Chapter 159: The Palace of the Mind

Lu Jun's plan was simple.

And history had proven time and again the simpler the strategy, the better. A plan with too many intricacies would inevitably leave loopholes and flaws that could be exploited.

The more complicated a scheme, the greater the chance of revealing clues during execution.

After a brief discussion, the three of them set their plan in motion.

Ding Yumian used her Blood Tribe connections to lure Nie Clan's patriarch out of his stronghold.

This step required nothing more than trust and deception.

It all depended on how much trust Nie Clan's patriarch had in Ding Yumian. This tactic had been used countless times in history people had been scammed by their own relatives, whether it was for insurance, health products, or even major decision-making mistakes.

Even those with high intelligence were not immune.

With Ding Yumian's Mind Control leaving lasting subconscious imprints, there was a high probability that it would work.

To prevent Nie Clan from noticing anything suspicious, they agreed to lure him to Pearl Institute's old campus.

This location was both far from crowded areas and aligned with Ding Yumian's usual movements.

If the plan failed, they would have to find another way.

Meanwhile, Lu Mei headed to the hunting site, tasked with distracting the Commander-level Demon.

While Wind Element wasn't the best at direct confrontation in the High-tier realm, it was exceptional for baiting enemies.

After all, even Zhang Xiaohou, with just Mid-tier Wind Magic, dared to lure a Commander-level Great Demon.

Finally, Lu Jun's task was to contact the Judgment Court.

This was the easiest part.

During the Black Church purge in Shanghai, he had already secured the Night Hawk's contact information.

Not long after, Judgment Court members arrived, led by a cold and stern man clad in a traditional Tang suit, with dark blue-black hair Night Hawk.

After hearing the situation, Night Hawk said in a deep voice:

"No problem. I'll have my men seal off the area. These sewer rats have been hiding for too long. We never managed to track them before, but now that you've flushed them out, it's time to exterminate them."

The Judgment Court swiftly deployed its forces.

At the same time, Ding Yumian sent out the message as planned.

Meanwhile, at Northland Club…

Under the dazzling stage lights, men and women indulged in revelry, dancing and celebrating.

Behind the bar counter, a middle-aged man, disguised as a bartender, suddenly received Ding Yumian's distress call.

His expression changed immediately. Without hesitation, he turned and disappeared into the back rooms.

He passed through a hidden stairway, leading to the basement.

Lining both sides of the underground passage were cages inside, numerous disheveled and terrified women huddled together.

But the Vampire Bartender didn't even spare them a glance as he continued deeper into the underground sanctum.

Finally, he arrived at a dimly lit, damp chamber, resembling a Western-style chapel.

All around, tall candles flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls.

At the front, beneath a massive crucifix, a stone altar stood, supporting a long, jet-black coffin.

The coffin's surface bore a red and white Crusader emblem, and the walls surrounding it were adorned with bizarre oil paintings that induced an unsettling dizziness, as though the very air was thick with religious madness.

Suddenly, the oppressive silence was broken by a deep, magnetic voice:

"What is it?"

The Vampire Bartender immediately knelt, not daring to hesitate.

With absolute reverence, he relayed Ding Yumian's distress call.

In the underground chamber, the coffin remained silent for a moment.

Then—

"Creak… Creak…"

The heavy lid of the coffin slowly opened.

Inside, silky crimson fabric lined the interior.

Lying within was a refined middle-aged man, dressed in a Zhongshan suit.

His eyes snapped open blood-red pupils glowing in the dark.

With an eerily rigid motion, he sat up straight.

He was a senior member of the Nie clan, the Blood Elder Nie Wei.

At this moment, Nie Wei slightly furrowed his brows, recalling Ding Yumian. The vague impression in his mind gradually became clearer oh, before reincarnation, she had been a genius mage of the Psychic and Shadow elements, the best vessel for the Blood Clan.

Now, she had infiltrated Pearl Academy for an important mission… What mission…? Oh, it concerned his promotion.

Just like that, Nie Wei filled in the blanks on his own. Even though Ding Yumian hadn't specified the details, he instinctively overlooked that part.

