"Heh, with your strength, you think you can convert me? Aren't you afraid of exhausting your vital essence and turning into dried bats before you even finish?"
Li Xi simply closed his eyes, his expression clearly indicating that even if he were captured, he looked down on them. To make him bow his proud head was utterly impossible.
"My lord, please rest assured. With your power, we naturally wouldn't dare to offend you. Only a Duke would be capable of converting you. At that time, we would have to pay our respects to you."
"Heh, you're dreaming."
Li Xi turned his back to Libia.
"Let's escort Lord Mourinho to our secret location. Today's matter will be perfectly concluded, and tomorrow we'll welcome a new member together."
Libia secretly took out a magic bracelet and sent a message. Then, with a smile, he had the more than twenty vampires collectively lift the Dragonborn Li Xi and fly towards the distance.
...
Ais followed the team, carrying a large box. Even though the sun had already set, this team of over thirty people showed no signs of stopping to make camp.
This team of thirty-five was composed of elite experts selected from various major powers, with a mix of professions to ensure a synergy where one plus one was greater than three.
The weakest members were all level three, the majority were level four, and there was even a level five archer carrying a bow as tall as herself. This person was the female powerhouse Li Xi had seen protecting Mage Demangger in the underground. She was also the commander directly appointed by the city lord for this operation, Alida.
Fearing that they might alert their target, no one took out magic glowstones or other illuminating items. They advanced in the dark until around ten o'clock at night when a small hill appeared before them, and they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Alida extended her arm and made a few hand gestures. The team immediately shifted formation, with shield-bearing warriors holding shields etched with magic runes, as tall as a person, in front. Assassins and hunters moved on the flanks to provide support, while mages and priests advanced silently towards the mountainside in the middle of the hill.
With such strength, it wasn't just dealing with a puppet master below level six, they could even contend with dragons. If they faced some weaker dragons, like white or blue dragons, defeating and slaying them was highly possible.
The formation advanced in layers, quickly and safely reaching the heart of the mountain cave, a space clearly excavated by hand within the mountainside.
Alida led the group to firmly secure the cave entrance. Illuminated by a few glowstones, the space inside was laid bare.
Within the not-so-large space, a figure hidden beneath a black robe watched the sudden arrival of over thirty people with no surprise. Instead, a faint, sinister smile appeared on their face.
"Kennada, I am now arresting you in the name of Cardo City's Lord's Mansion and all the great temples. If you resist, we have the right to kill you on the spot."
Alida's voice, filled with heroic spirit, echoed throughout the space. Combined with the thirty-odd experts beside her, it was enough to make the faint-hearted wet themselves.
"Heh heh, you want to arrest me? First, see your own predicament."
Kennada let out a chilling laugh, like a vengeful spirit following you down a dark corridor at midnight.
Following Kennada's voice, the sound of countless flapping wings filled the cave, and countless small red dots flickered in the darkness.
Ais and the others looked in the direction of the sound. From the upper parts of the mountainside and the caves behind, countless red-eyed, sharp-toothed little bats swooped down. Upon landing on the ground, dozens or hundreds of these small bats immediately gathered like an ant colony, transforming into sickly handsome vampires.
Their numbers were more than double that of Ais and her companions, and their strength was all around level three or four. They looked at Ais and the others like prey trapped in a snare. At this point, the roles of hunter and prey had completely reversed.
"Vampires? And so many of them."
"We've fallen into a trap."
Although the pursuers were all elites, facing more than twice their number of enemies of equal strength, they couldn't help but feel fear and apprehension. They immediately understood that they had been tricked.
Ais touched the box on her back, and her somewhat uneasy heart immediately calmed down. She trusted Li Xi, this man four years her junior.
"Don't be afraid. They're just a bunch of vampires. Protect the priests and mages. Purification divine arts and light-based magic are specifically effective against evil dark creatures."
Alida, indeed a level five archer, stood directly behind the priests and mages. She drew her longbow, seven arrows in hand. This skill of shooting seven arrows at once was held in readiness, deterring aggression while protecting her teammates.
Once professionals reached higher levels, their destructive power increased exponentially. A level five Alida could go all out. At least half of these vampires wouldn't survive tonight. Her arrows were no longer just arrows; they were powerful siege crossbow bolts, capable of taking down low-level mages with shields, let alone these fragile vampires.
The formation, originally meant for pursuit, began to compress, minimizing the engagement area as much as possible. Although they hadn't fought vampires before, the books had long since explained how to deal with them.
Vampires' attack methods were similar to assassins, relying on agility and combined with unique, eerie bloodline magic. As long as their tactics were understood, they weren't difficult to fight.
With seven spellcasters and the level five Alida, this was their foundation for invincibility.
Kennada watched as Ais and the others adjusted their formation. Then, without haste, he took out over a dozen specially made puppets from his spatial ring. These puppets were very different from the two ordinary heavy sword warrior-shaped ones Li Xi had casually destroyed earlier.
