Chapter 438: Humbled

With a flash, both parties teleported straight into the human ancestral temple, and this time, unlike before, there was no need for Cain to wake the ancestors and progenitors.

The moment they sensed the new, alien presence within their temple, the human ancestors were quick to react, casting their consciousness into their corresponding idols.

Their auras instantly flourishing to life...

Dracula, who could barely understand what was happening, went rigid, casting a subtle gaze towards Cain’s broad back, his pupils trembling as more and more auras flared to life.

Each carrying an intensity no less than his own...

What was worse, he could clearly sense that each and every signature infiltrating the air carried the unmistakable energy of the human race.

For the first time in a long time, a cold sweat beaded on Dracula’s skin and slid down his spine; these guys had to number at least in the thousands!

Thousands of figures appeared, if not stronger than the strongest of the ancient races...

This... his gaze dulled as the realization hit, hard and cold...

’We never stood a chance...’

The force within this place was enough to wipe out every other race on earth and ensure humanity’s domination.

But that begged the question: why not just do it?

And how could the humans have gotten so powerful under the noses of the ancient races? These guys carried a strong presence that clearly signified they weren’t from this era.

When it came to cultivation, time was as much of a limiting factor as talent. There was no shortcut on this path to power; without the blessing of the hegemon title, all lifeforms that cultivated were fated to progress at a turtle’s pace.

So simply put, without enough time, these guys couldn’t have gotten this strong. This clearly indicated they had been in existence since the ancient times.

Throughout the gruelling periods when humans had held no status other than slaves or meals, they had been at the bottom of the food chain in every way.

Dracula knew this because he had been there; he had witnessed the era himself, and now he was finding out that humanity had a whole fleet of powerhouses hiding within some temple while their descendants suffered... Why?

Dracula simply couldn’t understand...

"You had better have a good reason for bringing a stranger into these halls, Cain... you may be my son, but you know me well," a cold voice came from behind, snapping the humbled king of blood out of his stupor.

His head whipped backwards, his face paling even further at the cold realization that a whole fleet of people had stood behind him, and he had never noticed or perceived their presence, not a single breath, not a single heartbeat.

A tremor ran through his hands; in all his existence, he had never felt so small, so utterly exposed.

He instinctively glanced at Cain and took a subtle step closer to him, his fingers almost brushing the hem of Cain’s coat, as that was the only thing that made him feel safe under the gazes of such mysterious beings.

Meanwhile Cain finally turned to the progenitor platform, wearing a calm expression, and pointed at Dracula.

"I am here to introduce you to the new addition to our ranks..." His voice echoed loudly through the wide structures of the temple, reaching the ears of all the ancestral and progenitor-level figures present.

The entire hall went silent for a moment in disbelief, before erupting into rowdy chatter.

As explained previously, the progenitors and the other ancestral figures of the human race were isolated from the reach of the origin.

Their dimension was sealed tight as they prepared for the day of reckoning, hiding from the senses of a certain threat that couldn’t be named.

But this same restriction ironically left them isolated from the origin: not only could they not receive its benefits, they couldn’t receive broadcasts from the system either.

Meaning they were left in the dark about the happenings of the outer world; in fact, Cain was their only contact with the outside.

And knowing this, Cain allowed them all to calm down, keeping his gaze straight on his father, who seemed to be watching him to see whether what he had just said was a joke.

Dracula silently hid himself behind Cain, the pressure in the hall growing several times more stifling, each breath he drew scraping his lungs.

Anyone who saw him now wouldn’t believe that the mighty King of Blood could cower like this in a room of what he once considered food.

The room finally settled as they realized they had to allow Cain to explain himself, and all gazes shifted back to him.

Dracula’s shoulders sagged with a long sigh; he turned a pleading gaze towards Cain, as though begging him not to expose his previous antagonistic stance against the humans.

If that happened, he didn’t dare imagine what would follow, but he could guess that leaving this place alive might just become impossible.

Cain, on the other hand, paid no heed to Dracula as he went straight to the point and explained everything to the others.

