My Celestial Ascension Chapter 916: Vampire Kingdom

"The Vampires' domain... Yet why has darkness fallen so abruptly? Moments earlier, all seemed normal... but now it's engulfed in shadow..." Leah muttered, her face etched with bewilderment as she grappled with the inexplicable occurrence.

Yuan and his companions shared the same bewilderment over the abrupt shift, save for Long Yuyan, whose expression held only a mild flicker of astonishment.

"I'm at a loss... It seems like something is preventing the sun's rays from piercing this region... yet no protective barrier registers to my senses," Mireya chimed in, mirroring the confused demeanor.

With a subtle smile, Long Yuyan drew nearer to Yuan and gazed at him. "Did you detect anything unusual?"

"Nothing at all... I felt no presence... Ah, but from the look on your face, it seems you hold knowledge we lack, Lady Yuyan," Yuan replied, offering a grin while giving a light shake of his head.

"You're missing it due to insufficient focus. Concentrate once more and probe deeply—you're bound to notice it," Long Yuyan advised, then gradually lowered herself toward the earth.

Yuan and the rest trailed after her, touching down shortly beside a tranquil little lake, where the overhead moon cast a stunning reflection upon the serene surface.

"Let's pause here to replenish our depleted Spiritual Energy prior to reaching the Vampire Kingdom... I'm eager to discover the true nature of these otherworldly vampires," Long Yuyan declared, settling onto a sizable rock.

"You've truly never encountered tales of vampires?" Nerith inquired, eyeing Long Yuyan with a mix of bafflement and incredulity.

"Truthfully, no. Vampires were unknown to me... Such a species never graced my era," Long Yuyan answered with composure.

"What?! H-How could that be?!" Nerith burst out, her voice laced with astonishment.

Her gaze fixed on Long Yuyan with an odd intensity, eyes bulging as she wrestled with the startling revelation.

"Vampires aren't the only ones—even entities like you, deemed demons, were absent in those days. Still, demons roamed that time, though nothing akin to your kind," Long Yuyan explained.

She went on, "The demons from my age were utterly horrifying, their forms mirroring their malevolent essence—pure wickedness. They devoured human flesh and blood, plaguing the whole of Divine Heaven for countless years."

"Thus, upon first learning of your group, I was stunned. You're evidently not demons... so why claim the title?" Long Yuyan fixed Nerith with a piercing stare, awaiting her response.

"I'm equally in the dark on this... I've clashed with a handful of demons within a secret realm, and I must concede—they were nightmarish," Yuan interjected, giving a nod of affirmation.

He pressed on, "Their power to heal was immense; even if I severed one into a thousand fragments, it would mend in an instant, unscathed."

"Precisely. Demons boast the mightiest regeneration across all realms. Regardless of your efforts—whether slicing them apart or reducing them to mush—they rebound in a flash," Long Yuyan affirmed, nodding along.

Nerith observed their exchange with a slack-jawed stupor, her lips parted in sheer disbelief.

'What is this Divine Heaven? Such a realm is foreign to me... Who exactly is this woman?' Nerith inwardly shrieked, utterly floored.

'Moreover, what do they mean? Are we imposters as demons? This defies belief! Could another demon lineage truly exist?' She reeled in total confusion from Yuan and Long Yuyan's words.

Turning to Yuan, Long Yuyan queried, "Yuan, you mentioned slaying some demons in a secret realm. Is that accurate?"

"Why would I deceive you? Every bit is factual," Yuan confirmed with a warm smile, proceeding to recount the details.

Nerith absorbed his account with wide-eyed shock, rendered speechless by Yuan's narrative.

'Who on earth is this man? His words leave me lost... Nothing he says makes sense to me!' Nerith pondered, her face frozen in stunned silence.

Minutes passed before Yuan wrapped up his tale for Long Yuyan and remarked, "That's the gist. I never anticipated crossing paths with them in that Secret Realm."

"True enough. Such an unforeseen clash—and perilously so," Long Yuyan agreed, a soft smile playing on her lips.

After a short silence, Long Yuyan mused, "I ponder how they infiltrated a secret realm. Without its overseer deliberately inserting them, entry would be impossible, let alone endurance within."

'The Secret Realm's 'Lord' must have orchestrated their presence... but why? A trial for me? Or some other motive?' Yuan contemplated silently.

"Princess Nerith, you've yet to enlighten me on the vampires. Care to share what you know?" Long Yuyan prompted, seeing Nerith lost in reverie.

"Eh? Oh, yes—the vampires..." Nerith jolted from her musings at Long Yuyan's call and swiftly launched into her explanation.

Soon after, Anna Grace and the group completed their meal prep and started distributing it among them.

Everyone claimed their shares and dug in, since the Vampire Kingdom lay ahead still.

Meal concluded, they promptly set off once more.

In mere minutes, a vast city loomed before Yuan and his party—a metropolis veiled in gloom.

The city glowed with lights, its inhabitants carrying on with daily routines. Streets teemed with activity, while merchants kept their doors ajar for patrons.

Though encircled by obscurity, the city thrummed with vibrancy and vitality.

Yuan and the others alighted close to the towering city entrance, guarded by about twenty vigilant vampires.

As Yuan's group neared, the vampires tensed up and signaled them to halt.

"Who might you be? What brings you to our realm?" a guard demanded, scrutinizing Yuan and his companions with a keen, unyielding stare.

"Fellows, I catch a whiff of human essence from them. See—several are humans," one vampire noted, directing attention to Yuan and his wives.

"True. What a rarity. I've never laid eyes on a human, despite the stories swirling around them."

"Then what ventures a band of humans into our domain? Do they not dread being drained of every drop?"

The sentries murmured to one another, eyeing Yuan and his group with intense curiosity. After all, no humans had ventured into the Demonic Continent's territories for a millennium.

Yuan and his wives brushed off the guards' naive comments, focused on their mission and keen to avoid stirring needless conflict for the Demon Empire.

Nerith advanced and announced, "I've come to confer with your King. I bear a pressing issue from the Demon Empire that demands his attention."

"Y-You... You're Princess Nerith from the Demon Empire..." a guard identified her, quaking with trepidation.