Chapter 101 - Mortals Drown (Final) (Patreon)

Lucian was recovering his spent Blood Essence in a neighboring room when he felt a tug through his Qi perception.

At the same time, his instincts flared wildly, his nose picking up the salty, stale scent characteristic of coastal towns turning hostile.

There was also the sound of rushing water, as if a river was surging through the streets.

The moment he perceived it, most of the spies outside fled, clearing the area around the inn and the nearby streets. The screams from the commoners also changed, shifting from anger and riotous excitement to fear and outright terror.

Frowning, Lucian rushed to the far side of the room, leaving the mummified thugs sprawled across the floor before leaping through the window.

Swiftly, he climbed the walls and reached the rooftop, staring toward the direction his instincts warned him about.

Narrowing his eyes, his enhanced vision caught sight of a purple river rushing through the streets, floating above the ground while steam rose from it.

And standing atop that river, hands clasped behind his back, was Elder Black Scale.

The elder’s eyes were fixed directly upon Lucian.

Recognizing him, Lucian frowned.

Did I miscalculate? he thought as he prepared himself for the incoming threat.

Because so many rats had died during the previous operation, Lucian had lost nearly half his strength and only managed to kill half a dozen people afterward to replenish himself.

He did not particularly mind being discovered as a murderer.

The chaos outside had already brought far greater death, and the inn itself had become a playground for thieves and beggars searching for easy loot, making a few corpses inside seem almost natural.

As Elder Black Scale approached, Lucian heard the man shout with a Qi-enhanced voice.

“This Elder Black Scale, representative of the Tidal Church, is here to apprehend the culprit behind the church massacre! All uninvolved people, leave immediately!”

Despite the warning, several cultivators remained nearby, eager to witness the confrontation.

Some were merely curious about the person who had dared plot against the Tidal Church, while others wished to witness Elder Black Scale’s infamous Purple Qi firsthand.

Sensing the people around him, Lucian made a decision almost instantly.

Jumping from the inn’s rooftop, he chased after a fleeing mortal. 

The moment he reached the man, he punched forward.

At the same time, Blood Essence activated the Rune of Greed, the image of a crimson eye being plucked materializing upon his right hand.

Devilish Arts: Boon of Greed - Blinded by Power

As Lucian’s fist pierced through the fleeing man’s back, the victim’s blood drained into the rune, empowering both Lucian and the technique.

Without slowing down, he rushed toward another fleeing person as screams erupted throughout the streets.

Watching the scene from afar, Elder Black Scale felt thrilled.

“Demonic scoundrel!” he shouted, sounding almost delighted. “You dare harm innocent people beneath my watch? Stop and receive your punishment!”

Sending his liquefied Purple Qi into his Dantian, Elder Black Scale unleashed his peak-stage Qi Condensation aura.

Purple water surged into existence.

The strange liquid carried both burning and corrosive properties, as though flame and acid had fused into seawater itself. Nearby wooden buildings combusted instantly, and the temperature rose violently, heat washing against Lucian’s back.

Even so, Lucian neither slowed nor turned around.

He continued hunting mortals and draining them of blood until a cultivator rushed toward him.

“Stop, you demonic bastard!” the cultivator roared after throwing two talismans.

Lucian sensed that the man had only unlocked up to the Solar Plexus Chakra at the upper abdomen, barely placing him within the middle stage of Qi Refining.

Enhancing his muscles with Blood Essence, Lucian vanished from the cultivator’s vision before appearing at the man’s side, punching his face.

The cultivator’s talismans struck the ground at the same time, triggering a minor earthquake as jagged spikes of earth erupted upward.

Alarmed by Lucian’s sudden disappearance, the Qi Refining cultivator failed to react before Lucian’s fist smashed into his left side.

The man’s head exploded apart while Lucian siphoned both his blood and the Qi contained within it.

Swiftly, Lucian ran forward once more, cleansing the Qi mixed within the blood through his meridians and chakra points before refining more Blood Essence.

A moment after he left, a purple wall descended from the heavens, burning the mummified cultivator’s corpse and destroying the nearby houses.

“Stop!” Elder Black Scale shouted. “Stop now, demonic scoundrel!”

