Chapter 183: Evolution and Meeting

"With my blood, I shall forge my true form!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Xian raised his right arm and sank his fangs into it. The moment he drank his blood, his pupils turned red and countless cracks spread across his skin.

The next second, he began to transform. He shot up in height as his muscle mass rapidly expanded. From behind, he looked every bit like a hulking brute, far too heavily built to pass for a vampire.

"Blood Demon Style: Infinite Self-Devouring Art!"

Forming a hand seal with his left hand, he circulated the blood he had absorbed to strengthen himself. Instantly, his body became covered in blood. Then, large amounts of blood vaporized and wildly swirled around him. The Blood-Cleansing Art tightly controlled the vaporized blood, preventing it from dispersing and instead creating a perfect cycle with the blood flowing through his body.

Within the blood mist, Yu Xian gradually grew gaunt. He was drinking his own blood, and once that blood vaporized, the amount remaining inside his body inevitably decreased. However, when his body withered to a certain extent, his hematopoiesis activated, causing it to rapidly fill out once more.

Little Dummy, perched above his head, supplied him with sufficient sunlight, while Light Feeder continued operating without pause. The blood mist surrounding him grew larger and larger.

Realizing that his mental energy was approaching its limit, Yu Xian decisively cast the next secret art. "Cellular Transcription Art!"

Neither the Blood-Cleansing Art nor the Cellular Transcription Art was particularly complicated. As long as one possessed sufficiently powerful mental energy and an abundant supply of blood, both techniques were relatively easy to learn. It was much like a magic trick. Before one understood the underlying principle, it seemed exceedingly complicated, but once the secret was revealed, it appeared almost absurdly simple.

With Super Brain, Yu Xian mastered both the Blood-Cleansing Art and the Cellular Transcription Art within half an hour. Although this was his first time using them, he had already simulated the process tens of thousands of times in his mind.

When he activated the Cellular Transcription Art, his eyelids grew heavy, and his body entered a state of dormancy. The blood mist swirling around him instantly contracted and solidified, forming a red egg with him as the center. Within the egg, Yu Xian began his first evolution.

***

In the Island Nation's Eastern Capital, dense storm clouds suddenly took over the sky. Pedestrians hurrying through the streets ground to a halt, one by one, and looked up.

Countless bats flew out from the clouds, followed by Supreme Hero. An iron chain was wrapped around his neck, and his expression was numb. Behind Supreme Hero, more than a dozen superheroes capable of flying carried an airborne palace. Inside, scantily clad blonde women attended to Edward, the progenitor of the Blood Race.

The palace flew across the city before descending into an estate in the Eastern Capital. The estate belonged to the current de facto ruler of the Island Nation—the Tiger-rank Yin-Yang Master, Abe Akiharu.

According to Abe Akiharu himself, he was a descendant of the ancient Yin-Yang Master Abe no Seimei. All the paper effigies in his possession were inheritances passed down by his ancestors. Everyone in the Island Nation knew that he was spouting nonsense, but no one dared call him out to his face.

Supreme Hero landed and dropped to his knees. Edward stepped out of the palace using Supreme Hero's back as a footstool, then took hold of his chain and slowly walked toward the estate's residence.

Dressed in a white flowing robe, Abe Akiharu led a group of people to kneel before Edward with utmost reverence. "I, Abe Akiharu, pay my respects to the new god."

He pressed his forehead firmly against the ground, his expression brimming with excitement. His performance was utterly flawless.

However, Edward led Supreme Hero past him, and Abe Akiharu's head burst apart. With a bang, he transformed into a paper effigy. But it was useless. The cross inside the airborne palace instantly erupted with crimson light, and streaks of crimson meteors shot out from it.

At one of the Ancient Sage Society's bases somewhere in the Island Nation, Abe Akiharu opened his eyes and immediately knew that something had gone terribly wrong. Before he could flee, however, streaks of crimson light descended from the sky. The next second, the base exploded along with the city above it, and a colossal crimson mushroom cloud slowly rose into the air.

Edward stopped before a trembling servant and looked down. "What is your name?"

The servant was of mixed heritage and had predominantly Western features. Trembling uncontrollably, he replied, "My lord, my name is... Arthur."

His real name was Yuya Kojima, but he had cleverly realized that the only thing distinguishing him from everyone else was his Western appearance. There was a strong possibility that Edward was a racial supremacist, so he decisively changed his name.

"Arthur, from this moment onward, you are in charge here," Edward said with a satisfied smile.

Arthur Kojima immediately replied with excitement, "Yes, my lord!"

Edward smiled. "Get to work. I want only one voice left in this nation in less than an hour."

Edward turned and returned to his airborne palace without even considering entering the estate's residence. Supreme Hero followed beside him, his head lowered like a dog. Upon reaching the palace, he hurried a few steps ahead and once again offered himself as Edward's footstool.

The Island Nation was the fiftieth country Edward had conquered. Some nations had resisted at first, but gradually, all resistance disappeared. This was especially true whenever Edward personally descended with Supreme Hero on a leash. Many supernatural beings who had originally intended to fight to the death lost all courage to resist after seeing Supreme Hero led around like a dog.

In every country, Edward selected five candidates to receive the First Bite, then ordered them to continue expanding the vampire population. In just half a day, his strength considerably increased once again, and he also became increasingly proficient at controlling his Star Divine Artifact.

***

Inside a hidden space in the deepest reaches of the ocean, the members of the Ancient Sage Society gathered.

Plato, the Twelfth Seat, saw the seat beside him grow dim and frowned. "Chairman, the Thirteenth Seat is dead."

Van Gogh, the Eleventh Seat, sneered. "That's the price of spying on a new god. Edward has undoubtedly become a True God. Who else would die if not someone foolish enough to play petty tricks before a True God?"

"But how exactly did Edward accomplish it? Why was he the one who became a god?" said Michelangelo, the Fifteenth Seat, as plaster continuously flaked from his body. His tone seemed to contain jealousy.

A pair of azure eyes opened from the seat of honor within the darkness. "Edward has merely borrowed the power of a divine artifact. He is not a True God. Nevertheless, his method is indeed worth studying. Prometheus, go and steal the method Edward used to create his divine artifact."

"Yes, Chairman," Prometheus replied respectfully as he rose from the vice-chairman's seat.

Socrates, the Second Seat, also stood. "Chairman, how much longer will it take for you and the First Seat to return from the Abyss?"

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, at least another six months. Until then, keep a low profile and do not get yourselves killed," replied the chairman.

Van Gogh laughed. "We're not idiots like Abe Akiharu. How could we die so easily?"

"But the Thirteenth Seat was still one of ours. The day I return will be the day Edward dies," the chairman said coldly.

Regardless of what they truly thought, everyone nodded. Only after the chairman departed did the members of the Ancient Sage Society relax and begin exchanging information and resources with each other.

"Does anyone know what happened to Huaxia?"

"It was most likely the legendary Art of the World Within a Pot."

"Plato, what do you know?"

"I'm not certain, but the information should have some value. Perhaps we can trade it with Edward for something worthwhile. Would any of you be interested?"

"What do you want in return?"

"I don't want anything. I simply want to watch rivers of blood flow." ℯ

Plato regarded the others with a gentle smile, then rose with refined composure and departed under everyone's watchful gaze. The others exchanged glances. Although they were hesitant, they could not deny that they were tempted. Edward did possess quite a few valuable treasures now.