237. Soul Crucible
Nestled beneath towering mountains, the valley unfolded in hushed serenity. Green grass rippled in the breeze, soft as silk and sun-kissed, while wildflowers dotted the landscape with flashes of violet and gold. A crystal brook wound through the meadow, its gentle murmur blending with the rustle of pines. Overhead, a hawk traced slow circles in the clear sky, its cry echoing faintly through the stillness.
I rode the Red Cloud away from the city, arriving at a desolate wilderness in Cascadia to seek peace and solitude.
Though not as soft as a bed, the grassland possessed its own unique charm.
I savored this hard-won tranquility, if only for a brief moment.
I opened my panel and carefully examined each line in the fighting techniques section.
Apart from vampiric techniques, the rarest techniques were the Whispering Gale and the Cosmic Devouring Crystallization Method.
These represented the highest-level martial arts available in Cascadia.
However, for my current self, their usefulness had become minimal.
After breaking through to the Fourth Realm, I finally understood what Aisha Patani had meant—there was nothing I truly needed within the Martial Orders.
The reason was simple.
For instance, I had forged my Infant of Love using vampiric power, while Aisha had achieved Fourth Realm with Frozen Resolve.
A path that suits one person may not work for another.
Redeemed Spirits were different—all formed by harmonizing the power of faith, thus following traceable patterns.
She believes I possess exceptional comprehension abilities.
I looked at my accumulated vampire lifespan—over twenty thousand years—and suddenly felt uncertain.
No point in overthinking—I'll just take it one step at a time.
For now at least, there remained room for improvement.
With this thought, I gritted my teeth, and ten thousand years of absorbed lifespan instantly vanished.
[Soul Crucible: Can reshape a vampire's soul into an eternally bound follower—one who cannot transcend, willing to endure all worldly hardships, and exists solely to execute their master's supreme command.]
[Soul Crucible: 1]
[Remaining Absorbed Lifespan: 12,615 years]
As I watched the numbers change, my heart suddenly twitched, and my earlier sense of leisure rapidly faded.
If my hypothesis was correct and I could indeed use this tool to create consciousness for controlling Redeemed Spirits, that would be fine—but if I had guessed wrong...
I cleared my throat, hurriedly dismissing this ridiculous notion.
"Is it used the same way as the Mind Shards?"
I turned my gaze toward the Soul Crucible, hesitating about which martial art to infuse it into, when suddenly a multitude of phantom images flooded my vision.
A fox cobbled together from meat paste, a Leviasaur with only half its body intact, a headless white owl...
So, in my panel, I was developing martial arts with these kinds of "things"? Though somewhat uncomfortable with this realization, I didn't overreact—after all, these were all my own kills.
As for who to use this Soul Crucible on, I had almost no hesitation; given the cost of such a vast lifespan, only a Vampire King was worthy of it.
Additionally, the power gap between Lady Taurymne and the wolf vampire was simply too vast.
"Reshape vampire soul."
With a simple thought, the panel prompt immediately unfolded before my eyes.
[After enduring ten thousand years of tribulation, dissolving the resentment in her heart, and comprehending her master's supreme grace, Lady Taurymne may then reshape her past life's soul.]
With this brief prompt, a faint, barely audible wail drifted through my mind.
Accompanying the sound, a vague shadow gradually materialized before me.
Then it became increasingly solid, transforming into a bull vampire about thirty yards long, before gradually taking human form.
The entire process unfolded at an excruciatingly slow pace.
While waiting, I took out the bull vampire's corpse, slightly opened my mouth, and the enormous body instantly shriveled as vampire blood leapt from its skin and surged toward my lips.
I stored a total of eighty-six drops of sangrith blood in my sea of essence. Meanwhile, the woman had only formed her upper body. She stared at me with unfocused eyes, her gaze devoid of any emotion.
As time passed, a blue-flowered long dress materialized, gently rippling above the grassland, her bare feet hovering three inches from the ground.
