Chapter 142 The Vampire Castle

Outside the outskirts of London, England, beyond a deep forest, stood an ancient castle. Under the moonlight, it exuded a gloomy and desolate aura, resembling a giant beast lying in wait in the dark, ready to devour everything.

A one-armed man appeared abruptly in this land that should have remained untrodden by humans. This one-armed man was none other than Xingyu, who had vanished from before the Blood Hunter leader not long ago.

"Young man, this is not a place you should come to. This is private property, and outsiders are strictly forbidden," an elderly man with a weathered face and wearing a tailcoat appeared out of nowhere right as Xingyu stepped onto the grounds, speaking with a gentle expression.

"I know," Xingyu said indifferently in response to the old man's warning. "However, what if I don't want to leave? I am quite curious, what manner of existence dwells within such an ancient castle?"

"Young man, some things in this world are not meant for you to probe lightly. To do so will cost you your life." The old man's expression remained cordial, but his tone had turned piercingly cold. "Young man, I advise you to put away your curiosity. You know what they say—curiosity killed the cat. At the very least, this is not a place you have any business setting foot in."

"Is that so?" Hearing the bone-chilling tone of the old man, Xingyu instead smiled. "Perhaps to others, this is a forbidden zone where none may tread. But to me, there is nowhere in this world where I cannot go!" At this, an intense confidence radiated from Xingyu's frame. "A mere werewolf, a stray dog fit only to keep watch at a gate here, is not qualified to threaten me!"

"Who are you?" The old man in the tailcoat had his identity pierced instantly, and his expression turned a mix of shock and uncertainty. He could not sense any aura emanating from Xingyu, who felt entirely like an ordinary mortal. In such a situation, there was only one possibility: the strength of the one-armed youth before him far surpassed his own. "A demon? A blood hunter? Or a vampire?" The tailcoat-clad old man watched Xingyu vigilantly, bracing himself to strike at any moment.

"I have no time to waste here with a stray dog like you. I came merely to see Lilith, so do not stand in my way. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind casually wiping you out," Xingyu said casually, sensing the guarded stance of the werewolf guard before him.

"The person you are looking for is not here!" Despite his terror in the face of Xingyu's threat, the aged werewolf did not yield an inch. "Since you know my identity, you should understand what lies behind me. Whoever you are, you have no right to run amok here!"

"Hahaha!" Hearing the werewolf guard's words, Xingyu burst into wild laughter. "Run amok? That's right, I want to run amok right here! The Kindred? I was already running amok right in front of them a hundred years ago, yet here I still stand, perfectly fine! This lowly life of mine has already lingered for an extra century, which is more than enough. Today, I'll run amok here once more and see what consequences follow!" With that, Xingyu ignored the terror-stricken werewolf guard before him, gathered his full strength, and shouted toward the ancient castle behind the guard: "Lilith! Come out, show yourself!"

Xingyu's voice hurtled toward the ancient castle. Just as it was about to reach the structure, it seemed to encounter some invisible barrier, sending ripples of shockwaves shuddering through the air. A moment later, a distinct shattering sound echoed from within the castle. With mere sound alone, Xingyu had shattered the spatial barrier guarding the ancient vampire stronghold. A magnificent and archaic castle was laid bare before him—the very vampire stronghold Xingyu had searched for so long.

Xingyu's voice penetrated deep into the vampire stronghold hidden behind the spatial barrier. The deathly silent castle instantly surged into activity.

"Who is it? Who dares to act presumptuously in the vampire stronghold!" An enraged roar rang out from within the castle, the furious cry of a vampire duke. Following the duke's roar, dozens of vampires materialized before Xingyu. Viscounts, counts, marquises, dukes—even a grand duke stood before him, gazing coldly at the sudden intruder. Every single vampire glaring at Xingyu emitted an air of bloodlust, enraged by his audacity to cause a disturbance before their gates.

"A grand duke, is it?" Seeing the dozens of vampires gathered before him, Xingyu's lips curled in faint disdain. "You Kindred are still the exact same, completely unchanged even after a full hundred years. Whenever trouble strikes, you always swarm forward like a hive of bees. Relying on sheer numbers, are you?"

"What did you say?" Hearing Xingyu's words, the leading duke flew into a violent rage, glaring daggers at the reckless vampire before him.