These dozen or so were armed from head to toe. They had shield armor made of expensive magic steel on their chests, capable of withstanding level four attacks. Their seven facial orifices were equipped with mechanisms that could shoot poison needles. Combined with swords and blades on their limbs, specifically alloyed with fine gold to penetrate armor, these were pure killing machines manufactured for slaughter.
A fierce battle was about to erupt within the mountainside. The vampires drew their short swords and daggers, unfurling their dark bat wings, their fangs slightly bared in anticipation of a feast.
The priests and mages had already cast their shields. While protected by warriors, their staffs and armor were the most reliable.
The priests and mages began preparing spells and divine arts to counter the vampires. Once they were unleashed, the vampires' strength would be reduced by half. At that point, let alone level four professionals like Ais and her companions, even level two individuals could hold their own against vampires for dozens of rounds.
"Attack."
Kennada, of course, did not wait for the priests and mages to finish casting their spells. With a fierce cry, nearly a hundred vampires charged down. The magic light reflecting off their short swords and daggers was like the guiding light in people's eyes before death.
In the air, the roars of warriors filled the air, and the light of their battle qi turned everyone into small glowing figures.
The hissing of vampires slicing through the air, the shattering sound of puppets running through the air, and the buzzing of Alida's bowstring snapping back interwove, like a death concerto played by the Grim Reaper on a pipe organ.
In this moment of life and death, everyone was prepared to fight to the death. However, no one expected the first to die would not be the warriors facing the vampires directly, nor the vampires with their thin skin and little blood. Instead, it would be the heavily protected mages and priests.
Out of the thirty-five pursuers, there were seven priests and mages, all carefully selected. This demonstrated the importance Cardo City placed on this operation.
In an instant, six were pierced through the chest by long arrows from behind. Without even time to react, they fell with disbelief.
This scene stunned everyone, not just Ais and her companions, but even the vampires were shocked. A significant portion of their attention was focused on Alida's arrows, as a level five archer's arrow meant certain death. The consequence of carelessness was death, forcing them to be extremely vigilant. However, they never expected that the fatal arrows, which should have been aimed at them, would be shot at the mages, whom they feared even more. This single turn of events disrupted their attacks.
No one had expected that Alida, the level five archer leading the team, was actually in league with the vampires. To have such a mole personally protect the most vulnerable and crucial spellcasting team was like personally delivering a little white rabbit into the mouth of a tiger. It would be a disservice to the rabbits' wholehearted sacrifice not to eat them.
This turn of events immediately threw the pursuit team into a panic. At the start of the battle, their leader was a traitor, their spellcasting team, which could inflict heavy damage on vampires, was reduced to one survivor. Coupled with facing three times their number, was there still any suspense in this battle?
Ais was also bewildered. Why did all of them die when they were casting spells in unison, while she was still alive? The divine arts she had prepared were interrupted by this event.
However, she soon found the answer. The box she carried on her back had disappeared at some point, replaced by Li Xi, who held an iron arrow in his hand.
Ais had, unknowingly, gone to the brink of death and back. Now, seeing Li Xi, she remembered his caring words to her before she left. Her heart pounded uncontrollably. If the situation were not so dire, Ais could have fully expressed her irresistible affection for Li Xi.
As soon as Li Xi appeared, he had no time for romantic exchanges with Ais. His internal chakra surged madly, breaking through three restrictions within his body in an instant.
"Opening Gate" "Resting Gate" "Life Gate"
"Open."
Li Xi's entire body turned crimson, the veins and blood vessels at the corners of his eyes bulging like crawling snakes. His immense power made everyone present cast a glance of awe. Even the vampires, who had been confident of victory, began to waver. He was too strong. In the face of such power, they were like dwarves standing before a giant; it seemed the giant could crush them with a single step.
Upon opening the first gate of the Eight Inner Gates, the "Opening Gate," it removes the brain's limitations on power, allowing the body to exert 100% of its strength. It enables the use of the "Front Lotus." Li Xi had used the "Front Lotus" when fighting Kasero last time, but he stopped halfway, fearing he might kick Kasero to death.
The second gate, "Resting Gate," when opened, removes physical stamina limitations, allowing for unrestricted exertion during casting without fatigue.
The third gate, "Life Gate," when opened, increases attack speed and power. At this point, the user can perform the "Reverse Lotus." Ordinary human eyes would be unable to keep up with Li Xi's movements.
The Eight Inner Gates are the pinnacle of Taijutsu, a ultimate technique achieved through years of arduous training and gradual accumulation.
In the original work, Might Duy was the creator of the Eight Inner Gates. Due to his body not recovering well during the creation of the ninjutsu, he managed to kick four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to death after opening the Eight Gates before exhausting himself. If his body hadn't had so many old injuries, Might Duy could have killed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen with just seven gates.
From Li Xi catching Alida's arrow with his bare hands to opening three gates, it all happened in the blink of an eye. The immense power erupting from Li Xi's body, like a rampaging beast, filled every vampire present with fear. This fear had just begun when Li Xi's body instantly vanished.