Archfiend

“Yogg.” Pale Dragon snapped his fingers, and Cethon knowingly moved off stage at once. 

A short and stout caucasian man walked up and bowed. “I am very pleased to serve all you respected sires.”

“One moment.” At this time, Xu Yangyi said, “If I can, I want to auction two things together.”

Pale Dragon and Bloody Moon glanced at each other and nodded. “Sure. This is your auction. Take Mr. X’s works and place them on the Altar of Holy Light. Afterwards… begin the bidding.”

“Yes.” Yogg respectfully nodded and grabbed the air. A gilded box and a case made of jade appeared in his hands at the same time. Soon, under the audience’s focus, he carefully and cautiously placed them on the altar.

In the wake of his actions, everyone went silent.

“Ansas…” In the vampire camp, the man next to Ansas murmured, “What rank… do you think he’ll be able to reach?”

Ansas locked his eyes on Yogg. After a long time, he said, “I think… at least Holy Light. Even Holy Hymn is possible.”

“Don’t forget, the work that made Mr. Donaldo famous isn’t actually Siren’s Song. It’s ‘The Goddess’s Teardrop’, a holy medicine that can raise the odds of Marquis advancement. However… while the Goddess’s Teardrop is the work that made him famous, it didn’t draw Holy Light. It wasn’t until his Siren’s Song decades later—that bottle known as ‘Alchemy’s Grandest Magick’—did the Holy Shadow appear here and shock the entire West. It wasn’t until then that he gained fame as the top master spirit-technician.”

“The Pope…” He fervently licked the bloodstain that hadn’t dried out yet at the crook of his mouth. “In the present age… there are only three known existences that are over Grand Duke… Prince-rank cultivators, god-like figures. It’s also because of him and our sleeping ancestor that China, India, these cultivation superpowers, haven’t stepped into the western hemisphere… Do you really think those countries aren’t watering at the mouth for our country’s cultivation resources? Or do you think that they’re kind?”

“When it comes to judging rank, the Pope’s gaze is on a completely different level than ours. Otherwise, there’s no way that only the Holy Shadow rank would only appear once to this day.”

“Huff…” On the other side, the bodies of the three quasi Grand Dukes of the lycans were already stretched taut. By chance, they were all gripping their armrests and staring at the two little boxes.

No one said anything. No one spoke. There was only unendurable hunger and thirst in their hearts.

“Savidean…” Anzunard grinded his teeth. “Have you notified the others to get ready to mobilize all our shiftable assets?”

Savidean didn’t reply.

“Savidean?” Anzunard turned his head and said in displeasure.

“Mhm,” Savidean said dully, but he was becoming increasingly anxious.

This master spirit-technician… was unusually formidable! So formidable that his status as a quasi Grand Duke was no longer enough to raise a request to the other.

But in that case… what was to be done about that yellow dog?

Was he supposed to ignore that the other had stepped on his face and freely and easily left?

I hope… that not even Holy Light appears!

Countless people closely followed Yogg’s movements. They likewise wanted to know what rank the holy medicine which had brought the shocking scene before was able to reach. As the two boxes were placed on the ordinary-looking altar, a swoosh suddenly rang out, and the entire room shone with light!

Huuummm… Faint traces of holy light illuminated the surroundings and penetrated the walls, domed ceiling, and glass, shining on the golden box. In the next second, the box slightly rustled and silently floated up.

Very soon… in a flash, an extremely terrible spiritual sense strode from across a vast distance and covered the entire Plaza of Holy Light with a rumble!

Swoosh swoosh swoosh… The surrounding spiritual energy was warping. In his room, Xu Yangyi bolted up to his feet.

Terrible… 

Such terrible qi!

Beyond all the Core Formation he had seen!

“This… is a Nascent Soul Dao Lord!” He sucked in deeply. “A Nascent Soul Dao Lord was actually still around in the West? There was another Nascent Soul lord besides the sleeping ones from the Dracul and the Corvinus?”

“Is this the spiritual sense of Vatican City’s Pope?”

Thump… Some cultivators’ legs went soft and kneeled on the ground. In the next moment, the sound of thumps rang out all around. All the Counts had both knees on the ground and their foreheads touching the floor. All the Marquises didn’t utter a word. They had a knee planted on the ground and one hand on the floor.

“We respectfully welcome Your Highness’s arrival!”

Shouts of collapsing mountains and roaring seas rang out in chorus all around. As if it was rehearsed. However, the Pope in this form was only a trace of spiritual sense without any consciousness.

In the sky, endless holy white light was twisting to form an eye-like entity. Xu Yangyi could sense that this eye was glancing over the two boxes. He couldn’t say whether it was with caution or contempt.

Afterwards, the colossal mountain-like spiritual sense was on the verge of scattering. But just as everyone sighed out in relief, suddenly… 

This unseen ‘eye’ surprisingly stopped dissipating. Instead, it regathered, and its sight fell right on top of the second jade box.

In the great hall, Bloody Moon and Pale Dragon, who both had a knee on the ground, snapped their heads up. In shock, they looked at the jade box.

“What’s inside?” It was a little hard for Bloody Moon to dare believe his eyes. “Any time… even that time with Mr. Donaldo’s Holy Shadow work, the eye only sweeps over once. But this time… it actually stopped?”