"No time to waste. Gather ten official members and come with me."

The Nie Clan Patriarch grinned, revealing two sharp fangs. A pair of pitch-black bat wings unfurled behind him, his dark aura surging violently as he spoke bloodthirstily.

At the same time, he prudently brought along ten warrior-level demons as escorts.

A little cautious, but not overly so.

Whoosh A sinister wind swept through the underground chamber. One by one, the thick candles were extinguished in an instant, darkness surging and engulfing the space.

The vampire bartender bowed his head in reverence. By the time he looked back at the coffin, it was completely empty.

Outside, in the shadows of the Northern Club, a faint ripple stirred. In the blink of an eye, it spread swiftly to the dark corners of a high-rise building on the other end.

Without anyone noticing, the Blood Elder, along with his ten-plus core members, silently vanished into the shadows.

Unfortunately, the Judgment Court had been watching closely and noticed the disturbance.

Night Hawk's spirit trembled with excitement. "The plan succeeded! All units, move in now!"

They had been lurking in the distance, waiting for the Blood Clan's leaders to leave. Now, as soon as they departed, the Judgment Court began tightening their encirclement from the outer layers to the inner perimeter, setting up an inescapable net around the Northern Club.

Lu Jun and his sister had already disappeared. The only one left was Ding Yumian, standing at the entrance of the club.

The guests inside looked at her in confusion. Some seasoned socialites, seeing this pure and elegant white lotus, had their eyes light up. However, before they could approach, they saw her skirt billow as her entire body gently floated into the air.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Ding Yumian's forehead radiated with light, her eyes turning transparent and crystalline. An immense surge of spiritual energy erupted like a tidal wave, engulfing the entire area.

Deep within her mind, a grand palace materialized as a projection. Instantly, the air distorted, interfering with reality and manifesting itself in the present world. A faint yet magnificent structure took form looming high above, resembling a constellation falling from the heavens, overlapping with the Northern Club. Its hazy outline blurred the boundaries of reality, trapping everyone inside her Psychic Palace.

Inside the hall, the underground chamber, and even on the streets humans and vampires alike suddenly froze in place, their eyes clouded over with confusion.

Even the ten warrior-level demons left behind could not escape its effects. At most, they remained conscious within the dreamscape, their bodies trembling violently as they struggled to resist.

Tear—! Tear—!

A sharp ripping of fabric echoed.

One by one, those who had been perfectly hidden among the crowd revealed their true forms. Their once well-maintained appearances contorted grotesquely as their bodies expanded over three meters tall, bat wings spreading out over ten meters.

No matter how handsome their disguises had been, their hideous true nature was now exposed.

The Judgment Court members were stunned.

The psychic mages they had specially brought along to restrain the vampires found themselves completely unnecessary Ding Yumian alone was enough!

She floated midair, her beauty flawless, her skin pure and smooth like jade, resembling a divine statue.

High-tier magic:Soul Deception [Mind Control].

Psychic Domain.

A spiritual realm approaching the Seventh Tier.

All these combined had simultaneously ensnared over a thousand beings an utterly terrifying feat.

Ding Yumian carefully discerned the individuals and, through mental guidance, gradually dispersed the civilians.

To them, it felt like being trapped in a labyrinth, wandering in terror and repeatedly colliding with invisible walls.

But in reality, their eyes were empty, their movements stiff as they sleepwalked through the streets. Like puppets under a spell, they unconsciously avoided obstacles, turning left and right as they exited the area.

Meanwhile, the Judgment Court enforcers weren't idle.

They infiltrated the Northern Club through various doors and windows, searching every corner and rescuing the imprisoned women and children.

Before long, only the vampires remained.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The next moment, a barrage of magic rained down, engulfing the massive building in its entirety.

Every blood servant, still trapped in their slumber, was reduced to charred corpses.

On the streets, the mid-tier Judgment Court enforcers merely needed to align their scopes and execute their targets one by one, efficiently purging every last vampire.

The entire process was so effortless, it felt like a dream.

With a single move, Ding Yumian had stunned everyone.