3 chapters will be uploaded on daily basis i.e. 21 Chapters will be uploaded every week apart from the bonus chapters.
1 Bonus Chapter will be uploaded for every 50 Power Stones or 1000 Collections.
All interested readers can read advanced chapters on: Free Members of Patreon can read 12 Chapters ahead of Webnovel for FREE.
[email protected]/Heroicverse
×××××××××××××××
A few minutes later.
Selena and her two subordinates, led by a female Vampire servant, arrived at the Lord's Hall on the third floor.
Since the Centennial Conference stipulated that only leader-level Vampires were allowed to enter, Selena left her two subordinates outside the hall and walked in alone.
The interior decoration of the hall was simple and retro.
The walls were entirely constructed from whole, uneven stone blocks.
Every two meters, a torch dipped in animal fat and pine resin was specially set up for illumination.
On the ceiling, a large crystal chandelier filled with candles hung!
Below, in the center of the hall, a huge mahogany round table capable of seating a hundred people simultaneously was placed.
However, there were only 51 chairs around the round table.
Fifty of these chairs, made of mahogany, symbolized the most powerful Vampire sects and clans from all 50 states of the U.S. (excluding Washington D.C.).
What distinguished itself was the stone chair, crafted from gray-white rock, placed at the head of the table.
Its backrest was forged from 50 silver longswords, symbolizing power, bloodline, and unity!
The person who created this Lord's Throne seemed to be using this method to warn the leaders of other sects that even noble pure-blood Vampires were not qualified to sit on this chair!
Because the silver swords on the back would take their lives.
Only the true heir with the royal bloodline of the Dracula family flowing through his veins was qualified to sit on it and lead the entire Vampire Empire!
Soon.
Vampire leaders from various states, guided by servants, took their seats one after another.
But Selena keenly detected a subtle anomaly.
That was Salus, who was currently sitting in the first chair on the right side of the "Lord's Seat", no longer had the arrogant demeanor of yesterday; instead, his face revealed complex expressions of apprehension, anticipation, and fanaticism.
It wasn't just him…
Selena subtly scanned the surroundings and found similar complex expressions in the eyes of nearly half of the Vampire leaders.
From this, she couldn't help but draw a very surprising conclusion: these guys were most likely going to cause trouble at the conference!!
Thinking of this, Selena quickly called Karl in her mind, and upon receiving a response, she briefly and clearly stated her conjecture.
"Boss, if a disturbance truly occurs later, what should I do?"
At this moment, Karl, who was on a luxurious yacht, said with a slight surprise, "It seems these brainless fellows are planning a direct coup at the conference!"
"But that's good; it saves us a lot of time…"
"Selena, even if a conflict truly breaks out later, do not act, do not interfere in their internal strife; just observe the situation."
"After all, the more fiercely they riot, the more beneficial it is for our plan!"
Previously, Karl had repeatedly speculated on what methods Lilith would use to lure Dracula out of the Impossible City and then complete her revenge.
Now it seemed she had probably colluded with Salus in secret long ago, attempting to eliminate Dracula through an inside-outside collaboration, each getting what he wanted.
It must be said.
This was indeed a very stable and good method.
Just from Selena's brief description yesterday, Karl could tell that Salus was an ambitious and filial son who eagerly wanted to replace his father and ascend to power.
Undoubtedly, such a fool was the easiest to exploit.
However, if it were just Salus alone, he probably wouldn't be able to accomplish such a difficult task.
Because the Impossible City was Dracula's lair.
And each Cult leader, including Salus, could only bring two accompanying warriors and were not allowed to carry weapons.
Under these circumstances, even if nearly half of the people chose to support Salus, the number was far less than the number of guards in the Impossible City.
Choosing to act directly under these circumstances was simply courting death!
Therefore, if Salus wanted to ensure his "coup" was 100% successful, there must also be a high-ranking and powerful "insider" to make it happen.
And the best candidate would naturally be…
"Heh heh, the situation seems to be getting more and more interesting!"
