Chapter 116: Resurrection

Just as Bai Ye rushed toward Xing Yu and Xue Lan, both he and Xing Yu suddenly felt the blood within them begin to boil. In the depths of their souls, they felt a mysterious summons calling to them from an unknown place.

"This feeling is..." Bai Ye, sensing this, halted his attack on Xing Yu and the others, standing there in a daze.

"What is this? How is this possible?" Xing Yu was equally stunned. Even while facing Bai Ye, he showed no intention of resistance, merely staring blankly toward a distant, unknown direction.

"Xing Yu, what’s wrong?" Sensing the anomaly in Bai Ye and Xing Yu, Xue Lan cautiously stepped in front of Xing Yu.

"How can this be? I can actually feel the presence of Lilith’s bloodline. Am I dreaming?" Xing Yu murmured, gazing into the distance.

"It’s the aura of Liliana’s bloodline. There’s no mistake; it’s Liliana’s aura!" Feeling the summons from the void, Bai Ye said in disbelief, "Why? I saw Liliana die before my own eyes! Why would I feel the aura of her bloodline again? No, it doesn't matter why—Liliana isn't dead! She’s still alive! Hahaha!" Bai Ye burst into manic laughter.

"Princess Liliana? Xing Yu, are you saying Princess Liliana is still alive?" Upon hearing this news, Xue Lan asked Xing Yu in joyful surprise.

"Yes, that’s right, there’s no mistake. This is the aura of Lilith’s bloodline. Lilith is still alive; she hasn't died," Xing Yu whispered, his eyes filled with joy.

Meanwhile, in the Demon Realm, the Vampire Prince stood quietly before an altar. Countless blood-drawn, complex, and profound runes formed an ancient magic circle. Above the circle, myriad soul fragments floated, emitting a faint glow.

"Lilith, my daughter, stop sleeping. It is time to return. Your mother and I are waiting for you," the Vampire Prince said softly, looking at the glowing soul fragments. As if hearing his words, the light from the fragments grew more dazzling.

"Oh, ancient God of the Underworld, I offer my blood as a guide to open the gates of the afterlife and awaken the soul sleeping within the River Styx. I offer this sacrifice to rouse her from her eternal slumber." The Vampire Prince chanted the ritual in a low voice, then flicked his hand. A crack tore through the void, and a massive figure fell out, crashing onto the altar. Had anyone else seen this, they would have screamed in shock. The massive figure was none other than the ruler of the Flame Demon clan—the Flame Demon Emperor—one of the most powerful beings in the Demon Realm, a match for a Prince-level vampire. Yet, this ruler of the Demon Realm had been reduced to a sacrifice for the Vampire Prince to resurrect his beloved daughter. Under the Prince's suppression, he could only struggle in vain, unable to escape the altar's bonds.

The Vampire Prince watched the scene unmoved, his eyes devoid of emotion as if this were a common occurrence. "Stop struggling. You should feel honored to be the sacrifice that resurrects my daughter," he said to the struggling Flame Demon Emperor, receiving only a roar of rage in response.

"The soul. The sacrifice is complete. Now, only the blood is missing." Ignoring the raging Flame Demon Emperor, the Vampire Prince whispered to himself and opened his palm. A orb of dark golden blood gathered there. "This is nearly all of Lilith's source blood, but it is still not enough. With just this, there is no way to bridge the gap between life and death." The Vampire Prince looked into the distance and murmured, "I have held the position of Vampire Prince for too long; it has become wearisome. It is time for a change. From now on, the vampire race is yours, my daughter." With that, he thrust his right hand into his own heart without hesitation. Blood, closer to gold than Lilith’s source blood, dripped from his palm and floated before him. Anyone could easily sense the immense magic power contained within those few drops. Feeling this power, the Flame Demon Emperor stopped struggling, his body trembling with a mix of greed and, more predominantly, primal terror.

