"Rest assured, I am already at odds with those old fellows. If there's an opportunity, I won't let it pass," Zhang Fan nodded, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
Although Zhang Fan understood the meaning of the Vampire Patriarch's words, this was precisely what he needed. He had come to the vampires with Ailabella not merely to find a place to cultivate in seclusion.
Instead, he intended to leverage the strength of the vampires to deal with the arbiters of the Holy See and Pope Campbell together.
Upon receiving Zhang Fan's affirmation, the Vampire Patriarch became even more enthusiastic. He personally led Zhang Fan into a secret chamber cast entirely from alloy.
"This is the chamber I usually use for seclusion. It might be a bit lacking for Saint Master Zhang, but this is the best we have at the moment," the Vampire Patriarch said humbly.
"It's sufficient," Zhang Fan nodded, then smiled at the Vampire Patriarch.
Sensing his understanding, the Vampire Patriarch quickly excused himself, leaving Zhang Fan alone in the chamber.
"Patriarch, that Saint Master Zhang has incurred such enmity with the Holy See. It's likely he will draw those old fellows from the Holy See here. Now that Campbell has also entered the Earth Immortal realm, there's no need for us to shoulder this burden for him," an elder of the vampire clan said to the Patriarch with a grave expression as they exited the chamber.
"Second Elder, while your strength is considerable, your foresight is indeed lacking," the Vampire Patriarch shook his head and said softly, "A long time ago, our vampire clan was no weaker than the Holy See; we were even a bit stronger."
"But ever since our vampire progenitor fought a world-shattering battle with the High Arbiter of the Holy See, the situation gradually changed."
"After that battle, both our vampire progenitor and the High Arbiter of the Holy See were gravely wounded and fell into a deep slumber. No one knows when they will awaken, or if they will awaken at all."
"Without our progenitor to oversee us, the peak fighting strength of our vampire clan was the three Princes who survived that battle. Similarly, the Holy See had four arbiters who survived."
"Before this, although the Holy See held an advantage over us vampires, the margin was not significant. If war were to break out, even if they could ultimately win, they would suffer heavy losses, and sacrificing two or three arbiters would be normal."
"Therefore, before this, the Holy See did not provoke a war. Even if there were skirmishes, they were minor frictions that did not cause deep wounds."
"However, according to what Saint Master Zhang said, Campbell has now thoroughly entered the Earth Immortal realm. This will give the Holy See an even greater advantage when facing our vampire clan."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We naturally want to win over friends like Saint Master Zhang. With Saint Master Zhang's combat power, if our vampire clan prepares well this time, those arbiters of the Holy See might suffer greatly if they attack," the Vampire Patriarch calculated in his heart.
"Patriarch, what if the vampire clan hadn't tracked down Saint Master Zhang's whereabouts and he hadn't come to the Ancestor's Castle? Wouldn't your plan be meaningless then?" the Second Elder asked.
"Therefore, I need you to do one thing."
"Wait for a while. If the Holy See still hasn't come looking, you will leak the information that Saint Master Zhang has arrived at our vampire castle. Remember to do it discreetly. If the Holy See detects it, they might not fall for it."
"Yes." The Second Elder nodded, understanding the implications, and felt a surge of excitement.
After the Second Elder withdrew, the Vampire Patriarch paid his respects to the three Princes of their vampire clan in a deep pavilion within the Ancestor's Castle.
...
Zhang Fan was, of course, unaware of the Vampire Patriarch's actions. All his thoughts were now focused on the treasure of the Holy See known as the 'Heart of Holy Light'.
"Extreme power of light, yet it possesses numerous miraculous functions, capable of releasing plant attacks, and emitting defensive holy light shields to trap enemies..."
Even with Zhang Fan's extensive knowledge and research, he still couldn't determine what this treasure, called the 'Heart of Holy Light' by the Holy See, actually was.
"This Holy See is truly not simple. Not only do they have spatial treasures like the Celestial Stone, but they also possess this treasure whose name I cannot even recall."
Although he couldn't figure out what it was, Zhang Fan understood its preciousness. It was undoubtedly a supreme treasure for cultivators of light.
At the same time, Zhang Fan became increasingly wary of the Holy See. Possessing such a treasure indicated that it could not be the work of indigenous cultivators on Earth.
This meant that behind the Holy See, there must be true immortal cultivators.
And the fact that the vampires could confront the Holy See for centuries without falling indicated their extraordinary nature.
"I should increase my strength first before having a good chat with this vampire clan," Zhang Fan shook his head, chiding himself for overthinking.
He couldn't even handle the surface-level power of the Holy See, let alone delve into its deeper secrets.
After storing the 'Heart of Holy Light' properly, Zhang Fan began to research ways to rapidly improve his strength.
Although his current combat power was formidable, comparable to an ordinary Earth Immortal, his own realm was ultimately not high enough. He could only match those who had just entered the Earth Immortal realm, like the white-robed Pope Campbell, at best.
He would need to use many of his trump cards to have a chance of killing him.
Compared to the four arbiters of the Holy See, Zhang Fan felt immense pressure. Against the strongest among them, he might not even have the ability to resist.
After all, the gap between the early and late stages of the Core Formation realm was indeed vast.
Moreover, Zhang Fan's combat power was only comparable to the early stage of the Core Formation realm. In other aspects, he still had considerable gaps compared to true early-stage Earth Immortals.
"To contend with the strongest arbiter, I would need to reach at least the peak of the Heavenly Human realm, or even enter the Core Formation realm."
Because Zhang Fan was cultivating anew, he had a certain understanding of the fearsomeness of late-stage Core Formation realm experts.
"Breakthroughs in divine abilities are out of the question for now. As for divine bodies, it's unlikely to break through before entering the Core Formation realm. It seems the most suitable way for me to improve my strength is by enhancing my cultivation."
Zhang Fan cultivated the Thunder-Fire Divine Eyes and the Sky-Splitting Rhinoceros two divine eye techniques, but unless there were very significant improvements, their impact on his strength would be limited.
His current divine body technique, the Myriad Prisons Suppressing Divine Body, had also reached a bottleneck, just one step away from true minor accomplishment.
However, Zhang Fan understood that unless he could enter the Core Formation realm and use the power of the primordial core to temper his physical body, it would be difficult to achieve minor accomplishment before then.
"I should first raise my strength to the peak of the Heavenly Human realm."
With his mind made up, Zhang Fan flipped his hand and retrieved several circular formation plates from the Celestial Image Space. He tossed them casually, and the plates landed precisely in the four corners of the secret chamber.
"Formation, activate!"
Zhang Fan formed hand seals, communicating with the formation patterns on the plates. Countless black and white lines intertwined, gradually forming an egg-shaped shell that enveloped Zhang Fan.
...