"Don't you vampires also love to swarm forward in a pack?" Just as the atmosphere between the two sides reached a breaking point, a majestic feminine voice reached the ears of everyone present. A young girl with silver hair and black eyes was walking slowly from the depths of the castle, followed by thirteen solemn and ancient vampires—the Thirteen Clan Patriarchs known to Xingyu. Seeing the girl approach, every vampire in attendance lowered their proud heads and bowed respectfully.

"Step back, all of you. He is here to see me," the girl walked right up to Xingyu, instructing the surrounding vampires in a flat tone before dismissively waving a hand to clear them away. Faced with her casual dismissal, none of the vampires behind her—not even the Thirteen Patriarchs—showed the slightest trace of anger. They all bowed respectfully and retreated.

"Xingyu, it has truly been a long time." After all the vampires had withdrawn, the girl looked at Xingyu, a happy smile blooming on her lips.

"Lilith!" Hearing that voice, Xingyu froze completely, staring blankly at the girl before him, entirely devoid of reaction.

"It has been a hundred years already. You are much later than I anticipated," the girl said softly, gazing at Xingyu's stunned face. "Did you encounter some trouble? That doesn't sound like you at all."

Hearing her words, Xingyu snapped out of his trance. Not a trace of joy graced his face; instead, his expression turned utterly gloomy. "You are not Lilith. Who on earth are you, and why are you impersonating her? Where is Lilith now?" Xingyu demanded sternly of the girl before him, a murderous, blood-soaked aura erupting from his body.

At Xingyu's words, the girl couldn't help but let out a giggling laugh. "As expected of the man Sister Lilith once deeply loved—you saw through it so quickly."

With that, the girl's appearance instantly shifted. Her long silver hair gradually turned crimson, and her black eyes were stained with a layer of blood red. "So many Kindred failed to notice a single thing for a whole hundred years, yet the flaw was exposed the moment we met. I can hardly believe you are actually blind." The girl smiled as she looked into Xingyu's unseeing eyes. "I imitated Sister Lilith's aura to absolute perfection. Just how on earth did you figure it out?"

"No matter how you disguise yourself, Lilith is Lilith. No one can replace her," Xingyu said indifferently, ignoring her question. "Lilier, where is Lilith?"

"Who knows?" Lilier pouted, her expression turning aggrieved. "As soon as Sister Lilith came back, she sealed the space around the vampire stronghold for a hundred years and then vanished without a trace. If I hadn't disguised myself as her, the entire Kindred society would have fallen into utter chaos long ago." At this, a hint of loneliness crossed Lilier's face. "Now, I don't even know whether Sister Lilith is alive or dead. She simply disappeared into thin air."

"How could this happen?" Hearing Lilier's words, Xingyu was struck by a devastating blow. A century of waiting, a century of yearning, only to end up with the news that Lilith's whereabouts were unknown. In that instant, Xingyu had no idea what he ought to do.

"That's just how it is. If I knew where Sister Lilith was, would I bother suffering through the misery of impersonating her every single day? Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to be the Vampire Prince? I don't even get time to slumber, and those old fogies are driving me out of my mind!" Lilier complained. "As for finding Sister Lilith, I have run out of options. To search for her, I even relocated the entire Kindred race to the mortal realm, but it yielded zero results. So, if there is still one person in this world who can find her, it can only be you."

At this, loneliness washed over Lilier's face once more. Was it truly so? In the end, the person who understood Sister Lilith best was still not herself. "If it's you, you will definitely be able to find Sister Lilith, right?"

Leaving behind those melancholic words, Lilier transformed back into the likeness of Lilith and walked away toward the ancient castle.

"Will I definitely be able to find her?" A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Xingyu's mouth. If I were capable of finding her, would I have had to come running here? Lilith, where on earth are you now? And where am I supposed to go to look for you?

Xingyu turned and left the vampire stronghold, heading toward the city where he had once first met Lilith. Perhaps, this was the only place left. The only place where he could still harbor a shred of hope.

After Xingyu's departure, Lilier sat upon the Vampire Prince's throne deep within the castle, murmuring softly to the elderly figure beside her: "Do you think Xingyu will be able to find Sister Lilith, Patriarch Bruhle?"

"Who knows?" the Bruhle Patriarch replied expressionlessly. "She abandoned her duties as Prince on the third day of her succession and vanished! I will never acknowledge her as the Prince!" The Bruhle Patriarch still harbored deep resentment over his own defeat.

"Yes, who knows?" Lilier murmured softly upon hearing the patriarch's words. "Perhaps Sister Lilith will never appear before our eyes again. Even so, I still hope Xingyu can find her. Perhaps... that is my final wish."