The situation was extremely awkward for a moment. Xueji remained silent, and the vampire lord, for some reason, also didn’t speak. The other vampires, intimidated by the aura emanating from Xueji and Shaya, didn’t dare make a sound either.
Before long, He Zhixin was carried upstairs by a group of vampires, tightly bound. They tossed him to the floor like a piece of trash. Of course, they didn’t seem entirely at ease—the vampires in the front row had their hands behind their backs, and some were clamping their legs together, as if trying to hide something.
“What’s wrong with all of you?” the lord asked.
“Boss, this guy is tough. He fights dirty—elbow strikes, groin shots… lots of us got hit,” one of the lackeys at the front complained, frustration evident in his voice.
A barely suppressed smirk appeared on the lord’s stern, gaunt face. “You clown, what were you trying to pull?” he sneered.
A dwarf vampire stomped on He Zhixin’s head. Despite his short stature, this human had dared to press down on his head—how reckless!
“You’re the most despicable, sneaky human I’ve ever seen! I’ll crush you!” the dwarf shrieked, his voice piercing and raspy, like needles stabbing into eardrums.
He jumped up and down on He Zhixin’s body, venting his rage. A flicker of killing intent passed through He Zhixin’s eyes, but he quickly resumed his dull, expressionless facade.
Clang, clang, clang—the sound echoed through the room, like metal being forged.
Finding He Zhixin’s lack of reaction boring, the dwarf finally stopped stomping. He pulled a handkerchief from his oversized tailcoat and wiped his head repeatedly before tossing it onto He Zhixin’s face in disgust.
Xueji glanced at He Zhixin out of the corner of her eye. She couldn’t understand it—no matter how many choices he had, he somehow managed to pick the one option that would make everything worse. He’d single-handedly managed to offend everyone.
The vampires had lost face because of him. Xueji’s side had unexpectedly given the enemy a hostage. And He Zhixin himself had gotten beaten up.
How pathetic! Xueji was utterly exasperated with him.
Even though the delivery guy was now a hostage, Xueji couldn’t afford to lose momentum.
She shifted her gaze to the lackey who had just reported to the lord and taunted, “Oh? So you still refer to yourselves as humans? Are you hoping to return to human society? Really? Really?“
Xueji noticed that ever since she’d become a girl, her ability to mock others had improved significantly—and she was kind of enjoying it.
“After all, being human might not be all that exciting, but it’s still better than being a vampire’s lackey for life, right?” she said, looking at the recently turned blood servants with feigned sympathy, her words peeling open the wounds in their hearts.
“And now you’re opposing all of humanity~ Are you sure~ that’s okay~?” Her voice was like a demon’s whisper, stirring fear in their hearts.
The delivery guy, who had just been betrayed by his self-proclaimed “buddies,” was on the verge of tears. This white-haired girl is really pushing their buttons… I’m done for this time.
“What’s the point of wishing? You’ve already become vampires—there’s no turning back now,” the lord said calmly.
Many of the newly turned vampires were stirred by Xueji’s words, but what could they do? He, too, had once clung to such hopes, but he’d long since gone too far down a path of no return.
“Sharp-tongued little girl, aren’t you afraid I’ll kill the hostage?” The lord adjusted the large gold chain around his neck and gripped the delivery guy’s throat with his powerful hand.
“Don’t get it twisted—you’re in no position to negotiate with me!” Xueji shot him a contemptuous look and unleashed her aura without holding back.
Although Xueji was only a mid-level Awakened at best, the pressure she released pierced through the building’s shielding, reaching high into the sky and covering an area of five hundred meters. It was just a fraction of her soul power, yet it made her seem as deep and unfathomable as the ocean.
The sudden surge of energy alarmed the nearby Pioneers and stationed special forces units. Soon, a large group of armed personnel gathered outside the building, on high alert.
On the other side of the city, Ling Xiaoxiao immediately turned her gaze in the direction of the disturbance.
“Such powerful soul energy!” The immense pressure felt strangely familiar, filling her with relief. “So you’ve already grown this strong. You’re not as honest as you seem, huh.”
Ling Xiaoxiao had seen some of Xueji’s tricks in this life, but she’d assumed they were nothing remarkable. She never expected her soul power to be so formidable—on par with her own.
“If that’s the case, why did you let me mess around like that? You dummy…” Thinking about it, Ling Xiaoxiao’s recently calmed heart began to stir again.
“But since you’ve caused such a commotion, I’d like to see how you plan to handle it. Hehe~” Leaving a puppet double behind to stand guard, she stepped into the air and flew toward Xueji’s location.
……
In the stairwell, Shaya was also startled by the sudden pressure and dropped her sword.
“So… so impressive!” She stared at Xueji, mesmerized. She already had indescribable feelings for Xueji, and after witnessing her power, she was completely smitten.
If only I could take Aji back to my clan as our trophy bride.
The Cloud Wolf tribe naturally revered strength, and if the object of their affection happened to be powerful…
Well, let’s just say if both conditions were met, they’d enter mating season…
The pressure Xueji emitted was enough to make Shaya’s heart race, and the weaker vampires were completely overwhelmed. It was as if a meteor had struck the building—almost everyone was knocked to the ground, unable to move.
The vampire lord mustered all his strength just to remain half-kneeling, cold sweat pouring down his body.
“I didn’t know vampires could sweat. How interesting~” Xueji remarked disdainfully, watching their pitiful state with a look of disgust.
There was no trace of her usual gentle, adorable self now. Her white hair and exquisite features seemed as terrifying as a demon’s in the vampire lord’s eyes.
She’s a… a witch! Unable to hold on any longer, he dropped to his knees, hands pressed against the floor. With great effort, he lifted his head.
“Who said you could look up?” The girl’s lively voice now sounded like the whisper of death, plunging everyone into boundless fear.
Survival instinct made him immediately smash his head against the floor. To please Xueji, he made sure to kowtow several extra times.
“Who said you could kowtow?”
Vampire Lord Luren Jia: You… I… I’m so mad I could die!
“You dare curse me in your thoughts?”
“I’m innocent! I didn’t, I really didn’t!”
“You dare talk back?”
Luren Jia: ……
In the middle of speaking, Xueji seemed to grow tired of standing. She walked over to Luren Jia and, to everyone’s surprise, prepared to sit on his back.
Shaya’s fur bristled, and she rushed to Xueji’s side.
Let me do it!