A line of text appeared beneath the Soul Crucible description.
[Vampire King: Lady Taurymne]
Within my consciousness, a profound connection suddenly formed.
Lady Taurymne's murky eyes seemed touched by an invisible brush, instantly gaining a glimmer of spiritual light, as if awakening from a long-forgotten memory.
She lowered herself with practiced elegance, every curve a testament to strength cloaked in allure. "I am Taurymne," she murmured, eyes never leaving his. "At your service, master."
As her words hung in the air, Lady Taurymne vanished from where she stood.
I waved my hand, and she reappeared, somewhat bewildered. With another wave, she immediately disappeared again.
So this is how it works.
So she could actually be dismissed into and recalled from the panel.
I summoned her out again and attempted to sever the deep connection between her and my consciousness.
The next moment, Lady Taurymne's face turned ashen, and she dropped to her knees without hesitation. "Master, spare me!" she pleaded.
Having confirmed my complete control over her, I finally relaxed.
After all, I planned to have her merge with a Redeemed Spirit—no small undertaking.
However, before that, I wanted to try something else.
"Do you remember who you are?"
Hearing this, a hint of confusion flashed across Lady Taurymne's eyes. After careful thought, she answered, "I was once a Vampire King from Vampires Valley, wife of the Blood Transforming Vampire Emperor. Now I serve as my master's guardian, willing to die ten thousand deaths without regret."
"Tell me about all the vampire lairs you know." I simply wanted to recover the ten thousand years I had invested.
Lady Taurymne pondered for a moment before answering: "The Blood Transforming Vampire Emperor resides in the nineteenth cave of Vampires Valley, the Hundred Spirits Vampire King in the one hundred and ninety-seventh cave, and the Nine-Headed Azure Sparrow Vampire King elsewhere in Vampires Valley..."
"Wait," I interrupted her. "I meant those outside Vampires Valley, where vampires live in isolation."
Taurymne looked stunned, then replied timidly: "Me."
I raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
Lady Taurymne hastily explained: "The Blood Transforming Vampire Emperor controlled me with extreme strictness. Dissatisfied, I left Vampires Valley to establish a secluded home where I could raise my child in peace. I had only servants and guards with me, who regularly reported my activities to the Vampire Emperor—effectively preventing me from contacting any Vampire Kings outside Vampires Valley."
I frowned slightly, sensing something didn't add up. "You didn't bring guards when you came to Cascadia this time?"
"I brought two personal maids to hold my sword and umbrella. They were bestowed with cloaks and cloud-riding treasures. They waited outside while monitoring the vampires in Cascadia, searching for the Blood Moon Vampire King and observing his reaction. If they sensed any danger, they were instructed to return immediately to Vampires Valley to alert the Blood Transforming Vampire Emperor."
Taurymne recounted in detail, not daring to omit anything. "They were connected to me by a secret technique. Now that I've been killed by you, they have probably already returned to Vampires Valley."
After listening, I slowly closed my eyes.
Sensing my concern, Lady Taurymne said softly, "You possess extraordinary blood gifts and practice supreme techniques. There is no need to worry about the Blood Transforming Vampire Emperor."
"Don't sugarcoat it—speak frankly."
"He devoured the only registered disciple of Silence of the Sword, Kardas Vilkas, and has been pursued for over three years. He can't even return to Vampires Valley. Escaping won't be easy; he might even have been killed already," Lady Taurymne said reassuringly.
Might?
I opened my eyes, my hand slowly coming to rest on the hilt of my waist blade. Only the cold touch of Hidden Abyss could somewhat calm my racing mind.
I dismissed Lady Taurymne back to the panel.
I then opened the panel and infused the absorbed lifespan into the Cosmic Devouring Crystallization Method.
[First year, you attempt to have Lady Taurymne merge with the Redeemed Spirit, battling with the gradually forming Redeemed Spirit consciousness...]