In a flash of lightning, Li Xi had shattered Nasser's three layers of magic shields. He had expected the fourth layer to be more troublesome, but it was broken with ease. Even after severing Nasser's legs, Li Xi couldn't believe that the fourth shield had been completely useless.
This was Li Xi's third encounter with an opponent of level seven strength. The first time, a Flame Demon had blasted him away with a great hammer through a teleportation gate. The second time, he had used the teleportation gate to slice half of the Flame Demon's body while it was trapped. This was the third time, relying on a sneak attack, he had shattered four layers of shields with one strike, severing the legs of Nasser, a level seven professional.
His legs being cut off, of course, didn't end it. His nearly two-hundred-yard-long feet, closely following the decapitating blade, heavily kicked Nasser's upper body.
"Boom!"
Nasser's upper body directly shattered the air and was sent flying. With such force, Li Xi was sure that Nasser wouldn't stop flying until he was half a city of Cado away.
This should have been Li Xi's most glorious battle. If he had pursued, he was sure he could have broken his record and made Nasser, the level seven professional, his most honored trophy.
Unfortunately, time did not permit. Li Xi did not bother with Nasser, the blood race duke he had sneak-attacked and crippled, but instead reached out to grasp the refined Divine Power Crystal. His first reaction upon holding it was how heavy it was. This ping-pong ball-sized Divine Power Crystal must have weighed at least several hundred pounds.
Under the eyes of everyone, Li Xi swatted away the vampires who were turning to attack him to protect the Divine Power Crystal. He swung his great saber, forcing the vampires who got close to retreat.
Then he stomped his foot, shaking the earth, and bolted. He flew straight out of the city. Although he had displayed great power with his rapid movements, it was due to the advantage of a sneak attack. If he hadn't run, the remaining vampires would have drained Li Xi to the last drop.
From the moment Li Xi activated his state to its peak until he snatched the Divine Power Crystal and ran, less than two seconds had passed. The speed was too great; everyone was caught off guard, their minds in a daze, rebooting. In the sky, Li Xi's figure was already just a small dot, almost outside the city of Cado.
"Chase him."
Nasser's enraged roar, barely supported, echoed throughout the military camp. No one knew how much effort they had put into today. They had schemed like rats in the sewers every day. If not for the extreme preciousness of blood, he would have coughed up blood and died. Seeing success so close, how could he let Li Xi snatch the prize and run away like this?
Less than five hundred high-level vampires who could unfurl their bat wings and fly independently immediately ascended, four hundred of them heading in Li Xi's direction.
Furthermore, Nasser, who had been severely injured by Li Xi's saber and kick, had reappeared at some point. Strangely, his body had fully recovered, and his severed lower limbs had regrown. His face, however, was paler than that of someone dead for three days.
It turned out his fourth shield was not for defense against enemies but for self-buffing. It was a life magic he had relearned after two thousand years: 'Limb Regeneration.'
However, because he was no longer an elf but a vampire, the cost of casting life magic was extremely heavy. His current strength had already dropped to level six, and it would take at least a thousand years to return to level seven.
It had to be said that after two thousand three hundred years of existence, his combat instincts had become ingrained. In that split second, he had managed to choose the most advantageous magic to cast.
Nasser did not pursue Li Xi. Instead, he went before Dracula's phantom. In such a short time, Dracula's phantom had not yet fully descended.
The human side, bewildered by the drastic reversal of the situation, could only watch the developments with wide eyes. They didn't even try to stop most of the enemies who had gone to chase Li Xi.
Yes, there is great terror between life and death. Of those who had come to the military camp with the resolve to die, less than a third were still alive. The battle had been undeniably tragic and heroic. They had lost all hope and given up, and now, suddenly, they were alive.
Suddenly alive, and having so easily prevented Cado City from being blood-sacrificed, they couldn't quite believe it.
Nasser cut open his own arm and let his precious vital blood flow into Dracula's phantom without restraint. Dracula, who would have taken several minutes to descend, materialized from a phantom in just ten seconds.
He did not possess the hundred-meter height of the God of Light, nor the world-shattering aura of Apollo.
He was only thirty meters tall, wearing the golden crown of an earthly emperor, a black cloak embroidered with gold, and light, ancient dragon leather armor. His appearance was younger than Li Xi's when he had just come of age. Only his eyes, having witnessed the vicissitudes of the world and seemingly able to see through everything, made everyone afraid to look directly at him, as if they were devilish eyes that could pierce into one's soul. This first vampire, who had lived from ancient times, older than some gods, had once again graced the mortal realm.
Dracula descended and first glanced in the direction Li Xi had departed. Only his eyes could still see Li Xi's figure; others could no longer see even his taillights. This showed how much strength Li Xi had poured into his escape.
Dracula swept his gaze across the military camp and, upon seeing the remaining few humans enjoying the aftermath of the battle, with just a glance, these battle-hardened veterans all fearfully retreated three steps. Dracula had no interest in attacking these humans. Through the endless years, killing had long ceased to be his interest as a low-level pastime.
He lowered his gaze to Nasser, who was kneeling unsteadily on the ground, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.