Yes, the eye had indeed stopped. The investigation this time transcended his imagination! That unseen eye’s gaze had surprisingly stopped over the jade box for ten seconds!

The gaze of a Nascent Soul Dao Lord, the spiritual sense of a Prince-ranked expert, observed for a full ten seconds!

“Huff…” Pale Dragon’s hand on the ground squeezed tightly. In this moment, he’d already decided that no matter what the House of Corvinus needed to win!

Presently, however, no one was none the wiser that far, far away in Vatican City, the Holy City of Catholicism, a staggering old man in the red robes of the Pope slightly opened his eyes.

“Your Holiness.” At the old man’s size, a solemn-faced middle-aged respectfully bowed. He was wearing white clerical dress bordered with a gold color. “Do you have instructions?”

The old man didn’t reply. He said after ages, “Lawrence… did you know…”

“Back then… This Prince decided the standards of Holy Light, Holy Hymn, and Holy Shadow to spur the development of the western cultivation world. After all… there is not one moment that China and India across the sea aren’t watching the West. As long as we reveal a little mistake, like hungry wolves that have waited for long, they will tear apart the western cultivation world’s defensive line.”

The middle-aged man didn’t speak. Instead, he quietly listened.

“But… no one knows that in fact, there is another level of standard above Holy Shadow.”

“What?” The middle-aged man finally raised his head in shock. “There’s a holy medicine beyond Holy Shadow? The Holy Shadow rank is already useful to Grand Dukes!”

“Yes.” The light of the old man’s eyes was very calm, as if nothing at all could rouse his excitement. “This standard is called ‘Holy Arrival’. I believed that it was impossible for someone to attain it. I didn’t expected… that today I would get to see something a little interesting…”

The middle-aged man held his breath. “Could it be…”

“No,” the old man said unhurriedly, “Simply… the person who made this item will possibly reach the Holy Arrival level. It’s just that he’s still too young.”

“Were it Holy Arrival, perhaps I would’ve sought him myself.”

“Your Holiness…” the middle-aged man said lowly, “How about we invite him to come to Vatican City…”

“No,” the old man vetoed for the second time. “An eagle should soar in the sky. Raising a master spirit-technician in confinement is to break their wings. Lawrence, realize that a spark of brilliance never comes from imprisonment, but rather one’s own experience.”

“If you act as such, I will no longer see the hope of Holy Arrival.”

“Holy Father forgive me,” Lawrence sighed and drew a cross over his chest.

The old man smiled and patted his shoulder. “Raising in confinement is folly that only those dumb families would do. Upon reaching our realm, what else is there we cannot see? The sky is eternal without borders, don’t tell me that you think a Prince can control everything? In the end, one can still only control a country.”

“Notify Jenny to take a photo of that product. In addition, record this newly advanced master’s information. Put it into…” he slightly paused, “the Michael-ranked encrypted files. Without my approval, apart from a few other bishops and Popes, no one else is allowed to see.”

In New York’s Plaza of Holy Light, the majestic spiritual force was already scattering away in everyone’s staring eyes. At the same time… the murals and glass of the entire hall seemed to all thaw! They gave form to seemingly soaring light that caused one to feel free when they saw it. This radiance shined right on the golden box.

“This is…” The woman among the master spirit-technicians took a deep breath. She stood up as realization dawned on her, and stuttered, “Holy Light…”

“Holy Light has appeared!”

“Mr. X… his first product has reached Holy Light!”

Huuummm… In the same moment before she even finished speaking, all the light shot towards the golden box. A ray of golden light countless times more splendid than before erupted with a boom.

Swoosh! Everyone closed their eyes. When they opened them again, Xu Yangyi was looking at the middle of the hall with great interest.

There, the Holy Light formed the appearance of the Holy Father and the Virgin Mary. The two of them stood opposed to each other, and in the middle where their hands were drawn, the golden box was suddenly spinning. [1]

Endlessly more holy and pure than before, white light gently fell down from above and shined on the box for about a meter all around. Silver-white feathers whirled around the box and fell down one after another. It seemed… to be an incredibly divine feeling.

No one spoke. A Holy Light work had appeared. The present silent purity and holiness caused everyone’s hearts and spirits to be seemingly cleansed. Even though the majority of people here were vampires and werewolves.

“A Holy Light work…” Donaldo murmured a little enviously. “My Holy Light work took me more than seventeen times. But this person… he’s just arrived and he’s achieved it…”

“Look!” At this time, Yogg finally regained his wits. There was no choice but to say that his nature as a specialist was quite good. He yelled as he pointed at the ground, “A name… A name’s appeared!The holy light is beginning to engrave His Highness X’s name! Everyone! This is a moment most worthy of commemoration! It normally only takes place once in ten years!”

All the cultivators looked at the ground with incomparable envy. Indeed… rays of golden light, as thick as a finger, sketched Xu Yangyi’s name on the ground. Although it was composed out of light, it was visible down to the finest hair. Plus, it wouldn’t disappear.

‘2041. Master Spirit-Technician X made his appearance. The work that made his name is known as ‘The Count’s Seat’. It is exhibited in the first basement level of Saint John’s Cathedral. Holy Light rank.’