Chapter 28: The Blood-Clone Paradox and the Inquisitor's Holy Pyre
The air inside the Tomb of the First Sovereign was no longer stagnant with the scent of death; it was thick, electric, and perfumed with the musk of high-level dual cultivation. The Ever-Frozen Blood-Jade coffin, once a symbol of eternal loneliness for the Vampire Queen, had been repurposed into a wide, glowing platform for a much more energetic endeavor.
Lilithia the Eternal lay draped across the jade, her pale skin glowing with a faint, rose-colored hue. Her ancient Yin energy, once cold enough to freeze stars, was now circulating through Xu Yanluo's meridians, being refined by his Primordial Chaos Physique and pumped back into her in a cycle of pure, unadulterated power.
"Master..." Lilithia gasped, her fangs grazing Yanluo's shoulder. "I have slept for ten million years... but I have never felt life like this. Your Chaos Qi is... it's a drug."
Yanluo smirked, his eyes glowing like rubies in the dim light. "The experiment isn't over yet, Queen. I have a theory about your [Blood-Clone] technique. Ling, show me the modification."
[System Notification: "Ling"]
[Modification: 'Chaos-Mirror Manifestation' — By infusing the Vampire's Blood-Clones with Chaos Qi, Master can create physical avatars with 100% sensory feedback.]
"Wait," Hu Ruyan chirped, popping up from a pile of discarded silk robes nearby. "Does that mean... there could be two Yanluos? Or three?!"
"As many as my stamina allows," Yanluo laughed. He closed his eyes, and the blood he had taken from Lilithia began to swirl in the air.
Whoosh!
With a flash of crimson and gold, two identical versions of Xu Yanluo stepped out of the mist. They weren't illusions; they were solid, warm, and shared a single consciousness.
Ye Ziyun and Su Yan stared, their faces turning bright red.
"One for the Queen," the first Yanluo said, leaning back into Lilithia's embrace.
"One for the Fox and the Fairy," the second Yanluo said, catching Ruyan and Ziyun in his arms.
"And the original..." the third Yanluo walked toward Yao Qingxue and Su Yan, "is all yours."
The tomb erupted into a chaotic, multi-layered session of "Internal Energy Integration." The sensory feedback was overwhelming—Yanluo could feel the softness of the Fox, the cold elegance of the Fairy, and the ancient, hungering heat of the Vampire Queen all at once. It was a cognitive overload that would have fried a normal cultivator's brain, but for a former Game Dev, it was just like running three high-end graphics cards in SLI.
☀️ The Grand Inquisitor's Descent
While the tomb was vibrating with the rhythm of the "Chaos-Mirror" session, the sky above the bone-continent was being torn apart by golden lightning.
The Holy Janitor Sheng Tian, currently scrubbing the deck of the flagship with a mop made of his own pride, looked up with tears in his eyes. "He has come... the hammer of the Seven Heavens!"
A gargantuan cathedral-ship, three times the size of the Imperial Flagship, broke through the void. At its prow stood a man in heavy, white-and-gold plate armor that radiated a heat comparable to a small star. This was Grand Inquisitor Marek, a man who had purged three "Heretical" Sects in the last decade alone.
"Xu Yanluo!" Marek's voice didn't just boom; it vibrated the very atoms of the ship. "You have kidnapped a Holy Son! You have enslaved an Alchemist Empress! And now, you have disturbed the tomb of the Forbidden Vampire! Come out and face the Eternal Sol-Pyre!"
Emperor Xu Tianhuang stepped onto his deck, looking annoyed. "Marek, you're interrupting my son's... 'research.' Go back to the Cathedral before I turn your ship into scrap metal."
"The Emperor is complicit!" Marek roared. "Launch the Sun-Lance Formation!"
⚔️ Action: The Triple-Threat Defense
Inside the tomb, the three Yanluos shared a collective grin.
"Ling, initiate 'Combat Sync,'" the original Yanluo commanded, not even bothering to put on his full armor. He simply wrapped a black sash around his waist and stepped out of the tomb's rift, followed by his two clones.
The Harem followed, each girl glowing with the massive power boost they had just received from the "Integration."
Marek looked down from his cathedral-ship and saw three Xu Yanluos standing on the void-air. "Mirages?! They won't save you from the Light!"
