Cain stepped back almost on instinct.
The mont the aura burst forth, he felt the air change in a way that even he could not ignore. It was no longer the suffocating pressure of killing intent pressing inward from every direction. It was sothing far grander. Far purer. A flood.
Cornelia’s body trembled in his arms for the briefest second before she straightened, and then blood mana erupted from her like a crimson storm unleashed from the depths of the earth.
The hall roared.
It was not a sound in the ears but a pressure that struck the chest and lungs, forcing every vampire present to draw breath sharply.
The blood mana poured outward in waves, thick and heavy, rolling like an ocean in high tide. It swallowed the lingering killing intent entirely, crushing it beneath its sheer volu.
Cain’s red eyes widened a fraction.
The candles lining the walls flickered violently, flas bending sideways as if caught in a violent gale.
The elegant robes of the noble vampires snapped and fluttered wildly against their bodies. Embroidered hems lifted and twisted in the air.
Long hair whipped across faces. Even the polished stone floor seed to hum under the weight of the surge.
It felt like standing in the center of a hurricane made of blood.
The mana was not chaotic. It was powerful, concentrated, and incredibly refined. It moved with direction, as though guided by an invisible will.
The younger vampires staggered backward, so forced to brace themselves with a hand against the ground to keep from falling.
Those at the Blood Condensation realm clenched their teeth as the pressure pushed against their veins, stirring their own blood as if it sought to bow.
Even the ten pale ancestors felt it.
Their ancient robes trembled, and the skin at the corners of their eyes tightened as they focused their senses. The air around them rippled visibly, crimson threads swirling and dancing like ribbons in a storm.
Cain stood in the eye of it, coat fluttering, hair brushing across his forehead.
He stared at Cornelia.
Are you serious?
His mind raced with sharp calculation.
She’s really breaking through right here, right now?
He felt the change in density, the deepening of her aura, the way her blood mana compressed and expanded at once.
She’s pushing past the tenth stage. Holy bloody moon I ca across with? Did my Overgod blood blessed her emotion? Why can it be now?
The realization struck him clearly.
She’s breathing through her mana master to the eleventh stage of the Blood Infusion realm.
For a split second, disbelief flickered across his mind.
This timing.
At the tenth stage of Blood Infusion, she could already suppress peak Blood Condensation cultivators with ease. Now, stepping into the eleventh stage, her pressure could absolutely bear down upon those in the early and even mid Blood Foundation realm.
Up to the fifth stage, perhaps.
He had not expected this.
But his expression did not change. His face remained calm, eyes soft, almost concerned.
It doesn’t matter, he told himself.
Even if she reaches the eleventh stage, it changes nothing.
He mocked.
Unless she uses Blood Pressure against the elders.
He nodded.
Well, that could work.
But she’s occupied with thinking I’d be hard by them so after this. Nothing will happen.
He thought wildly of all possible reasons she won’t use that on them.
Blood Pressure to ancestors? There’s no reason to use that on them.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
So she won’t.
She would never think of doing that.
Not unless she could read my mind.
But suddenly, Cain’s lips twitched faintly.
But she’s getting impressive.
Impressive.
Very impressive.
I have to admit, she’s getting very impressive.
She stimulated her Blood Mana to break through.
What kind of desire does she force herself to break through right now?
Suddenly, Cain’s eyes twitched too.
Don’t tell ...
She forced herself to break through because of wanting to protect from them?
Isn’t that too much? She liked that much?
Suddenly, Cain felt his back turn cold.
No way...
anwhile, the blood mana from Cornelia continued to surge.
It moved like a powerful wind sweeping through the hall, carrying with it the scent of iron and sothing sweet beneath it, like crushed roses soaked in wine. It pressed against skin and clothing, against veins and bones.
One noble vampire gasped. "This... this isn’t a normal breakthrough!"
Another gripped the edge of a pillar. "The purity... feel it! It’s not just quantity. It’s refined. It’s dangerous."
An ancestor’s voice rang out, unable to contain his excitent.
"A blessing! This is a real blessing!"
"Yes," another elder exclaid, eyes shining. "This is not an ordinary Blood Infusion breakthrough. Look at the density. Look at the stability of her aura. There is no instability. No turbulence. It’s like a perfectly forged blade erging from the furnace."
Ghurn Moonshade slowly rose from his kneeling posture, his ancient gaze blazing.
