Chapter 1429: The Weak Family

Chapter 1429: Chapter 1429: The Weak Family

The Vlad family estate is now managed by Duke Vlad Hope, the cousin of Delacuri. Unfortunately, he is far less talented than his cousin and has yet to break through the final barrier into the Prince Realm, remaining at the Blood Race Duke level, equivalent to the Heavenly Dao Realm. This Duke once coveted the position of Clan Leader, but his brother’s strength crushed these ambitions. Now, as if in a dream, he has obtained the position he once yearned for, yet faces the peril of the family’s demise.

"My lord Duke, I believe we should not cower here and wait for death." The glorious banquet hall of the castle is brightly lit, but the oppressive atmosphere makes the lights seem lifeless, as if foretelling the family’s doomed fate. Finally, sitting at a subordinate position, the former steward of the estate, Depeo, could not help but speak up once more. Following Delacuri’s fall, he was naturally marginalized from the circle of power.

"Not wait for death? Then tell me, what shall we do? Go out and fight them? Can’t you sense the presence of those who have invaded? Even Pei Yan would be enough! Besides him, there are at least three other Prince-level figures! And us? We have no Prince-level powerhouses! Do you know why it has come to this? It’s all Delacuri’s fault!" Vlad Hope angrily turned to Depeo, who had made the suggestion, and poured his rage upon him.

Faced with such accusations, Depeo lowered his head, speechless and unable to refute. According to the long history and foundations of the Vlad family, there should certainly be more Prince-level powerhouses. Although the Blood Race doesn’t have the substantial strength of the major sects, they have the advantage of longevity. A Blood Race clan that can rival the Vlad family typically has about two or three Prince-level powerhouses. But this wasn’t the case for the Vlad family, and the reason was a decision Delacuri made years ago.

At that time, Delacuri was at the Duke level. After he assumed the position of Clan Leader, during a battle with another Blood Race family, his wife and eldest son were ambushed by members of the opposing family, resulting in his wife’s death and his son’s lifelong paralysis. This incident spurred Delacuri to ascend to become a Prince. Even so, in the subsequent revenge actions, although he heavily struck the opposing family, he was never able to annihilate them completely. Over time, voices opposed to continuing the conflict arose from within the family and the Blood Race at large. Finally, under the suppression of the awakening of the family’s sleeping elder Old Su and the intervention of other Blood Race forces, they reached a reconciliation, demanding the culprits responsible for Delacuri’s wife’s assassination as a condition.

Everyone thought the matter would end there, but nobody expected that Delacuri would rise again over a hundred years later, leading his loyal followers to purge the opposing factions that had once opposed him within the family. He launched an assault that completely obliterated the rival Blood Race clan. The strength he displayed in the conflict frightened the other Blood Race families intending to mediate. Furthermore, the reason for Delacuri’s sudden rise in such a short time leaked, earning him an infamous reputation across several planes.

It turns out Delacuri managed to become a far superior Prince-level powerhouse within this century because he meticulously planned and prepared, using rituals and various means to sacrifice the two slumbering Prince-level powerhouses in the family, absorbing their bloodlines to refine and thereby create his extraordinary Blood Race abilities. You could say Delacuri was extremely selfish for making such a choice, but during the glorious years when he led the Vlad family to its pinnacle, nobody dared to question his decisions. As Duke Rusfan recently advanced to become a Prince, the voices of doubt grew even quieter. With Delacuri’s long life and through his collaboration with the bloodshades, producing two or three Prince powerhouses for the clan seemed imminent. But all these beautiful visions dissipated with this mission, with the simultaneous demise of two Prince powerhouses and, alongside them, six Blood Race Dukes, the hope for the family’s future.

"Because of Delacuri’s greed and mistakes, the family suffered heavy losses! Two Princes, six Dukes! Now, including myself, there are only three Dukes left in the family! How do you propose we deal with the assault outside?" Vlad Hope, with his head in his hands, leaned despairingly on the long table, saying, "Isn’t this situation known only to the people in the council hall? We don’t dare to tell the gathered Blood Race members. Among these subordinate Blood Races, only a small part are genuine Vlad family descendants. The rest converted after affiliating with the Vlad family; they have no sense of belonging, merely forced by circumstances to band together against external enemies. If they find out about the immense losses, with not even the capacity left to resist, I fear that even before the Council Hall begins its attack, half of them will flee."

"Now is not the time to hold Delacuri accountable; he’s dead, and saying these things holds no meaning! Staying here is better than going out and being picked off one by one!" another Blood Race Duke, Ordin, said, looking around and asking, "Have the appeals for help sent to other Blood Races received any replies? What about the bloodshades? The Dark Council? Hasn’t anyone responded?"

At these words, silence fell again in the room. Since the news of Delacuri’s fall and the possibility of retaliation from the Council Hall arrived, the family hadn’t stopped sending cries for help to these factions. Other than the explicit replies from the other Blood Races, declining to accept their request for asylum, the other two forces didn’t even send a reply, clearly showing that no one wanted to expend too much effort on this now worthless family.

Seeing no answers, Vlad Hope let out a bitter laugh and voiced the suggestion lurking in everyone’s minds, yet which no one dared to voice.

"Is there any chance we can negotiate with them?"

At these words, Depeo only felt a wave of sorrow in his heart, shaking his head helplessly: "The other party has not chosen to attack directly but is continually sweeping through our family members from the outskirts, forcing us to gather in one place. Having done so much preparation, would they still accept our negotiation? For this action, he even invited three representatives from the apex forces, a testament to his resolve."

"All the calamity was triggered by Little Vlad! He is already in Pei Yan’s hands, and Delacuri is dead, isn’t that enough? If he thinks it’s not enough, we can hand over everyone related to Delacuri. His bedridden son, his trusted confidant, wouldn’t that be enough to quell his anger?" someone at the table couldn’t hold back their terror, blurting out in panic.