134 Death of Dilani
A gentle breeze swept across the mountainside as a figure silently materialized before the smooth stone wall.
Peter Volare limped forward on his numb right leg while clutching his stomach. His face twitched uncontrollably as he staggered two steps, then spat out another mouthful of blood with a "Pfft."
He wiped his mouth, horror filling his eyes.
Near Cloud Citadel, Peter Volare had spotted an unfamiliar young face among his pursuers—Wave Realm Perfection—whom he assumed was just a novice vampire hunter seeking experience.
He assumed H.A.R.M. wasn't taking him seriously—just treating this as another one of his games.
They had pursued him deep into vampire territory, and to his surprise, that young man had followed without hesitation.
Peter had intended to confront him and warn him that this situation was completely different from before.
He hadn't expected to be kneed in the gut as soon as he showed his face.
The terrifying power contained in that blow almost made him think he had run into a fully crystallized vampire.
"Good! Good!"
Peter Volare recovered from the severe pain. Not only was he not angry, but his eyes were filled with ferocity.
He made a strange hand seal, and then walked directly into the smooth stone wall.
Ripples appeared on the stone wall, and it soon returned to normal, leaving only a few crimson bloodstains on the ground, proving that someone had indeed been there.
About 5 minutes later.
Three figures walked up from the foot of the mountain. Two of the Templars looked puzzled. "The aura has disappeared?"
Rose frowned. Not seeing any trace of John Kane, she lowered her eyes to examine the bloodstains on the ground.
She rushed over, closed her eyes to sense the aura from the essence on her fingertips, then scanned the area before fixing her gaze on the stone wall before her.
She reached out and softly touched the wall.
In the next moment, her delicate hand passed straight through the stone wall.
"An illusion array?" Master Arden's eyes widened in shock, his usual composure as a Cloud Citadel expert completely shattered.
How had their simple pursuit of Peter Volare led them to such a strange place?
He cautiously took half a step back and reminded her, "Madam Hightower, withdraw your hand immediately. With this type of array, even the slightest touch will alert the vampire if you don't use the proper hand seal..."
Recovering their martial arts was important, but not worth gambling with their lives.
Perhaps this was Volare's ploy—deliberately luring them here to use a vampire as his unwitting assassin.
Rose glanced down at the bloodstains on the ground once more.
She didn't believe Peter Volare could match John in combat. And knowing John as she did, a mere stone wall wouldn't stop someone brave enough to venture into Black Stone Spring.
With that thought, she strode forward and stepped through the wall.
The two elderly Templars stood dumbfounded. They exchanged bitter glances, then with gritted teeth, followed her through the wall.
As Crystal Realm martial artists, they couldn't bear to appear cowardly before an injured woman. Cloud Citadel's sacred duty was to subdue vampires and eliminate evil—how could they show fear when a vampire had stolen their signature martial arts?
Master Rhys's expression turned grave. An array capable of completely concealing auras was no ordinary tool—wild vampires would never possess such a treasure. Only an ancient vampire lineage would own something this sophisticated.
… …
Behind the illusory stone wall, a secluded valley unveiled its beauty.
A verdant carpet of emerald grass spread beneath a canopy of ancient trees, their gnarled branches reaching skyward like skeletal fingers. At the valley's heart lay a crystal-clear spring, its surface smooth as glass. The spring mirrored the surrounding landscape, creating an enchanting dance of light and shadow.
Nestled amidst this serene setting, a cluster of weathered wooden houses seemed to emerge from the very earth itself. Their roofs, draped in moss, blended seamlessly with the surrounding greenery. The houses, with their rustic charm and simple design, exuded an air of timeless tranquility.
On the cliff above, Peter Volare crouched on the ground, his aura completely concealed. As a thief king, this was his forte.
His bloodshot eyes fixed intently on the wooden house's window below.
His ears twitched slightly as he picked up the faint conversation inside, even from such a distance.
In the largest wooden house, an old man in a white robe sat with his eyes closed, serene and ethereal. The only strange thing was that both sides of his face were covered with glittering feathers.
Beside him, an old woman made tea, her face similarly covered with feathers. Her voice carried deep regret as she spoke. "Dilani is too willful. If I hadn't lied about being in trouble, she wouldn't have come back to see me."
The old man sneered, "If she weren't so willful, would she have run off with a mere martial artist? Sister, you and I gave birth to her and raised her, yet has she ever heeded a single word of my advice? We'd lose nothing by having no such daughter."
He opened his eyes. "She may choose not to return, but that red feather must be brought back."
Their clan strictly forbade marriage outside their bloodline.
Through a secret method, they preserved their bloodline's purity by having exactly two children in each generation—one boy and one girl—continuing this pattern through the ages.
This was the only way they could ensure each generation would produce both a green feather and a red feather.
Dilani was destined to marry her brother, but she defied tradition by fleeing the valley to wed a martial artist in Cascadia. This act of rebellion was unthinkable—it would end their ancestral bloodline.
The old man's anger grew with each word. He shot to his feet. "I actually feel sorry for my son, having to share a wife with that human. What a disgrace."
Suddenly, the old woman glanced outside with a puzzled expression. "Someone has entered the valley?"
As she spoke, their gazes instantly turned cold. After a moment, a ferocious smile appeared on the old man's face. "I was originally planning to go to Cascadia to take his head after my breakthrough. I didn't expect this kid to be so sensible, to come here to die on his own."
"Rajitha, keep an eye on your sister. I've heard that boy is skilled in movement techniques," the old woman called out loudly to her son.
As her voice fell, the small door of the adjacent wooden house creaked open.
A young man with delicate, feminine features leisurely walked out. He wore a luxurious feather robe, his sleeves rolled up, his arms gleamed with blood.
He twirled a beautiful red feather between his fingers, a cold smile curving at the corner of his lips. "No need."
Behind him in the room lay a large peacock on the bed. Its once-beautiful feathers had lost their luster, its long tail feathers drooping lifelessly to the ground. With dim eyes and dried blood staining the large bed crimson, the creature had clearly been dead for some time.
The two elders emerged from the house and glanced over, showing mild surprise but little concern. "Couldn't you have been a bit neater?"
"When Sister Dilani was alive, she served Peter Volare. I can't be at too much of a disadvantage." Rajitha's eyes turned cold as he twirled the fiery red feather. He sneered, "I heard that when she was in Cascadia, if Alex Bai couldn't save someone, she would help. Using our lineage's treasure to save people from H.A.R.M. How ridiculous."
"No need to harbor such resentment. Once Father captures that thief, you can take out your anger as you please." The old man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing calmly at the valley entrance.
He was a fully crystallized vampire. Outside of Cascadia, unless a H.A.R.M. General came in person, there was no one who could beat him.
Rose and the two Templars stepped through the stone wall, emerging into this secluded valley that stretched before them like paradise.
In an instant, all three of their expressions changed.
Though they had sensed no vampiric aura on the mountain before, the moment they stepped into this place, an overwhelming surge of power enveloped them.
Powerful vampire lords! And more than one!
The two Templars swallowed, then gritted their teeth, almost simultaneously compressed their essence to manifest their Will Embodiment of Swords.
From his position on the cliff, Peter Volare stared at the peacock's corpse inside the house. With his preternatural vision, he could see every detail across the vast distance, his bloodshot eyes now transformed into an eerie, deathlike calm.
He showed no surprise—he had already sensed his wife's death.
He felt no resentment either, for his eyes held only killing intent—a hatred so intense it seemed to crystallize the very air around him.
Dilani was a vampire, as were her kin, and they never ventured into Cascadia. No one would come all the way here to provoke them for the death of another vampire.