Chapter 66: Rebirth through Nirvana

Gaea didn't intend to take Emily's life; he simply wanted to test her abilities. Each time Emily's power erupted unexpectedly, it was in moments of dire circumstances. Gaea wanted to push her to her limits, to see if she had any other abilities, if she was qualified to cooperate with him, and if she knew the whereabouts of the Staff of Spirits.

In setting up this scheme, Gaea did not achieve the outcome he desired. Instead, he ended up unintentionally causing the death of such an important chess piece. Regret overwhelmed him as he slowly squatted down, and when his fingers touched Emily's body, his heart trembled. The faint warmth he felt earlier vanished in that moment.

Emily's lifeless face had a grayish hue, no signs of vitality. Her breath stopped, her heart ceased to beat.

Gaea lifted her up, seemingly oblivious to the unusual happenings in the hall. The crowd began to stir, and an eerie atmosphere pervaded the air. Gaea's demeanor added to the eeriness.

With a "puff," all the candles and lights went out, plunging the entire hall into darkness. For vampires with exceptional night vision, this seemed like a trivial incident. However, everyone was thrown into disarray. The atmosphere became increasingly eerie. Some of the servants, lacking strong mental fortitude, even started screaming.

Because everyone realized that the darkness had truly engulfed everything, including their vision. They found themselves in complete darkness, unable to see their own hands in front of their faces.

Some servants began to flee, desperate to escape the fearful and oppressive darkness. In an instant, the hall was filled with the sound of falling cups and overturned tables, descending into further chaos.

Suddenly, a dazzling light flashed in the center of the hall. The light emanated from Emily's body, causing everyone to fall silent, their attention drawn to the radiant beam.

The white light surged towards Gaea, propelling him several meters away, crashing into a pillar before falling to the ground.

The white light emanated from Emily's lifeless body as it gradually floated in mid-air, yet there were no wings unfurled.

A beam of translucent white light moved slowly, like an antenna, around Emily's ankles, seemingly tracing a certain totem.

Benjamin stood there in disbelief, his eyes wide open. This had happened once before.

No one knew how long the totem had been traced. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixated, until the radiant white light vanished. Mirrored on Emily's ankles was a dazzling crimson lotus, vibrant and captivating. The seductive red color and unfurled petals exuded an enchanting allure, concealing a mesmerizing power.

The fragrance of the crimson lotus permeated the hall, invading everyone's nostrils with an irresistible force, causing discomfort even when they held their breath. Despite their efforts to stop breathing, the scent of the flower lingered.

Suppressing his discomfort, Gaea murmured, "Crimson Lotus? Ancestor?"

Even in the modern age, when blood roses were rarely seen, the scent of the crimson lotus had emerged. Gaea stared incredulously at Emily's lifeless body. How could the scent of the crimson lotus be present in a human corpse?

The scent of the crimson lotus was unique to the progenitors of the first to third generations of vampires. Thousands of years ago, these early generations vanished from the world. It remained a mystery whether they died, slumbered, or went into seclusion. For thousands of years, they had been preserved as enigmatic legends among the vampire lineage. But now, the scent of the crimson lotus appeared on a human. What could it signify?

All eyes remained fixed on Emily's lifeless body, unable to tear themselves away from the profound shock. This intensified their inner fear.

"Emily?" Benjamin was the first to regain his composure, softly calling out her name.

The sword in Emily's chest popped out of her body, and the wound healed. Sharp fangs, identical to those of a vampire, grew in her mouth.

A ferocious roar shook the entire hall, causing vampires to cover their ears in agony. The sound seemed capable of shattering them into pieces.

Emily suddenly descended to the ground, and as they looked closer, they realized her irises had turned a bloody crimson, the distinct color of the progenitors of vampires. Her eyes, filled with an overwhelming power of annihilation, swept across the room. The blood-red gaze revealed nothing of the Emily they once knew. It was as if she had been reborn, yet entirely different. There was no trace of the familiar Emily in her gaze.

She lunged at Moon Goddess Xun, grabbing her arm and sinking her teeth into her throat, drinking her blood without hesitation. The taste of blood only intensified her craving for different flavors.

Emily pushed Moon Goddess Xun away, causing her to crash into a wall while clutching her neck.

The killing intent spread within Emily's blood-red eyes, making them appear even more sinister and filled with a murderous aura. Some of the servants, who hadn't yet caught her gaze, collapsed helplessly to the ground.

The situation spiraled out of control once again. Some people began to flee in all directions as Emily unleashed a frenzied counterattack, feasting on the blood of the elders from various clans. No blood rose scent could escape this calamity. Though Gaea, as the ruling prince of the Clan of Shadows, carried the scent of poppies, he managed to evade the tragedy.

Listening to the agonizing wails of the elders, Gaea forced himself to calm down. His gaze fell upon Yuri, another blood rose, yet Emily passed him several times without targeting him.

He concluded that although Emily was currently unconscious, she still retained some remnants of sanity. He swiftly ordered his men to bring two wooden swords and grabbed Benjamin and Yuri, positioning the wooden swords against their chests.

"Emily!" Gaea held a wooden sword to Yuri's chest and shouted.

Emily seemed unaware that she was being called. The three words "Emily" seemed completely foreign to her, and she showed no reaction, engrossed in drinking the blood of an elder.

Releasing the last elder, Emily sniffed the air and then turned towards Gaiyi. A smile curled on her lips, both enchanting and eerie. Her eyes seemed as if they could drip blood, a chilling shade of red that was impossible to look directly at.

Gaiyi subtly trembled, gripping the wooden sword tightly in his hand. His grasp on Yuri's clothes tightened as well, as if he was holding onto a lifeline.

Emily took a step forward, and Gaiyi nervously pointed the wooden sword at her. "Don't come any closer! I will truly kill him!"

Emily's smile grew more sinister as she took another step closer.

"Emily, please regain your senses!" Yuri's voice trembled with heartache, unable to be suppressed.

Emily paid no heed and took another step closer.

Each step felt like a knife piercing Gaiyi's chest. For a brief moment, he even wished she would come closer and end this prolonged torment...