In the howling wind and snow, time ticked by second by second.
Li De wasn't in a hurry. Seated behind the Whispering Bat, his expression remained calm.
Because night was about to fall.
For other creatures, the darkness might pose a significant challenge, but not for vampires.
Vampires only reached their true full potential at night. Darkness was their most powerful weapon.
An hour later, when the last ray of light vanished from the sky, Odys returned with news.
"Lord Progenitor, this valley is completely sealed off by towering mountains. We haven't found any other exits. The place we entered is the only passage in or out.
Because of the dense forest, we couldn't locate the Cyclops..."
Li De nodded, not blaming Odys. This valley was vast, spanning tens of kilometers in length and width. Searching through such an expansive, dense forest for an unknown number of enemies was no simple task.
"It's dark now. You four lead teams, with 20 vampires in each group.
Conduct a grid search across this forest. Once you find the Cyclops, signal immediately to alert the others."
Feeling the surging power coursing through his body, Li De issued his command without hesitation. He had waited so long precisely for nightfall.
Now, it was the vampires' time to shine.
"Yes, Lord Progenitor."
The vampires quickly divided into teams and, led by several second-generation bloodline descendants, entered the forest.
The vampires transformed into bats flew swiftly. Though the forest was vast, he was confident they wouldn't take long to locate their foes.
"Jones, I'll send someone to escort you back to Dawn City. Return tomorrow at dawn."
Li De turned to look at Jones, who was already showing signs of fatigue, and gave him a smile.
For a twelve-year-old boy, enduring all this time was exhausting.
Jones glanced at Li De, initially wanting to insist on staying, but eventually lowered his head, discouraged.
"Lord Kachar, am I... am I useless?"
Hearing this, Li De couldn't help but chuckle softly and patted his shoulder.
"Jones, you're still young. Not everyone is always useful. Keep working hard. I hope that in the future, you can help Dawn City discover more ore veins.
I believe in you."
Master of motivational speeches, Li De instantly revived Jones's spirits. His face filled with admiration as he gazed at him.
"Lord Kachar, you are truly great."
Yes, greatness. Such a noble figure speaking to him so kindly made Jones's heart warm.
"Go back."
After the vampires escorted Jones away, Li De's expression grew serious once again.
This land held the iron vein he desperately needed. No matter how powerful the Cyclops were, he would conquer this territory.
No one could stop him.
The vampires never retreated.
"Leave ten clansmen to guard the Whispering Bats and await my orders. The rest will enter the forest with me."
Li De no longer waited for news from Odys and the others. With nightfall, the surging mana in his body filled him with immense confidence.
"Yes, Lord Progenitor."
Pop~
High above at a thousand blades, under the cold glow of the newly risen moon, Li De stood up. Dressed in a deep blue mage robe, he leapt off the back of the giant bat, plummeting toward the ground.
Bathed in moonlight, the flapping wings of the Whispering Bat became his backdrop.
Whoosh~
The wind howled furiously.
The high-speed descent pushed Li De's velocity to its peak within seconds. The air resistance caused his ears to ring momentarily.
Descending from the sky.
In the blink of an eye, the thousand-blade distance was crossed. Just before impact with the ground—bang!
Li De's figure vanished, replaced by a swarm of bats.
Exactly one hundred bats sped toward the depths of the forest. Racial talent—Bat Transformation.
At the moment Li De entered the forest, a furious roar echoed from afar, as if an ancient being had awakened.
The entire forest trembled at that instant.
Transformed into bats, Li De swiftly adjusted his direction and raced toward the source of the sound.
Everything around him blurred into streaks of distorted light.
Elsewhere.
Emi stood outside a cave, facing a Cyclops Lord towering seven blades tall. His expression darkened.
He hadn't expected to encounter a Level 15 Cyclops Lord here.
A miscalculation.
That wasn't the key issue. The real problem was that this Cyclops Lord possessed intelligence far surpassing that of ordinary Cyclops, making him even more formidable.
"Damn vampire! You must die!"
The enraged voice thundered like muffled lightning in black clouds.
Ancient Giant Language.
This higher language, passed down from the Ancient Giants, could be understood even without prior knowledge of the Giant Tongue—it was direct mental communication.
The Cyclops Lord's face was filled with rage. That accursed vampire had dared to ambush him!
With a mighty swing, he brought down his colossal spiked club.
Emi's expression shifted again. Swiftly diving into the shadows, he fled at incredible speed.
Having evolved into a vampire and become a Shadow High Priest, his abilities had been further enhanced. At night, his combat prowess in the shadows was nearly terrifying.
But no matter how much stronger he became, engaging a Cyclops in close combat or competing in brute strength was sheer folly.
Maintaining distance and using spells—that was what a mage should do.
Bang~
A millstone-sized fireball erupted from beneath the tree shade.
Caught off guard, the Cyclops Lord instinctively raised his hand to shield his face.
Boom~
A terrifying wave of heat exploded, and the violent energy ignited the surrounding trees, though the melting snow quickly extinguished the flames.
Yet, the Cyclops Lord's gray, bark-like, wrinkled skin showed only slight scorch marks after the Large Fireball struck. It barely affected him at all.
But the searing pain only fueled the Cyclops Lord's fury.
"Vampire! I will make you taste death!"
Powerful legs like mountain peaks propelled his massive frame forward in a mad charge toward the shadows. His colossal spiked club swept across the area where the fireball had originated, carrying incomparable force.
Crash~
The earth shook, and several trees thick enough to require three men to encircle were smashed apart.
Broken branches crashed to the ground, kicking up a flurry of snowflakes.
Meanwhile, Emi, hidden in the shadows, had already relocated.
When Li De arrived, he saw the Cyclops Lord plowing through the forest like a giant bulldozer.
Fallen trees piled up in mountains of wreckage.
The Cyclops Lord's body was covered in blackened scars from magical burns.
What surprised Li De was a deep scar running almost across the Cyclops' entire body, still oozing fresh blood. Clearly, the Cyclops had fought a fierce battle even before clashing with Emi.
"Damn vampire! I will find you! I will crush your skull!!"
The frenzied roar carried far across the silent night sky.
"Your Majesty, this monster is a Cyclops Lord, Level 15. Moreover, its skin grants immunity to spells below Tier 3."
Li De reverted to human form, flapping his bat wings as he surveyed the land from above. Emi quietly approached him from behind.
Though he couldn't easily defeat a Cyclops Lord of the same level, the vampires' agility ensured that the Cyclops Lord couldn't harm him either.
Li De nodded slightly as he observed the Cyclops Lord still rampaging through the forest.
"Did you cause the scar on the Cyclops Lord?"
"No, it was already there when I encountered him. This Cyclops Lord has extremely high magic resistance—it's difficult for me to harm him in a short time!"
Emi quickly explained, clearly troubled by the Cyclops Lord's skin, which nullified Tier 3 spells.
A thoughtful gleam flashed in Li De's eyes. Could there be another creature here capable of wounding the Cyclops Lord?
"Have you discovered any other creatures?"
"Lord Progenitor, there are only Cyclops here. There should be a Cyclops tribe inside the cave behind us."
Li De nodded.
"What are the weaknesses of the Cyclops?"
"Weaknesses?" Emi recalled, "Though the Cyclops are powerful, they are very cumbersome units. We can exploit that.
Moreover, Cyclops are extremely protective of their young. If we attack their offspring during battle, they often become enraged and may even sacrifice their lives to protect them."
Li De's eyes lit up at this revelation.
"I understand. Now, summon all the vampires.
We will duel."