While the elder shouted, Lucian killed another person while thinking, His attacks could have reached me, but he chose not to. Does he want more people to die beneath my hands?

During the previous exchange, Lucian had needed to accelerate his body with Blood Essence to avoid losing time, but it had still delayed him slightly.

From Elder Black Scale’s movements, Lucian noticed the purple river slowing to match his own pace, as though the black-robed cultivator deliberately did not wish to catch him yet.

Of course, Lucian possessed ways to evade those attacks or flee entirely if necessary, but he had no desire to do so.

Now that he understood Elder Black Scale wanted him to spread greater chaos and death, Lucian was more than happy to comply.

With that understanding, Lucian began draining blood throughout the inn district while moving toward the docks.

Normally, replenishing his Blood Essence did not require so many deaths, but as he was simultaneously enhancing his body and empowering the Rune of Greed, he wasn’t gaining as much Blood Essence as it seemed.

Just as he was about to enter the district of brothels and warehouses, where flames and screams echoed more fiercely, a group of five cultivators attempted to ambush him.

Had Lucian relied solely on his Qi perception, he would not have noticed them, since they remained outside its range.

However, Lucian still possessed his sense of smell, hearing, and battle-honed instincts.

The moment he noticed them, he leapt sideways and burst through the wall of a nearby shop.

None of them lost track of him. 

His Qi Deviation was too distinct to ignore, and they followed his movements as he crashed from one shop to another, smashing through doors and windows alike.

From behind, Elder Black Scale smiled beneath his hood, practically wanting to pat Lucian’s shoulder in praise for a job well done.

What did it matter if hundreds had died within the Tidal Church? What riot? What stealing?

Now there was a demonic cultivator slaughtering civilians openly in the streets!

According to Elder Black Scale’s thinking, everything could simply be blamed on him.

Still, as they approached the docks, Elder Black Scale decided it was finally time to act seriously. Otherwise, another major force might interfere and steal the credit for the battle.

While Elder Black Scale was preparing to finish matters, Lucian concluded he had gathered enough Blood Essence and strengthened his body sufficiently for the next step of his plan.

Just as the Runes of Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, and Lust had evolved after Lucian’s previous slumber, the other runes had improved as well.

Those four were simply the ones he used most often because they demanded less from him.

In truth, if Lucian were willing to acknowledge it, he would understand that vampires possessed distinct tiers, and any vampire capable of wielding those four runes alone would already be considered a Noble Vampire.

Alas, for Lucian, there was only he and the vampires beneath him.

Thus, when activating the next rune, the one symbolizing a Vampire King, Lucian did so without giving much thought to how terrifying it would appear to others.

Commanding his Blood Essence, a crimson image of a five-horned crown materialized upon his forehead, surrounded by shifting scarlet sigils.

Devilish Arts: Boon of Pride - Heavy is the Crown

Then Lucian’s body shot upward, blasting through the ceiling and floating higher than Elder Black Scale’s current altitude.

Every cultivator nearby locked onto Lucian, preparing ranged attacks, while Elder Black Scale sneered at Lucian’s audacity in daring to fly beneath the City Lord’s watch.

Ignoring every gaze, Lucian raised his right hand toward the sky as a single drop of blood slipped from his palm.

“This Lord orders thee,” Lucian suddenly declared, his cold voice spreading across dozens of nearby streets. “Disperse.”

At once, nearly all of Lucian’s Blood Essence surged toward the floating drop of blood, causing crimson light to erupt outward and blind everyone, while the drop flew to the sky.

Meanwhile, Lucian’s body was surrounded by a thin crimson shield, akin to a layer of translucent silk.

Five attacks reached Lucian’s body, striking him midair and sending him crashing into a nearby warehouse.

Meanwhile, a crimson glow spread across the surroundings, dyeing entire streets red.

Frowning, Elder Black Scale glanced toward the warehouse where Lucian had crashed before looking upward at the floating crimson point high in the sky.

“He’s still alive!” one cultivator shouted while laughing loudly. “Let’s—”

Elder Black Scale never heard the rest.

Suddenly, he felt his meridians constrict violently.

Alarmed, he immediately used investigative techniques on himself and discovered that his blood was moving on its own.

Hearing increasingly terrified screams nearby, he forced his Purple Qi through his body, locking his meridians and organs in place while sealing his pores to prevent his blood from literally leaking.

