Chapter 21

A quarter of an hour later, beyond a hundred miles from the towering walls of the Great Berlin City-State.

Since the spirit veins had re-converged and the earth's spiritual energy gradually became more concentrated, the plants in the world had also become more robust and lush. Take this vast black pine forest, which stretches for three to four hundred miles, for example. The shortest pine trees in the forest are nearly a hundred meters tall, while the tallest and most ancient pines have reached over two hundred meters.

The trunks of these trees, thick enough for several people to encircle, support dense, impenetrable canopies. The tree bark, resembling dragon scales, is covered with countless vines and mosses. There is not a single weed in the forest, and between the pines, there are wide open spaces. Thick layers of pine needles cover the ground, and on the sprawling roots, various precious mushrooms and other items grow.

Two paper figures floated, supporting the pale-faced jailer.

Jiang Tuochen looked at the jailer with a smile, waving the green steel sword in front of him. A three-foot-long yellow paper talisman flew up from somewhere, spewing a flame that tightly adhered to the sword. Jiang Tuochen recited a spell, and the green steel sword lightly touched the jailer's forehead. The jailer suddenly let out a piercing scream, a foul smell wafted over, and his eyes turned white, his pupils completely losing focus as he defecated and urinated.

"I, a poor Daoist, value my word as gold and will naturally leave this fellow alive!" Jiang Tuochen smiled brightly and looked at the emaciated old man leaning against an ancient pine tree. "However, I didn't say I wouldn't erase all his memories!"

The old man, with a gaunt and shriveled body wrapped in a tattered, red-embroidered golden robe, sneered. He rolled his eyes at Jiang Tuochen and gently shook his emaciated arm. "But your soul-erasing spell seems not very proficient, so you ended up erasing all his intelligence?"

Jiang Tuochen sheathed his sword and sighed with a look of deep concern. "My skills are not yet refined, I am ashamed, I am ashamed! Although this fellow has lost all his intelligence, he is still alive, so I haven't broken my word!"

Wumu, with boundless energy, circled around dozens of ancient pines, leaving behind over a hundred afterimages. He leaped and bounded like a madman, occasionally diving into the layer of pine needles on the ground, his silver fur mixed with countless withered pine needles.

Hearing Jiang Tuochen's words, Wumu snorted coldly. He leaped up, perched on a branch about fifty meters above the ground, and looked down at Jiang Tuochen from a height, spitting. "Hypocritical Daoist! I hate you people who say one thing and do another. Lord Wumu would never do such hypocritical things!"

Yan Xuege rubbed his face, smiled brightly, and slowly walked to the old man who claimed to be a Blood Demon Duke. He extended a hand in front of the old man and hooked his fingers. "Respected Duke, you promised me. You should fulfill it now, right? Twenty drops of Duke's essence blood and a vow never to seek any form of revenge for today's events. You just swore an oath!"

Yan Xuege remembered the old man's voice well. When he was first imprisoned in the Blood Prison, he heard the old man being tortured and the torturers questioning him about the whereabouts of the 'Blood Chalice.' This was a sacred heirloom of the Blood Demon clan, one of their thirteen most important treasures.

The old man's background was definitely not simple! But Yan Xuege knew clearly that the Blood Chalice was not something he could touch! If the Yan clan's ancestor, Yan Tianjue, were here, he would have the right to ask about the Blood Chalice, but Yan Xuege wisely wanted to get what was rightfully his.

He was not greedy, not at all! He was now a weak Star Warrior, and he only pursued what he deserved!

The old man looked at Yan Xuege and sighed sincerely. "A Day Walker! I must say, our Blood Demon clan has produced an outstanding young one! Yes, when I return to my family, I will probably have the young ones pay more attention to your movements!"

Yan Xuege looked straight into the old man's dull, lifeless eyes and said coldly, "That is your and your family's problem, I don't care about it! I am just a weak child. I fulfilled my promise by rescuing you from that accursed Blood Prison, and for that, I owe Mr. Jiang Tuochen a favor. So, I hope you give me what you promised, and it would be best if we never meet again!"

Jiang Tuochen stood to the side, smiling kindly. He was happy to see this happen!

Although Yan Xuege had the constitution of a Day Walker and possessed extraordinary potential and talent, he was currently just a child. It might take a long time for him to grow up! But the essence blood of a Blood Demon Duke would greatly accelerate Yan Xuege's growth.

If it weren't for the Blood Demon Duke's formidable status, which even made Jiang Tuochen hesitant to act rashly, he might have considered killing the old man and extracting all his essence blood to give to Yan Xuege. Yan Xuege was a chosen investment by Jiang Ruren, and Jiang Tuochen didn't mind doing more for Yan Xuege. This was all about 'favor,' wasn't it?