Karl was naturally very happy to see this kind of "father-son filial piety" situation.
Because only by successfully "eliminating" Dracula with the help of Salus and Lilith would he have the opportunity to seize the Immortality Trait from him.
A classic case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!
And now, the altar on Belle Isle had been successfully activated, and the real show was about to begin; even Karl, who was usually unperturbed, couldn't help but feel a hidden excitement.
After all, this time, to successfully seize the Immortality Trait and the Pocket Dimension where the Impossible City was located, he had mobilized all of his core combat forces!
Even he himself had entered the game.
For Karl, who was just an ordinary, unremarkable person a few months ago, this was considered his first "great battle" since his transmigration!!
After some thought, Karl reminded, "Selena, be careful of that butler. If I'm not mistaken, he's probably Salus's insider."
"Ah? Oh, I understand."
After hanging up the "cross-dimensional communication," Selena's face had gained a few points of composure.
Although she still couldn't quite understand why her Boss was so certain that Alfred the butler was Salus's insider.
But she couldn't help but feel a bit curious, wondering if the unfolding events would indeed be as her Boss predicted?
Not long after.
Accompanied by a series of approaching footsteps, a burly middle-aged man in a burgundy evening gown, with a head of raven black shoulder-length hair and a goatee, walked in from outside the hall and sat directly on the Lord's Seat.
He was the Ghost King, Vlad Tepes Dracula!!
The hall immediately fell silent, and everyone collectively turned their gaze, waiting for the man at the head of the table to speak.
Dracula, unhurried, scanned his surroundings.
His gaze lingered for a few seconds longer when it passed over Selena and several other Cult leaders who were attending the Centennial Conference for the first time, but that was all.
"Alright, we can begin…"
Selena wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she always felt that this mysterious Ghost King seemed to be in low spirits, even carrying an indescribable sense of weariness and fatigue.
Like an old man who had lived too long and was somewhat World-weary?
In any case, there was a huge disparity from the Ghost King who commanded millions of Vampire armies, as Selena had previously imagined.
It even made her Can't help it to wonder if this guy might be an impostor!
After the conference officially began, Dracula was like a CEO giving an annual summary.
He first reviewed the Vampire Empire's situation over the past century in various aspects, including economics, military, and relations with human governments.
Next, he emphasized the goals and plans for the "next century."
He pointed out that the leaders of the various sects attending this conference should bravely take on the heavy responsibility of maintaining the current stable situation.
The core point was to minimize direct conflicts between Vampires and human governments!
Continue to ease the tense relationship between humans and Vampires!
Strive to maintain the "armistice treaty" from being broken!
Actively promote the smooth implementation of the "peaceful development and non-interference principle" between humans and Vampires!
When resolving issues of territorial disputes between humans and Vampires, strictly avoid actively escalating conflicts, and allow appropriate concessions when necessary, among many other proposals…
In short: peace above all else!!
During this process, Selena keenly noticed the mockery and disdain in Salus's eyes.
When Dracula spoke about the "territorial dispute" issue, he subtly nodded towards several Vampire leaders opposite him.
One of them immediately stood up, feigning indignation, and interrupted, "My Lord Ghost King, regarding the issue of territorial disputes, I have a different opinion."
"Oh?" Dracula was not angered by being interrupted; he looked at the speaker with disinterest, "Leader of the Mad Claw Cult, speak!"
"My Lord Ghost King, over the past century, human technology has experienced unprecedented advancement, which has led to their ever-growing expansion and ambition."
The leader of the Mad Claw Cult spread his hands, accusing loudly with a face full of grief and indignation:
"In this process, relying on the protection of the armistice treaty, they have continuously encroached upon our territories, plundered our wealth, and compressed our living space… and they have also deliberately allowed Vampire hunters like Blade to slaughter our kin on a large scale."
"If we continue to endure as before, I'm afraid it won't be long before the entire Vampire race is completely wiped out by them!!"
Although his words contained an element of sensationalism, they were largely true, thus immediately resonating greatly with the other leaders present at the conference.