The words that came from Dracula's mouth were as loud as thunder during a rainstorm, shattering any confidence in resistance. This was the majesty of a peak expert who had lived from ancient times. "I know what has happened here. It is not your fault. I will lend you my power now, and you will go and retrieve the Divine Power Crystal."
Subservience stemming from bloodline made his current loyalty and faith far surpass that which he had as an elf worshipping the elven god. "Yes, my great Lord Dracula."
Dracula, thirty meters tall, instantly transformed into a beam of light and entered Nasser's brow. Nasser, who had been on the verge of death, instantly had his aura surge. Level seven was reached in an instant. When his aura reached the peak of level seven, on the verge of entering level eight, Nasser forcibly suppressed it, keeping his strength at level seven.
Nasser, as an old fossil, naturally knew that the strength he could control was his own. Suddenly surging power was like a child wielding a great hammer; the first person to be injured would most likely be himself. Therefore, a superficial level eight was inferior to an actual level seven.
Nasser also wanted to look at the remaining humans, who were showing fear, but he quickly shifted his gaze to the remaining vampires. The urgent matter was to retrieve the Divine Power Crystal, not to kill these humans in a fit of rage.
A faint voice emanated from him, echoing throughout the entire military camp like a great bell, as if a god had spoken divine law. "This place is no longer useful. Follow me."
"Yes, Duke."
All the lower-level vampires transformed into bats and took to the sky, while the few higher-level vampires followed closely behind Nasser, like a dark cloud, moving in a vast procession towards Li Xi.
The vampires left openly, treating the people of Cado City as if they were nothing. Yet, no human dared to attack them for this arrogant behavior. Now that they didn't have to fight for their lives, they wished these vampires would leave quickly. Who would dare to intercept them?
As the dark clouds flew out of the city, the survivors could not control their tears, which flowed silently. There was resentment towards the cruel world, sorrow for their fallen comrades, and the mixed emotions of joy and grief for their own survival.
"Lord, why didn't Dracula personally intervene?"
Someone, not understanding the situation, asked the white-bearded magic goddess priest.
The old man stroked his beard, a light of erudite wisdom flashing in his eyes. If one were to ask who was the most intelligent person on the continent, and a mage said he was second, then the first place would be empty.
After a while, he confirmed his thoughts. "The Dracula who descended was not his true body, but merely a clone. It's not that he didn't want to act personally; his true body must be entangled with a greater trouble, preventing him from dividing his attention. Therefore, he lent his power to Nasser."
"Oh, what kind of trouble could prevent Dracula from dividing his attention, to the point that he couldn't personally snatch the Divine Power Crystal?"
The old mage looked at him as if he were an idiot and replied unhappily, "If such a powerful being like him cannot divide his attention, what do you think the reason could be?"
No one answered, but everyone knew it must be that a saintly form of a god had made a move, forcing Dracula to abandon even the most important thing for his godhood, the Divine Power Crystal. Although the Divine Power Crystal was incredibly important, there was something even more precious than it: life, which everyone only had one of.
For the sake of his own life, Dracula had to give up the Divine Power Crystal and let his subordinates pursue it. His goal was to survive. After all, this was not his first scheme to become a god. If it didn't succeed this time, he could try again next time. Who cared when his lifespan was longer than some gods? As long as he didn't die, everything was possible.
Speaking of which, after Li Xi snatched the Divine Power Crystal and ran, he first deactivated his multiplication technique. The extreme four-times multiplication technique put a real strain on his body after prolonged use. Fortunately, through testing with his shadow clones, Li Xi knew that the burden of the first three gates of the Eight Inner Gates was completely acceptable to him. Therefore, Li Xi deactivated his multiplication technique, but he did not deactivate the first three gates of the Eight Inner Gates. With the three gates open, his speed was at least five times his normal speed, which was very fast. This was the best means of escape.
And the direction Li Xi chose to leave the city was not arbitrary. As soon as he exited the city, he encountered Kalia and a group of level four vampires who were still looking for him.
Kalia and his group also saw Li Xi, the dragon-descendant. Although they didn't know how Li Xi had escaped just now, since they could capture him once, they could capture him again.
They immediately blocked Li Xi's path. It's unknown who gave them the courage to believe that Li Xi was easily captured before because of their strength. Thus, ignorance is not a sin; arrogance is.
"Mourinho, since you've returned to throw yourself into the net, don't blame us for breaking your limbs, snapping your wings, and tearing off your scales this time."
Li Xi looked at the extremely arrogant Kalia and smiled slightly. Why did he choose this direction? Wasn't it to kill you?
Kalia didn't notice anything wrong with Li Xi's aura. Perhaps it was like ants unable to distinguish between a lion and a rabbit; in their eyes, both were unfathomable.
Kalia ordered the vampires behind him to spread out the blood-red spider silk, like a ready-made web waiting for the prey's foolish suicidal attack. Unfortunately, before their web could be set up, Li Xi arrived with a speed that would make a falcon weep.
Kalia's arrogant expression didn't change before Li Xi, with the three gates open, broke his neck as easily as snapping a cabbage. He also casually stuffed the corpse into his spatial ring. Kalia was from the Assassin's Alliance, and submitting his body could allow Li Xi to be promoted to a C-rank mercenary. What was the difference between this and a free promotion?