The Vampire Prince withdrew his hand, and the wound on his chest healed instantly. He looked at the thirteen nearly golden drops of blood floating before him with a faint smile. With a gentle wave, the drops merged into Lilith's source blood.

"Everything is prepared. Lilith, my daughter, return." The Vampire Prince whispered tenderly, and the blood drifted onto the altar. The moment it touched, the countless crimson runes ignited with a brilliant, bloody light, and thick blood mist rose from the altar. Within the mist, a phantom gray gate flickered into existence. The Flame Demon Emperor, sensing the aura of death, shrieked in terror, but he could do nothing as the gate grew more solid, the scent of death drawing closer.

As the blood mist rose, the Vampire Prince’s face turned pale, but he didn't care; his smile only deepened. "Lilith, my daughter, wake up. It is time to come back. There are many here who miss you. It is time to wake." He spoke softly to the phantom gate, then took one last longing look as his own figure began to fade. "Lilith, my daughter, the future is in your hands. I must go find a way to resurrect Litis. If only I had turned Litis into a vampire back then... Lilith, my daughter, you must be happy." With these words, the Vampire Prince vanished completely.

By now, the phantom gray gate had become nearly corporeal. With a series of creaking sounds, it slowly swung open. Endless gray energy drifted out, filled with countless wails of agony.

"Where is this? Why am I here? Didn't I already die?" After an unknown age of slumber, I awoke. All around was endless darkness, not a sliver of light; I couldn't even see my own body.

"Lilith, my daughter, wake up. It is time to return." Suddenly, a gentle voice echoed in my ears, calling me. "Father." This incredibly familiar voice brought a wave of warmth. As the voice spoke, faint light began to appear in the surrounding darkness, and I dimly saw a gray gate in the distance.

"Father, I am too tired. I don't want to go on. Perhaps an eternal slumber is more suitable for me." I looked at the endless dark and realized where I was: the land of death I had visited before, the place of eternal rest. Here, I had met my mother and heard her voice; perhaps this was my true home.

"Lilith, are you truly so weak?" Just as I prepared to close my eyes and surrender to eternal rest, a cold voice rang out.

"Who is it? Who are you?" I looked around, searching for the source. The voice felt familiar, yet I couldn't recall where I had heard it.

"I am you, Lilith." The cold voice returned. As the light grew brighter, I saw who had appeared. Identical faces, identical figures—the only difference lay in the color of their eyes and hair. A silver-haired, blood-eyed Lilith and a black-haired, black-eyed Lilith stood before me.

"Who are you two?" I asked in astonishment, though, the moment I saw them, I had already guessed the answer.

"You should know," the silver-haired, blood-eyed Lilith said. "I am you."

"How should I put it? While we aren't the same person, right now, I am also Lilith," the black-haired, black-eyed Lilith said with a wicked smile. "I was once the Night Witch Lilith, but now, I am also you."

"Yes, I know you. Even though this is our first meeting, I know you," I said, smiling at the two who were identical to me.

"Lilith, are you really going to give up like this? I don't remember you being so weak," the silver-haired, blood-eyed Lilith said. "There is so much left for you to do outside. Are you going to hide here forever?"

"Little girl, I am looking forward to seeing you break the destiny of the vampires. You wouldn't give up now, would you? That would be far too boring," the black-haired, black-eyed Lilith added.

"But I am truly tired. I don't want to struggle anymore, don't want to feel any more sorrow. Right now, I just want to rest," I said faintly, my voice heavy with exhaustion.

"And what about your friends? Your lover? If they die, does it not matter?" the black-haired, black-eyed Lilith asked, her eyes glinting with cunning.

"Xing Yu, Lilith, Xue Lan, and Ang." Hearing her words, I whispered their names. "How are they now?"

"Who knows?" the black-haired Lilith laughed. "We have been here with you the whole time. They probably aren't dead yet, but who knows what will happen in a moment?"

"I want to go back!" I said firmly, hearing her words. "I don't want them to die! Absolutely not!"