Chapter 95

On the tree-lined avenue, Ling Han cast his deep gaze toward the ancient castle not far ahead, shrouded in the afterglow of the setting sun, a cruel smile playing on the corners of his mouth.

"Did you think you could hide in this remote town and not be found? How naive. With the powerful intelligence system of the DR organization, there are no secrets in this world."

As the last ray of sunlight disappeared from the horizon, it was already dusk. Suddenly, Ling Han waved his hand, as if talking to himself, "Bak, Caines, Hunter, what are the three princes waiting for? It's time for you to fulfill your promise."

At the same moment, three black shadows appeared on the tree-lined avenue as if by teleportation. Bak, who was nearly two meters tall, Caines with a face as pale as snow, and Hunter with a mustache, all released the unique pressure of the vampires simultaneously.

For a moment, the entire area within a few miles was enveloped in this pressure. Hundreds of vampires emerged, kneeling on the ground, revealing their gleaming fangs, awaiting orders from their leaders.

"Han, it's true that this ancient castle belongs to that Chinese Yang, but how can you be sure he's inside?" Bak asked with a hint of doubt.

"I can't be sure," Ling Han replied with a deep, enigmatic laugh, then said resolutely, "But since this castle is his, the people inside don't need to continue living in this world. If he's not here, kill everyone related to him to deal him a psychological blow; if he is here, it will prevent him from escaping to protect everyone. Isn't that right?"

Caines and Hunter nodded in agreement. The former grinned ferociously, "If he still has the strength he had back then, we wouldn't even need the three of us. The three major families have dispatched two marquises, six counts, eighteen barons, and nearly a hundred viscounts. Such strength is not something one person can resist."

Ling Han smiled in agreement on the surface, but in his heart, he thought: These ignorant vampires, do they really think they are so powerful? With Father's mid-stage foundation cultivation and the power of three magical artifacts, he can definitely sweep through all of them alone.

"What are we waiting for? Kill them."

Hunter coldly snorted, retracted the vampire pressure, and the elite vampires under his command immediately rose and swiftly rushed toward the ancient castle.

Bak and Caines were not to be outdone. They also retracted their pressure and, with a command, their subordinates fiercely charged toward the castle.

The castle was inhabited entirely by Bandero's clan members, almost all of whom practiced the powerful martial arts passed down by their ancestor Bandero.

It was precisely because of this that when a vampire viscount suddenly attacked a clan member on duty from behind, intending to snap his neck, the latter, relying on the superior reflexes of a martial artist, managed to escape and counter-attacked with a palm strike to the chest of the attacker.

"They are vampires!" the clan member on duty cried out in terror, issuing a warning before dying.

After nearly a century of Bandero's management, the hidden strength of the castle was considerable. Almost immediately after the alarm sounded, dozens of fully armed guards rushed out from all directions. Gunfire erupted, mingling with the sharp howls of the vampires and the dying roars of the castle guards, piercing the night.

Could humans resist the vampires?

This question was answered well in the next three minutes. All 36 castle guards were killed by the overwhelming number of vampires, while the vampires only lost two barons.

If it weren't for these two unfortunate souls being hit in the heart by the powerful machine guns, they wouldn't have died.

Ling Han walked alongside the three vampire princes on the tree-lined avenue, his pace slow.

All four of them had senses far superior to those of ordinary people. Despite the distance of several hundred meters, they could still hear everything. As the cries of pain and screams of death reached their ears, Ling Han frowned in disappointment.

Bak noticed his expression and immediately said, "Han, it seems that Chinese Yang is not in this castle. Otherwise, why hasn't he shown up yet?"

Ling Han quickly adjusted his emotions and shrugged, "No problem. Killing everyone will serve as a warning, which is not bad."

Inside the castle, Bandero was in the core mechanism room, his eyes wide with anger, his body covered in blood, his left arm a bloody mess from a battle with a vampire count. He had paid the price of an arm to use his "Heart-Shaking Palm" at full power, killing his opponent.

"The master is in seclusion, and must not be disturbed, even if the entire family must pay with their lives."

Bandero stopped the bleeding from his severed arm by pressing acupoints, gathered his true qi, and pressed his palm on the main mechanism door.

In an instant, the castle gates were covered by a titanium steel wall half a meter thick, and all doors and windows were locked by the titanium steel walls that descended from the wall layers.

In the span of a few breaths, the castle transformed into a steel fortress, with no one inside able to leave and no one outside able to enter in the short term.

Kris, at the moment the titanium steel door descended, managed to avoid being clawed by a vampire viscount, rolling and barely making it inside the castle.