Marek raised his hand, and a massive lance of pure solar energy, five hundred meters long, shot toward the tomb.
[Style: Chaos-Void Shatter — Triple Manifestation!]
The three Yanluos moved in perfect synchronization.
* Clone A (The Vampire-Infused): Reached out and summoned a massive shield of Blood-Mist and Chaos Qi. The Sun-Lance hit the shield and was instantly "Corrupted," turning from gold to a dark, hungry purple.
* Clone B (The Alchemist-Infused): Threw out a handful of Void-Fire Pills. He snapped his fingers, and the pills exploded into a tactical firewall that consumed the holy light.
* The Original Yanluo: Shot forward like a black lightning bolt. He didn't use a sword; he used his bare hands, infused with the Goddess of Fate's starlight.
"You talk about the Sun?" Yanluo's voice echoed in Marek's ears. "I own the sky."
Yanluo punched the air. [Technique: Star-Falling Palm]. A localized gravity well formed on the deck of the Cathedral-ship, crushing the holy knights into the floor.
Marek swung his massive mace, glowing with "Divine Retribution," but Yanluo's movement was too fluid. He slipped past the guard and landed a palm directly on Marek's chest plate.
CRACK.
The "God-Forged" armor shattered. Marek flew backward, crashing through his own cathedral's altar.
🧴 The Alchemist's "Numbing" Finish
As Marek tried to stand, coughing up holy blood, Su Yan stepped forward from the mist. She was holding a small, delicate vial.
"Inquisitor," she said with a mocking bow. "You said I was in 'bondage.' Let me show you what my 'Master' taught me about chemistry."
She threw the vial. It shattered at Marek's feet, releasing a cloud of pink gas.
"What... what is this?! My mana! It's... it's turning into... laughter?!" Marek began to giggle uncontrollably. His "Righteous Wrath" evaporated as the [Joyous Spirit-Numbing Mist] took hold.
"It's an aphrodisiac-based paralytic," Su Yan explained to the confused Imperial Guards. "He'll be perfectly happy while we strip his ship of its 'Holy Artifacts' and toss him into the brig with the Holy Janitor."
🥂 The After-Action Celebration
The Cathedral-ship was looted in record time. The Seven Heavens' treasury was added to Yanluo's personal stash, and the Grand Inquisitor was indeed given a mop and sent to join Sheng Tian in the deck-scrubbing department.
Back on the flagship, the mood was celebratory. Lilithia the Eternal had successfully integrated into the ship's ecosystem, though she refused to wear anything but her gold chains and a sheer black shawl Yanluo had given her.
"Master," Lilithia whispered, leaning against him as they sat in the Imperial Garden. "The Inquisitor was just a scout. The Seven Heavens Cathedral will send their 'Archangels' next. They won't stop until they 'purify' me."
"Let them come," Yanluo said, pulling her and Yao Qingxue into his lap. The two "Queens"—one of the Court, one of the Night—looked at each other. Instead of fighting, they shared a knowing smile.
"We have the Emperor, the Fleet, and the Admin," Qingxue said, tracing the dragon-pattern on Yanluo's chest. "But more importantly, we have the 'Chaos-Mirror' technique. I want to see if we can make four of you next time."
"My stamina is ready if you are," Yanluo laughed, his hands wandering as the Fox and the Fairy joined the pile.
[System Notification: "Ling"]
[Status Update: Harem Synergy at 92%. Chaos Physique Tier: Sovereign Ascension (Mid). Next Target Detected: The "Holy Archangel" Seraphina... and she's bringing a 'God-Slayer' sword.]
"A sword-wielding Angel?" Yanluo smirked, looking up at the stars. "I think Ye Ziyun needs a new sparring partner. And I need a new 'Heavenly' maid."
🎭 The Final Humiliation
In the lower decks, Marek and Sheng Tian were scrubbing the floor side-by-side.
"Is it... is it supposed to be this hard to get the dragon-blood stains out?" Marek giggled, still under the influence of the Alchemist's gas.
"Just keep scrubbing, Brother," Sheng Tian sighed, his once-glowing robes now grey and wet. "At least the Prince promised we could watch the 'Dual Cultivation' fireworks from the porthole if we finish early."
"Oh, goody!" Marek laughed, a single tear of shame falling into his bucket.