"Her talent is revealing itself fully," he declared, voice trembling with awe. "The princess level bloodline is not rely a title. It is a truth."
The vampires began to murmur louder.
"This pressure... it feels as though my own blood wishes to kneel."
"She has surpassed what we predicted."
"No, this is beyond what we dared hope for."
The blood mana rolled outward again, a heavier wave this ti, pressing the very air downward.
Even the ancestors had to circulate their own power to stabilize themselves.
"This is dangerous," one of them whispered, but his tone held no fear, only reverence. "Dangerous in the most beautiful way."
Ghurn’s eyes shone almost wet with emotion.
"Moonshade is saved," he breathed. "With her, our lineage will rise."
The excitent in the hall transford quickly.
Where monts ago killing intent had filled the space, now devotion and fervent admiration replaced it. Their hearts swelled with pride.
And yet.
The more her power displayed itself, the more firmly their conviction hardened.
If she is this talented, they thought, then we absolutely cannot allow her to remain tied to soone like him.
Their resolve solidified like iron cooling in water.
"She must be free."
"She must marry soone worthy."
"Her offspring must carry strength."
"She cannot remain bound to that disgrace."
Praise erupted from every corner.
"Congratulations, Madam Cornelia!"
"You have broken through magnificently!"
"A true genius of our generation!"
"Moonshade is blessed to have you!"
Even the ancestors bowed their heads slightly.
"You honor us," Ghurn said solemnly. "Your breakthrough today shall be recorded in our family annals."
Cornelia stood amidst the storm of her own power, breathing slowly. The surge gradually stabilized, drawing inward, condensing around her like a crimson cloak before settling beneath her skin.
Her eyes glowed faintly.
She looked at Cain.
So according to him... I can suppress even my ancestors now.
Thank the Blood God I’m this lucky.
I thought I had no other way out anymore.
The thought ca clearly, sharper than before.
I was too worried.
She had feared she would not be able to stop them if they attacked him. She had feared that even with her talent, the elders’ combined strength would overwhelm her.
But now?
She could feel it.
The difference.
Her veins thrumd with new depth. Her senses expanded. The world felt clearer, heavier, more defined.
If they move against him, I can stop them.
For a mont, relief washed over her.
But it was quickly followed by suspicion.
Now, I’m in a difficult situation again.
How do I make myself not suspicious?
I want to use the Blood Pressure on the ancestors to test my husband’s claim.
But he’d grow suspicious.
So... what should I do?
She glanced at Cain again.
He looked calm. Too calm.
What should I do?
The vampires gradually quieted.
The ancestors exchanged glances.
Their joy remained, but their objective had not changed.
Ghurn cleared his throat gently.
"Madam Cornelia," he began again, voice more respectful than ever. "Your breakthrough confirms everything we have said. Your future is boundless."
There was a brief pause.
"About Cain, your husband..."
The words hung uncertainly.
Cornelia’s gaze sharpened.
"If I divorce him," she asked slowly, voice steady though her heart raced, "what will happen to him?"
The hall grew silent.
The vampires looked at one another.
It was a simple question.
Yet none wished to answer first.
He has a lower bloodline than even our blood servants, one thought coldly.
Another nodded inwardly.
He cannot remain a noble.
The logic was clear.
If he were no longer her husband, he would no longer hold any standing. His bloodline test had revealed sothing beneath even slaves.
The natural conclusion was obvious.
Make him a blood servant.
Bind him permanently to the Moonshade family.
Use him for labor or as a living resource.
But how could they say that aloud in front of Cornelia, whose power now dwarfed many of them?
Ghurn’s expression tightened slightly.
He hesitated.
"We would... ensure he remains under our supervision," one elder offered cautiously.
"For his own safety," another added quickly.
"Given his bloodline condition, it would be irresponsible to let him wander freely."
Cornelia’s eyes narrowed faintly.
Under supervision?
Her chest tightened.
They want to enslave him.
The realization was sharp and bitter.
They realized what they were planning, and so did she.
The hall felt tense again, though in a different way now.
No killing intent.
Only calculation.
Cain listened quietly.
Inside his mind, he chuckled.
So that’s the plan.
Make a slave?
He almost found it adorable.
Go on.
Say it clearly.
Bind .
As if I would let any of you fools.
His eyes flickered faintly with amusent.
Before anyone could fully articulate their intentions—
Cornelia says, "since none of you can answer , then forget about divorcing him now."
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