That was when he saw the crimson vortex.

From every nearby street, the blood of thousands of people burst from their bodies and flew skyward, forming a spiraling liquid whirlpool rising toward the glowing red point above.

Worst of all, the surrounding cultivators were affected too.

Most of them had become completely focused on suppressing their own blood and were unable to move at all, while the remaining few slowly searched for a way out, walking at a snail’s pace.

Elder Black Scale, however, could still act thanks to the Three-Headed Serpent’s Purple Qi.

He immediately rushed toward the warehouse where Lucian had crashed.

Whatever desire he previously had to prolong the chaos vanished instantly.

Manipulating public opinion was one thing, but allowing an enemy to complete such a bizarre demonic technique was a mistake he refused to repeat ever again.

Purple waters carried him above the shattered warehouse, and he quickly spotted Lucian below.

Lucian’s body was riddled with bleeding wounds, yet remained in one piece.

Without wasting time on further words, Elder Black Scale thrust his hand downward.

The scorching purple waters beneath him followed the motion and surged into the warehouse.

Lucian, whose wounds were already slowly recovering, stared at the incoming purple wave with cold apathy.

The crimson crown rune glowed upon his forehead, though one of its horns had faded away.

“Converge,” Lucian muttered.

As another horn vanished from the rune and the purple waters closed in upon him, a crimson waterfall suddenly descended and collided with them.

Purple and crimson steam exploded throughout the streets, destroying nearby warehouses and spreading fire through the houses.

Elder Black Scale frowned as he watched the blood cascade downward to shield Lucian.

Then his pupils shrank to pinpoints.

He instantly raised his hands, forming a shield of condensed purple liquid before himself, barely in time to block the incoming attack.

Lucian burst through the curtain of steam and blood like a ghost, his fist smashing directly into the shield.

His clothes had been torn apart, and his toned body was covered in burns and open wounds, yet his crimson eyes shone fiercely through the steam.

Lucian’s fist pierced through the liquid shield and slammed into Elder Black Scale’s crossed arms.

The moment the blow landed, Elder Black Scale’s bones shattered.

His body was blasted downward, scattering the surrounding purple waters apart.

Stabilizing himself and creating multiple liquid shields for protection, he stared at Lucian with shock and caution.

“You’re a body cultivator?!” Elder Black Scale shouted in disbelief while flooding the area with more purple water to create distance. “How?! Aren’t you supposed to specialize in spiritual techniques?!”

The elder was buying time as much as he was genuinely confused by what he had just witnessed.

That punch had carried the force of a peak-stage Qi Condensation attack. Otherwise, it would never have shattered both his shield and his arms in a single strike.

Ignoring the questions, Lucian spoke loudly enough for the elder to hear.

“Tell me where Wang Chen is.”

Momentarily stunned, Elder Black Scale quickly remembered who Wang Chen was and sneered while continuing to flood the streets with rising purple water.

“That plump merchant?” he asked rhetorically before laughing. “He spoke very quickly after losing an arm, both feet, and one eye.”

“So he’s alive,” Lucian nodded slightly while blood converged into his right hand, where the Eye of Greed continued siphoning it. “Good.”

Elder Black Scale had no time to talk back, as Lucian vanished from his perception after speaking.

If Elder Black Scale had not been able to sense the Qi Deviation abruptly appearing to his right, he would never have reacted in time to raise four liquid shields while hurling burning purple water toward Lucian.

Dodging the attack, Lucian landed atop a nearby rooftop and stared coldly downward.

Then, as another horn of the crimson crown faded away, he muttered,

“Disperse.”

Immediately, all the blood surged upward once more.

The instant Lucian gave the command, he shot forward again.

And so the battle continued.

One side attacked relentlessly while weaving through massive waves of burning purple water.

The other defended while retreating from street to street, flooding and igniting nearby shops, warehouses, and brothels alike.

All ordinary mortals had either fled or already died before the fight reached this stage, while cultivators were killed one after another, either by Lucian’s blood technique in the skies or by Elder Black Scale’s indiscriminate purple waters.

Meanwhile, high above the city, the shining drop of blood descended slowly, surrounded by a spiraling crimson vortex.