Chapter 66 — The Vampire Fiend
劍問蒼天 · Page 1 of 7
~r期:~09月21r~
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In the net. This hideous old man was in truth a veteran devil of the demon cult who had hidden from the world for many years, styling himself the "Ancestral Vampire." Among the orthodox cultivators—and many within the demon cult itself—he was known behind his back simply as the "Vampire Fiend." The chief reason lay in the sinister demonic art he practiced, the "Vampire **," which required the draining of living men's essence and blood into his own body before he could cultivate it—a thing most monstrous and terrifying.
Yet though this demonic art was formidable, it also brought a backlash upon the cultivator himself. Thus every man who practiced the Vampire ** bore a hideous visage and was shunned by the world; even within the demon cult, many whispered against it in private.
Still, when all was said, this art was no small matter. A hundred years ago, when he first emerged into the world, he had stirred up a storm of blood and slaughter that left the orthodox cultivators clutching their aching heads. Only later did the demon cult lose its power and the orthodox schools press them back one after another; to escape the pursuit of the orthodox masters, the Vampire Fiend withdrew from the Central Plains along with the demon cult, and after that no word of him was heard again.
This time the demon cult had revived, and all the devils danced together. The Vampire Fiend, who belonged to the "Ten Thousand Poisons Sect," one of the four great branches of the demon cult, had been summoned forth as well. But before he came out from his mountain, his only disciple, the blood-sucking Jiang Laosan, because he shared the same foul tastes as the Wild Wolf Daoist, Liu Hao, and their lot, had been dragged along by them to lend a hand—and had, to everyone's astonishment, been killed for no apparent reason beneath the Ten Thousand Bats Ancient Cave.
When the Vampire Fiend learned of it, his fury knew no bounds. You must understand that in his lineage, because the vampire demonic art bore so foul a name and its cultivation was so perilous and unpredictable—one slip and the art would backlash, bursting the body in a welter of blood—very few even among the demon path were willing to practice it. This Jiang Laosan was a disciple he had searched ten-odd years to find; the man's temper had happened to suit his own strange humor, and so he had cherished him in his heart. And now he had died so inexplicably—how could he not explode with rage?
In recent days there had been great stirrings in the demon cult. The Nether King Sect had opened the way first, coming to this desolate place by the Eastern Sea, Mount Liubo, and afterward the other three great branches had sent reinforcements one after another. The Vampire Fiend was among them, and by reckoning he had come to Mount Liubo only today. As chance would have it, he had run straight into the Wild Wolf Daoist and that crew of the Blood Refining Hall.
Elder Nian, Liu Hao, and the rest were all cunning sorts. The moment they saw the Vampire Fiend's face, so strange and savage, they guessed that he must still be nursing his hatred over his disciple's death, and every one of them greased his heels and ran.
But the Wild Wolf Daoist's temper—to put it kindly, was blunt; to put it unkindly, was slow on the uptake. He actually stepped forward to greet the Vampire Fiend and pay his respects, saying such things as: "Ah! Senior, so many years without seeing you, I never thought you would still be as hale as ever..."
Before he was halfway through, the Vampire Fiend, listening, felt that this dog of a Wild Wolf truly deserved killing—not only had he dragged my disciple to his death, but he dared come and mock me for being old and not yet dead? In a great rage he seized the Wild Wolf Daoist and hauled him up. Only then did the Wild Wolf Daoist realize something was wrong, and he was so frightened that he begged for mercy without cease.