoke up, "Tell me, is there a chance that the true body of Vampire Monster Suranos is slumbering beneath the ground in Blue River Town, and they intend to complete a sacrificial ritual with the blood of the living to awaken Suranos?"
As those words landed, the expressions of all the powerhouses present changed drastically.
Qian Daoliu's heart tightened.
"This is terrible, set off for Blue River Town immediately!"
Ning Fengzhi raised a hand to stop the crowd.
"Wait, this might be a diversion set by the enemy. Slaughter City is to the southeast; if the main Vampire force and the awakening ritual remain there while our entire army rushes to Blue River Town, then no one will stop them."
Deep Sea Demonic Whale King muttered, "That makes sense. Why don't we split our forces into two routes?"
Yu Yuanzhen shook his head.
"Once our forces are split, however, our combat strength will be weakened."
Xiong Jun's head spun from listening, and he asked in a muffled, rumbling voice, "Going in circles like this, what on earth should we actually do?"
At this moment, Tang Zhen suggested, "We divide into two groups, rushing separately to Slaughter City and Blue River Town, with the main force heading to the area between the two locations. That way, no matter which side anomalies appear on, everyone can rush to reinforce at the fastest Speed."
Qian Daoliu immediately assigned the personnel. "I will lead the members of Spirit Hall, Sea God Island, Clear Sky Sect, and Star Crown Sect to rush to Blue River Town. Di Tian, Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, and Snow Empress will lead the teams, joining forces with Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to head to Slaughter City for investigation. All Titled Douluo will travel at full speed. Bibi Dong, you will lead the remaining main force, taking the three injured Clear Sky Sect elders to the middle area."
"Agreed," Bibi Dong replied. Although she was displeased with Qian Daoliu ordering her around, this was no time to let outsiders see any internal discord within Spirit Hall.
The assignments completed, the group delayed no further, galloping out at full speed.
Di Tian's group was the first to arrive at the airspace a few kilometers outside of Slaughter City.
At this moment, Slaughter City was shrouded by a thick, intangible blood mist, with a radius of over a dozen miles completely obscured by the fog. Sunlight could not penetrate it, and the scenery inside the city was completely blurred.
Within the outer abandoned town, a large number of vampires and blood slaves of various ranks wandered about.
Ning Fengzhi wore a solemn expression. "What do you think, is this the enemy's main force?"
"We'll know once we fight."
As soon as the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King finished speaking, towering Soul Power erupted from his entire body as he dove straight toward Slaughter City.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Myriad Swords Return to Origin."
Chen Xin executed his soul skill, and densely packed flying swords appeared around his body. The next moment, the sky-full of flying swords swept downward.
Seeing this, the others also immediately charged down.
Ning Fengzhi summoned the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda to apply auxiliary effects to the crowd.
The next moment, four figures in Slaughter Town stood atop the rooftops, nine soul rings lighting up on their bodies.
They simultaneously executed their soul skills, bombarding the attacks of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King and Chen Xin.
"Four Titled Douluo; it seems this side is their main force. Send out the signal."
Zi JI immediately flew high into the sky and executed a powerful explosive skill.
The dazzling light of Kakkō was visible even to people a hundred miles away.
Meanwhile, on Qian Daoliu's side, they were similarly engaged in battle with a vast number of vampires and blood slaves.
Seeing that the enemy's numbers were vast, Qian Daoliu executed a large-scale radiant skill toward the sky.
Bibi Dong, who had just led her team rushing to the middle position, was left completely dumbfounded when she saw the signals on both the left and right.
How was it that both sides had encountered the main vampire force? Which side should she rescue?
This question lingered in Bibi Dong's mind for merely 0.1 seconds before she made her decision.
"Everyone pick up the speed and head to Blue River Town!"
Before her voice had even faded, an ultimate chill, akin to bone-gnawing maggots, unceremoniously surged straight up Bibi Dong's spine toward her crown.
Two huge hammer-shaped shadows abruptly appeared beneath her feet.