In the last moment before the titanium steel door closed, she witnessed several clan members being torn apart by the vampires outside the castle, completely forgetting the pain in her back, her eyes filled with boundless hatred.

"Why is this happening? These damned vampires, I will avenge them!" Kris gritted her teeth, stood up, and, dragging her heavily injured body, came to the castle hall.

At this time, the survivors of the clan had all gathered there, and Bandero, with his left arm severed, had also come from the mechanism room to the hall.

"The titanium steel door cannot hold back those insane vampires for long. As the descendants of Bandero, I hope you are all prepared to die."

Perhaps due to the great expenditure of energy, Bandero panted heavily, his eyes filled with a tragic resolve, "I don't know why they are attacking us, but I want to tell you that the master is at a critical moment of breakthrough in seclusion. No one must disturb him. So, tonight is the time for all of us to repay the master's kindness with our lives. Being afraid of death is useless, because the opponent is inhuman vampires. The only possibility is to fight to the death."

At this point, Bandero paused, his gaze sweeping over the remaining thirty-odd clan members in the hall. From the expressions of many, it was not hard to see a hint of despair and unwillingness. Bandero raised his voice again, "Don't have any other thoughts. Our hope of survival tonight is based on the master's appearance. So, put aside all distractions and contribute all your strength to live until the master appears."

"Father, it is clear that those terrifying and powerful vampires are not targeting our Bandero family, but the master. Their strength is too terrifying, far beyond what we can resist. Our family has already sacrificed enough. Why should we stay here and suffer unnecessary casualties? If I remember correctly, there is an underground tunnel inside the castle leading ten miles away. We can use it before the enemy attacks the castle."

"I am not afraid of death. I can hold out until the last moment, but at least let the women and children of the clan leave this certain death trap!"

The speaker was Bandero's eldest son, whose martial arts skills were second only to Bandero's. He had previously fought two vampire viscounts alone and successfully killed one, but was also seriously injured.

At this moment, he coughed up blood, stepped forward, and sternly suggested.

His suggestion also gained the support of the surviving clan members, and for a moment, the hall was filled with discussion.

"Shut up!"

Bandero gathered his inner strength and roared, silencing the chaotic discussion in the hall. He said with difficulty, "Kris, you lead the team and take all the children through the tunnel. Remember, run as far as you can, and never look back."

"No, Grandfather, I don't want to leave the castle!" Kris, with red eyes, refused to comply.

Bandero's figure darted to Kris's side and, in a voice only the two could hear, said, "Child, don't you understand? Even if the master emerges from seclusion, he may not be able to save our family this time because..."

A hint of solemnity flashed in Bandero's eyes as he recalled the fleeting glimpse of the four terrifying figures walking leisurely on the tree-lined avenue when he retreated into the castle.

"Our family can sacrifice everything for the master, but these children have no fighting ability. For their sake, you must leave and preserve the bloodline of the family."

"Grandfather, I understand!" Kris took a deep breath, no longer saying another word.

Outside the castle, hundreds of vampires had already killed all the humans outside the castle. They now gathered on the open ground in front of the castle gate, waiting for the arrival of their leaders.

Ling Han and the three vampire princes came to the front of the vampires, first looking at the titanium steel defense plate outside the castle gate, then said to Bak and the others, "Three of you, we have an ancient saying in China: 'If you don't cut the roots when you cut the grass, the grass will grow again in the spring.' Do you understand what it means?"

Bak and the others, who needed Ling Han's help, exchanged glances. Bak smiled and said, "Han, we have always cooperated well. You can rest assured."

At the indication of the three princes, two vampire marquises and five vampire counts walked to the castle gate.

The titanium steel door, half a meter thick, was not something any of them could break individually, but together, they could definitely do it.

"Bang"

The combined attack of the seven vampire strongmen was like a giant hammer striking the titanium steel door, and faint cracks appeared.

The deafening impact echoed through the castle, and Bandero's face changed drastically. Although he had expected the final defense of the castle to be breached by the vicious vampires, he did not expect it to happen so quickly.

"Kris, go now, there's no time left." Bandero, without hesitation, used his palm to open a hidden door.

Kris, who had already gathered the children of the clan, bit her lip, turned back, and took a deep look at the passage leading to Su Yang's seclusion room at the south end of the hall, praying in her heart, "Master, why haven't you appeared? This is the moment we need you the most!"

As if heaven had heard Kris's prayer, at the moment she turned to walk into the secret tunnel, a heavy sound of breaking doors echoed from the passage at the south end of the hall.

Everyone, including Bandero, turned their gaze to the source of the sound.

In the dark passage, a blinding purple flame suddenly lit up, illuminating everything.

A figure, igniting the hope in everyone's hearts, stepped out of the flames.