Unfortunately, even a Blood Demon Duke, even if severely weakened and seemingly on the brink of death, was not someone Jiang Tuochen would dare to act against rashly. The Blood Demon clan was skilled in various bizarre curses and spells, and even if Jiang Tuochen had confidence in himself, he had to consider the safety of the younger members of his family.

Dozens of Jiang family's younger members stood loosely around, forming an Eight Directions Heaven Array, surrounding this area. The gaps between their fingers glowed with various colors, and their auras were connected, ready to unleash a devastating attack at any moment.

The old man leaning against the pine tree smiled and nodded. He looked at Jiang Tuochen, who appeared calm but was actually on high alert, and then at the surrounding Jiang family's younger members, and he grinned widely.

"Members of the Stuttgart family are never ungrateful. We repay kindness with kindness and enmity with enmity!" The old man stood up shakily and patted Yan Xuege's head. "You should know the reputation of the Stuttgart family. Among the countless dark families in the Western world, the Stuttgart family is one of the most prestigious."

Wumu whistled loudly, looking at the old man in shock. "The Stuttgart family? The legendary family that has produced seven Blood Emperors and three Blood Gods, known as the first royal family of the Blood Demons? Old man, you really dishonor your ancestors. You were captured and thrown into the Blood Prison by a group of humans!"

The old man's body trembled with anger, and he glared at Wumu, then exhaled deeply.

"Rude and barbaric dog! An old man who was comfortably sleeping in a secret lair, with only one-tenth of his peak strength, was attacked by twenty-three Grand Governors from two super city-states and two thousand five hundred elite hunters! Do you think I wanted to be a captive?"

He disdainfully wagged his little finger at Wumu, took a deep breath, and then extended his right index finger. The black nail, half a foot long, forcefully pierced into his heart. With a sound like rusty steel bars rubbing against each other, the old man tore open his chest, revealing a heart that was golden-red in color, with dozens of blood-red demon runes the size of soybeans etched on its surface.

He carefully touched the heart, and his body trembled violently. His aged face twisted suddenly. In a low, heavy breath, a drop of dark golden-red blood seeped from the old man's heart. As he recited a spell, the blood seeped out faster and faster.

After a full quarter of an hour, twenty drops of blood, each the size of a thumb, round and translucent like red garnet beads, floated in front of Yan Xuege. The old man rubbed his chest vigorously, and the wound on his chest disappeared without a trace.

"Little one, what is your name?" The old man looked at Yan Xuege seriously. "I am Farnburg Empur Stuttgart. You will inherit my blood, and thus you will inherit my name. Your glory will be shared with me, and my glory will protect you!"

Yan Xuege looked at Farnburg, confused. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and absorbed the twenty drops of blood, which contained a vast amount of essence blood energy. The Blood Demon clan's unique innate secret technique activated, and the twenty drops of blood quietly seeped into Yan Xuege's heart, gradually releasing pure and resilient blood energy, which he slowly absorbed.

"Alright, Mr. Farnburg, let's not waste time!" Yan Xuege scratched his head and shook his head at Farnburg, whose appearance had suddenly aged significantly. "You swear a soul oath that you won't cause me any more trouble in the future! I am Yan Xuege of the Yan clan, an insignificant child! I still think it's best if we never meet again!"

Farnburg's old face twitched, and he stared at Yan Xuege with wide eyes.

After a while, Farnburg pointed at Yan Xuege, trembling, and then shook his head helplessly. He glanced at Jiang Tuochen, who was on high alert, and suddenly smiled brightly.

"Alright, alright, I will swear a soul oath. I won't cause you any more trouble, Yan Xuege!"

"The Stuttgart family repays kindness and enmity. Yan Xuege, I remember your name! You hope we won't meet again, but I think this wish is hard to achieve!" He rubbed his nose and looked at Yan Xuege with hope. "Well, did your elders not tell you about the Blood Oath Ceremony?"

Yan Xuege looked at Farnburg, bewildered.

Wumu, perched on a branch, stared at Yan Xuege, stunned and shocked.

Jiang Tuochen and the younger members of the Jiang family looked at Farnburg, who was full of hope and whose face was twitching, with confusion.

After a long silence, Farnburg sighed helplessly. He scratched his face and shook his head. He no longer wasted time and, according to his agreement with Yan Xuege and Jiang Tuochen, swore a vicious soul oath. Then his body shimmered, and a thick blood mist rose, enveloping him.

The moon was high in the sky, and a large bat, the size of a basin, with a dark golden-red body and countless fine, noble, and sacred golden runes on its wings, rose from the blood mist. It circled thirteen times above Yan Xuege's head and then transformed into a streak of blood light, flying rapidly towards the west.

Farnburg's speed was astonishingly fast, and even Jiang Tuochen only saw a few faint after