Chapter 67: Not a Dream

Emily approached calmly, as if taking pleasure in the prey's fear before their demise. A sinister smile hung on her lips, her gaze fixated on Gaiyi, as if she was about to devour him in the next second, or perhaps the second after that.

Gaiyi tightened his grip on the wooden sword, driving its tip into Yuri's heart. Yuri let out a pained scream, his face turning pale.

Emily's footsteps hesitated for a moment, and a hint of red faded from her eyes, but it quickly flooded back, staining them blood-red. Her smile vanished, replaced by a pained expression, as if some internal struggle was taking place.

Gaiyi saw her still approaching, and the wooden sword sunk deeper, causing Yuri's complexion to grow even paler, devoid of life, his gaze becoming vacant.

Emily's footsteps halted again, this time pausing for a few seconds longer. More red faded from her eyes, and her expression grew even more agonized.

"Emily! Snap out of it!" Benjamin despairingly shouted beside Yuri. If she didn't regain her senses soon, Gaiyi might actually kill Yuri.

Emily's gaze fell upon Benjamin, seemingly contemplating something. Two souls were fiercely battling within her, and she stood still, no longer approaching.

Gaiyi withdrew the wooden sword. He knew that neither Yuri nor Benjamin could die at this moment. If they died, he would lose his last bargaining chips. He extended his index finger with its elongated nail and swiftly cut Yuri's wrist. Blood spurted from the deep wound on Yuri's wrist.

Gaiyi held Yuri's wrist toward Emily, the blood splattering on her face and body. Emily sniffed at it and then suddenly clutched her head, screaming in agony, before finally collapsing on the ground, unconscious.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself lying on a soft, round bed. She felt physically weak yet sensed a power coursing through her body, without a place to land or settle.

She struggled to get out of bed, her body covered in sweat, sticky and uncomfortable. She felt like she had experienced a long dream where she transformed into a complete monster, with blood-red eyes and sharp fangs, attacking without purpose.

She truly believed it was just a dream, but when she looked down and saw the enchanting Manzha Zhu Hua on her ankle, she stood frozen in place, staring at the flower for a long time.

Closing her eyes, she imagined herself in the dream and then opened her mouth, revealing two sharp fangs that extended from her oral cavity. Stumbling, she ran to the vanity table and saw her crimson eyes in the mirror. Finally, she admitted to herself that it was not just a dream.

Emily slumped in a chair, hands covering her face, as a voice in her mind repeated incessantly, "Who am I? Who am I? Why did I turn into a monster? Why am I a monster? I want to go home! I want to go home! Mom must know! She must know..."

The door was pushed open without warning, and Emily abruptly turned her head, glaring at the intruder.

Gaiyi froze as he saw Emily's sharp teeth and blood-red eyes. Even though a week had passed, that night still haunted him.

After collapsing, Emily slept for a full seven days and nights. Gaiyi came to check on her every night, hoping she would wake up or at least still be alive.

Emily lying in bed had a faint breath, and Gaiyi worried that she might die any day. Yet, there was also a part of him that hoped she would just die. She was a terrifying existence, surpassing the understanding of all the vampires. No one knew what she truly was.

The chaos that night only claimed the life of the servant and one elder. The others survived because they were not drained of blood, but their bodies were still recovering, despite having consumed a lot of blood.

Gaiyi was torn for two days. If he kept Emily alive, she would be a time bomb. If he killed her, he would lose a powerful pawn. Perhaps, even after a hundred years of ruling, he would not be able to find what he sought.

Gaiyi ultimately decided to leave Emily's life and death in the hands of fate, and now it was the seventh day, and she woke up.

Gaiyi was uncertain if the current Emily had her sanity intact. He hesitated, not daring to approach, observing Emily's expression. Aside from the two fangs and blood-red eyes, he could see pain and confusion in her eyes, but no madness. There was no overwhelming aura of malice around her. Gaiyi determined that the current Emily posed no danger and slowly approached her.

"Is it you who turned me into a monster?" Emily asked in a sorrowful voice.

Gaiyi shook his head, feeling a mix of emotions. Even if he wanted to create a monster, he couldn't have created one that frightened him as well.

"Tell me where the Staff of Power is?" Emily only wanted to go home, but before that, she needed to rescue Olivia.

"Let's make a deal." Gaiyi slightly smirked, assuming a negotiating stance.

Emily's head was throbbing with pain, and she furrowed her brows, growing impatient with Gaiyi's evasive personality. "Speak!"

"I'll tell you the location of the Staff of Power, release Benjamin and Bloodblade, and provide assistance. In return, you help me gather the thirteen sacred artifacts of the vampire clan, and I'll release Yuri." Gaiyi had kept Yuri as a hostage because his intuition told him that this person held significance in Emily's heart.

"Do you think you can threaten me?" Emily mocked, arrogantly lifting the corners of her mouth.

"Perhaps I can't, but right now, Yuri is in a place only I know. If you kill me, he will be buried with me." Gaiyi's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his arrogance, resembling a king.

Emily's heart trembled. "I need the Staff of Power!"

"I'm generous. You can use the Staff of Power to revive your friend, and I can also tell you how to use it," Gaiyi confidently smiled. "But afterward, the Staff of Power belongs to me."

Emily disliked how his calculating eyes couldn't be concealed, but she had no choice but to be manipulated by him. Once everything settled, Emily wouldn't mind being the first to kill him. However, at that time, would she still have the ability to kill him after he obtained the thirteen sacred artifacts?

"What do you want the thirteen sacred artifacts for?" Emily asked.

"To strengthen my secret faction," Gaiyi replied.

Emily smirked, a trace of mockery evident. She couldn't convince herself to believe that Gaiyi's purpose in collecting the sacred artifacts was solely to strengthen his faction. When he stated that purpose without any hesitation, she concluded it was false.

Emily had heard about the thirteen sacred artifacts from Benjamin. Besides knowing that the Staff of Power had healing properties, she also knew that several of the artifacts were inherently evil. Their appearance would only bring disaster.

"I have a condition," Emily said, the mockery fading from her lips, her tone becoming serious.