Everyone started whispering and discussing how many of their kin had died, how much territory had been seized, and how much property had been forcibly confiscated by humans due to unfair treatment over the past century.
The originally solemn conference venue had virtually turned into a "complaint session"!
Over the past century.
With the successive outbreaks of World War I and World War II, humans achieved extremely brilliant results in many fields such as military and technology.
They instantly surpassed the Vampire race, which had dominated in the "cold weapon era."
Such a huge transformation made it difficult for many pure-blood Vampires, who had always regarded humans as food, to accept it for a time.
If Dracula had not issued such a powerful warning as "any Vampire Cult that first breaks the armistice treaty will be completely eradicated," the war between humans and Vampires would probably have escalated long ago.
But now, the situation had undergone an extremely subtle change.
As Vampires watched humans grow stronger day by day.
Their mindset had gradually shifted from contempt to worry, and then further transitioned into deep fear and apprehension!
They were afraid that one day, if humans became displeased, they would directly act to completely wipe the entire Vampire race from the Earth.
It was based on this fear.
When Salus found them privately and proposed, "As long as you help him overthrow Dracula's rule, once he ascends to become the new Ghost King, he will lead the Vampire army to reveal their existence to the entire World through concrete actions, and make the entire bloodline great again," the vast majority of leaders readily agreed without hesitation.
They longed for a day when they could once again live the good life of centuries ago, where they could casually slaughter humans and drink a sip of delicious virgin blood every day!
At the same time, almost everyone pointed their fingers at Dracula, believing that the decline of Vampires was caused by his outdated ruling strategy.
"I understand your concerns, but war cannot solve the problem…"
Dracula's face remained the same expressionless poker face, and he patiently persuaded:
"Humans have their World, Vampires have their World; we should not interfere with each other… Moreover, this World originally belongs to humans!"
Dracula's words were not exaggerated in the slightest.
Because including him, most of the pure-blood Vampires present who had lived for over a thousand years were once humans centuries ago!
"Heh heh, it's that same old rhetoric again."
Just then, a slightly mocking voice suddenly sounded from beside Dracula.
Salus sneered as he stood up, directly confronting him with a sarcastic tone.
"I say, My Lord Father, you've probably been in the Impossible City for too long, completely losing the ability to perceive external threats?"
"Now, times have changed… The outdated ideas you adhere to have long since failed to keep up with the situation."
The filial son spoke while slowly approaching Dracula.
And the latter, even facing such blatant provocation, still maintained that utterly disinterested expression on his face, looking at Salus and asking:
"Do you have any good suggestions then?"
"Of course." Salus walked behind Dracula, reached out and patted the silver chair back, replying with a sinister smile:
"The solution is naturally… for me to take this seat!"
"Don't worry, My Lord Father, I will lead the bloodline back to glory."
This time, Dracula's poker face finally showed some change; he struggled to squeeze out a not-so-cold smile, making his expression look like a benevolent father.
With a somewhat complex look in his eyes, he slightly shook his head and said, "My child, things are not as simple as you imagine… Poof!!!"
However.
Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp wooden stake had already pierced his heart.
Although such an attack was not enough to kill Dracula, it could cause his body to fall into a temporary state of paralysis and prevent him from using his "shapeshifting" ability to escape.
However, once removed, he would immediately return to normal.
This was probably one of Dracula's few weaknesses.
And the only two people in the entire Vampire Empire who knew this weakness were the old butler Alfred and his son Salus!
"You… how dare you?"
Dracula's pupils widened sharply, and his usually expressionless face finally showed a rare look of disbelief.
Although he knew very well that his reckless son had always coveted his position.
But he never imagined that the other party would actually dare to act on it?
This was simply an act of utter defiance!
"Sorry, My Lord Father, I've heard enough of your nagging over the years."
Salus gave Dracula no chance to retaliate.
He immediately broke off a relatively complete section of the Blade from the chair back, and with a swift motion, directly severed his father's head, holding it in his hand!!