He explained what Dracula’s race had been, how he had switched races and flipped to the human side, and how the system had declared him a progenitor.

Astonishment rippled through the hall as everyone glanced back at Dracula with interest, murmurs rising and falling.

The subject of it all remained still, trying to retain an air befitting his title...

In one breath, Cain had explained the full details of everything that had led to him bringing Dracula here.

Adam scrutinized the former bloodborn race member, his brow lifting slightly.

Never would he have imagined that it was possible for a creature to switch races...

Silence, intrigue and astonishment reigned in the hall for a few seconds before Adam’s lips parted and he asked, his question directed right at Dracula.

"Tell me, I would imagine there must be restrictions for such an almost impossible feat... am I right?"

Swallowing hard, Dracula managed to croak out a respectful response. "Indeed there are. The two races in question must share genetic similarities, and fortunately we were primates just like the humans. If not for the existence of essence and our reliance on blood, there is practically no difference between us and the humans... had a race like the mermen tried, they would have ended up a subservient race to the humans instead."

This response caught even Cain by surprise; he had never once thought to consider that there might be a restriction to this means.

He sighed; fortunately, it seemed that even if the other races had gotten their hands on such a means, the worst-case scenario he had foreseen wouldn’t even have been possible.

The silence settled with all eyes on Dracula for a moment; he was unsure what to say or do next until Cain reminded him.

"What are you waiting for? Hand it over to Father..."

Dracula didn’t need the instruction repeated twice; swift on his feet, he carried the parchment holding the ancient, forbidden knowledge of how to perform the providence sacrifice over to Adam with both hands and a bow.

Adam chuckled at the gesture and reached for the tattered parchment, the eyes of everyone in the room following it as he examined the folded sheet. But instead of opening it as everyone imagined...

Adam let out a soft breath over it, and it combusted instantly, reduced to ash...

The hall remained silent, all understanding Adam’s reason for doing so: as the progenitor of the entire human race, he couldn’t allow knowledge that could create a new line of humans unrelated to the natural order to remain in existence.

Which meant...

All eyes instantly shifted to Dracula, who fell to his knees, forehead pressed to the floor, pleading for his life. "Great one, please, I promise not to share what I know, I promise to be loyal to the human race, I would do anything, please!"

It didn’t matter that he was now a human of a separate line from Adam; his bloodline still felt Adam’s instant superiority, and besides, this man was clearly the highest authority here, meaning that if he wanted him dead...

"Please!!!" Dracula hollered as Adam took slow, steady steps towards him, an invisible force locking the poor king of blood in place; he instantly began perspiring profusely, feeling the shadow of Adam grow darker as it cast over his bowed frame.

Adam reached out his hand in a slow, steady motion; Dracula, instantly concluding that this would be his grave, squeezed his eyelids tightly shut and braced for the darkness that would follow.

And then the palm landed softly on his head, his body shivering at the contact, sweat dripping from every part of him and soaking his coat.

A second passed, then two, and eventually Dracula seemed to notice something, his mind suddenly losing a piece of information, as though it had slipped through his fingers...

He knew what he had lost, it was at the tip of his tongue... but the knowledge was gone, just like that.

Adam stepped back and the invisible lock over Dracula’s body was released...

"I thank the great one for your boundless benevolence..." Dracula chanted, grateful that he had been allowed to keep his life.

Any other time he would have been wracked with humiliation, but today he had come to understand that he wasn’t even worthy.

Adam turned his back, glancing at Cain. "He will be useful. Those guys wouldn’t recognize his signature, so this will be a good thing. Humanity finally has an ancestral-level being that can act. Utilize him well."

With that said, his form instantly reverted to a gold idol, his consciousness dispersing, the same thing happening to all the others in the room.

The ancestral hall went cold in an instant as all the powerful presences that had stifled the air diffused into nothing, Dracula’s tense frame finally going light, his knees nearly buckling in relief.

And Cain, still standing, glanced down at the shivering blood king. "Don’t worry, Father, I will utilize him well..."