Chapter 96

Chapter 11: The Beginning of the End

As night deepened, the dense fog characteristic of the Gulf Bay once again enveloped the streets, and the bright streetlights, shrouded in mist, became dim. The white-robed priest, accompanied by six monks carrying the bishop's body, walked on the path to the cathedral. The tall monk who had fainted had already woken up, feeling deeply remorseful for his earlier rash actions that violated the agreement with the white-robed priest. He expressed his shame in a low voice, promising to go to the confessional upon their return.

The white-robed priest gently waved his hand at the monk, maintaining a calm demeanor without speaking, and continued to walk forward silently. As he walked in the night breeze, the cool autumn wind of the Gulf Bay gradually cooled his anger, and his clouded reason began to detect something amiss...

"Hisss..."

"Snake! There are snakes!"

The monk's scream jolted the white-robed priest out of his thoughts. He scanned the surroundings and was immediately stunned—what had been a street with some pedestrians was now completely empty. More importantly, the smooth street was now covered with a dense mass of snakes. A quick glance confirmed that there were at least a hundred, their green and black scales reflecting an eerie, evil light under the dim streetlights. The sight of hundreds of snakes slithering around made everyone, including the white-robed priest, stand with their hair on end and their scalps tingling.

"Everyone, don't panic, don't move around!" The white-robed priest tried to calm the six monks. His words, spoken with the authority of a respected figure, were effective. Although their faces were still pale, the monks were no longer screaming and panicking. The white-robed priest instructed, "Everyone stand behind me..."

White light points appeared around the white-robed priest as he chanted, becoming even more radiant and sacred against the backdrop of the night. A circle of white light quickly formed around the white-robed priest, extending five feet in all directions. The surrounding venomous snakes, as if repelled by sulfur, dared not approach the circle, only raising their heads and hissing.

"Ah..."

Just as the venomous snakes were temporarily held back, and the white-robed priest was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard a scream from behind and immediately turned around. Behind him, a handsome man had appeared, his pale face and curly, drooping hair giving him a sickly appearance. At his feet lay a fallen monk, surrounded by a pool of blood, adding an air of evil to the scene.

"Vampire!?" The white-robed priest exclaimed in shock, instinctively reaching for the holy water at his waist. However, his hand was quickly snatched away by the man. Fenkirle Sitha looked at the liquid in the test tube and smiled charmingly, "Don't make any unnecessary movements, or I'll be in a dilemma. After all, Lord Levin needs the blood of a living white-robed priest. Of course, breaking all four limbs still counts as alive..."

"You should add one more condition: removing the jaw. Otherwise, even if their doctrine forbids suicide, he might still bite his tongue to stop your plan..." The slightly mocking words made Fenkirle's smile freeze, but he quickly recovered and said with even more sarcasm, "So there are rats lurking in the shadows..."

"Compared to me, aren't you the ones who have always been hiding in the shadows more like rats?"

A figure gradually emerged from the fog at the end of the street, advancing with a black windcoat fluttering in the autumn night breeze, making a rustling sound. The jingling of the bell on the hilt of his sword echoed like a joyful midnight spirit.

Ye Qi glanced disdainfully at the surrounding venomous snakes, and the dragon aura he had been controlling burst forth. Instantly, all the snakes, as if facing the end of the world, panicked and scattered in all directions. Even the light circle that had previously repelled them could not stop them, though the snakes that crossed the circle were scorched and their skin split open.

"Was it you who impersonated me outside the cathedral this evening?" Ye Qi examined the man's black windcoat, which was similar to his own, and narrowed his eyes. "While I personally believe the more people from the Church die, the better—ideally, all of them, contributing to a peaceful world—being a scapegoat makes me feel that some sacrifices should accompany the Church's demise..."

In the moonlight, the demon blade Yanmo cut through the mist, splitting it as if it were solid. With a fierce, unhesitating strike, Yanmo aimed directly at the man's neck—regardless of the vampire's regenerative abilities, a severed head meant certain death.

"Hisss!"

A thin sword suddenly appeared in the man's hand, lightly tapping against Yanmo's blade. The sword, light and elegant like a graceful white heron, was destined to break upon meeting Yanmo.

"Clang!"

"Thud!"

The crisp sound of metal, and the sparks flying like a tiger's roar after a successful hunt. The thin sword, split in two, offered no resistance to Yanmo. The cold blade immediately brought up a spray of blood at the man's neck.

"Screech..."

In the blood mist, the man's head did not fall but instead transformed into a swarm of bats that scattered. The bats gathered in the distance, and the man's figure reappeared, now only showing signs of distress and anger. "Ye Qi! I will kill you!"

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(End of Chapter 11)