Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch - Chapter 128

Chapter 128: Count Nocturne
The Hobgoblin Shaman, seeing the werewolf leader, became visibly tense. Skyreach Mountains was a force that the Hobgoblin kingdom could only look up to.

Monarch levels were rare in the Hobgoblin kingdom, so it wasn’t surprising that the werewolf leader, backed by Skyreach Mountains, knew his name. In contrast, Skyreach Mountains had countless Monarch levels, and every wolf face looked almost identical, making it impossible for Snazzle to recognize the werewolf leader before him.

“Are you here to stop us, leader of Skyreach Mountains?” Snazzle asked, his eyes wary as he hovered in the air, watching the werewolves below. The Hobgoblins on the ground were equally tense, not expecting to run into such bad luck right after arriving at the snowy mountain.

The werewolf leader scanned the Hobgoblins, his gaze settling on Snazzle in the air.

Snazzle was a Monarch level, flying around and using magic like an annoying fly. Among the Hobgoblins, there were also many Commanding levels, so the werewolves didn’t have a significant advantage.

Without saying a word, the werewolf leader turned and left, followed by his pack, disappearing from the Hobgoblins’ sight.

All the Hobgoblins breathed a sigh of relief. Although their strength was not inferior to the werewolves, they didn’t want to provoke the powerful Skyreach Mountains.

As for the werewolf leader, he decided against engaging because the Hobgoblins had a Monarch level among them, making it a troublesome fight. Besides, they had more important tasks at hand and didn’t want unnecessary casualties.

Meanwhile, Lucian’s castle received a group of unexpected visitors.

They were pale, elegant, and the leader wore a black suit, contrasting sharply with Lucian’s attire. The only difference was his high-collared cloak, black on the outside and red on the inside.

The group behind him wore white shirts and black vests, with red bow ties at their chests, looking very gentlemanly.

The leader gazed at Lucian’s castle, sensing a familiar aura from this extraterrestrial visitor’s stronghold.

Initially, they were just passing through and had no interest in these extraterrestrial visitors, unless they were Lords with human troops, which they would eliminate to obtain fresh blood.

But according to this vampire leader, all Lords were supposed to be human. Some had other bloodlines, but they were generally weak, with their primary bloodline still being human.

Such Lords’ blood disgusted vampires, like drinking coffee mixed with chili oil.

The vampire leader stepped towards Lucian’s castle. The vampires inside sensed the intruders and wanted to attack, but the superior bloodline of the newcomers suppressed them, forcing them into submission.

“A bunch of blood thralls.”

The vampire’s guess was confirmed. Only vampires with a count-level bloodline could transform blood thralls, and only pureblood direct-line vampires could reach the count level.

Inside the castle, Lucian noticed the group of native vampires entering. He felt a surge of tension, his eyes wary as he watched them.

Lucian sensed immense pressure from the leader, even greater than when facing Baldwin. The leader’s bloodline was on par with his own.

However, Lucian didn’t detect any hostility from him and quickly calmed down.

“Who are you?” Lucian asked.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Count Nocturne of the Nocturne family,” the vampire leader said with a charming smile and a magnetic voice that seemed to captivate.

“I am here today to invite you to join the blood clan and become part of our family.”

Lucian’s bloodline was not inferior to Count Nocturne’s, making it impossible to replicate or transfer. It could only be absorbed by the same clan, but it wouldn’t benefit Nocturne much.

The blood clan had been forced into hiding for too long. Rather than killing Lucian, it was better to have him join and strengthen the clan. Nocturne knew that a vampire with such a high bloodline had immense potential, and killing him would be a waste.

Of course, they wouldn’t force the Lord. If he refused, they could always kill him later. Such a high-level bloodline that couldn’t be controlled by the clan couldn’t be allowed to exist.

Lucian fell silent, deep in thought.

His first instinct was to find a way to kill the intruders, but seeing how their mere presence suppressed his troops, he abandoned that hope.

This vampire was undoubtedly Monarch level, far stronger than Baldwin.

“Do you have any concerns? Rest assured, if you join the blood clan, your status will be equal to mine. I guarantee you will not become a slave,” Count Nocturne said, his tone casual and calm.

“What if I refuse?” Lucian asked, knowing that vampires lacked emotions and couldn’t be read through their expressions.

Lucian had no other options. Since the vampire was willing to talk, he had to ask, even if it seemed foolish.

“You are an extraterrestrial visitor. Naturally, we would kill you,” Count Nocturne replied, extinguishing Lucian’s last hope.

Lucian had already prepared himself for this outcome.

It was the classic choice: submit or die.

“In that case, I don’t seem to have any other choice,” Lucian said, resigning himself to his fate. At least joining them was better than dying, and he wouldn’t become a slave.

Count Nocturne smiled knowingly. He had expected Lucian to agree. Extraterrestrial visitors feared death, just like vampires. The higher the bloodline, the more they feared death.

“Give me a drop of your essence blood. I will present it to the progenitor to complete the bloodline link,” Count Nocturne said.

Lucian pierced his chest and extracted a drop of his essence blood. A vampire quickly collected it in a special container designed to prevent corrosion.

“Not submitting to you?” Lucian asked, surprised. He had expected to be controlled by the vampire before him.

“You jest. Your bloodline is equal to mine. I don’t have that authority,” Count Nocturne replied, pleased with the unexpected gain of a high-level bloodline. He knew the progenitor would reward him.

Count Nocturne, in high spirits, stored Lucian’s blood and looked at him, his wound healing rapidly. The air was filled with the scent of Lucian’s blood, confirming he was a pureblood vampire.

“Life in a dull castle can be boring, like a cage. Why don’t I take you out to see the world?” Count Nocturne suggested.

Lucian couldn’t refuse and agreed. The group of vampires left Lucian’s castle, heading towards Frostwind snowy mountain.