Chapter 48: The Second-Generation Bloodline Warlock

On the outskirts of London, within the hall of a newly constructed, rudimentary manor, Lucien, Amelia, and a gathering of bloodline warlocks sat in the lower seats. They held thick, black-bound books in their hands, studying them intently. On the covers of the books, the characters for "Bloodline Secret Codex" were embossed in striking red.

Behind Lucien, a group of burly men stared at the codices in their hands, sighing deeply at times, scratching their heads at others, sitting on pins and needles with expressions of profound distress. Behind Amelia, a group of men and women, though solemn-faced, held paper and pens, jotting down questions they failed to understand. From time to time, they raised their hands to speak, voicing the doubts in their hearts.

Standing at the head of the hall to lecture was none other than Katherine.

...

Ever since Li Yang reached an agreement with Queen Mary half a year ago, the entire city of London had initiated reconstruction work. Although the British Empire possessed a profound foundation, rebuilding a metropolis from a pile of ashes was clearly not something that could be accomplished overnight.

During this period, aside from managing the daily operations of their respective clans, the vampires and werewolves had completely retreated into seclusion. At fixed times every day, they would arrive at this simple hall to study the bloodline warlock codex. Not only were they required to learn it, but even ordinary members within their clans had to do the same. To this end, Li Yang had specifically established a rule: only those who passed the examination on the Bloodline Secret Codex would be qualified to receive an injection of the primary serum and be transformed into bloodline warlocks.

Furthermore, over the past six months, Dr. Ericson and his team had laid aside all other research to manufacture the primary serum to the best of their ability. By now, the number of individuals transformed into bloodline warlocks across the two clans was approaching one hundred. And this was still under the condition that the Blood of Perfection was in insufficient supply; if there were an infinite amount of the Blood of Perfection, this rate could be increased exponentially.

As for the subsequent training curriculum for these bloodline warlocks, Li Yang had handed it entirely over to Katherine. He simply did not have the time to tutor these people himself, and the effectiveness of his personal instruction might not even surpass Katherine's. Since the Bloodline Secret Codex had been developed, Katherine had remained by Li Yang's side to study it. In terms of sheer familiarity with the training methods of the bloodline codex, apart from Li Yang himself, she was second to none within the entire bloodline warlock system. Moreover, Katherine was a Westerner whose mindset was much closer to that of these bloodline warlocks, making her naturally the most suitable person to teach on his behalf.

Among the bloodline warlocks currently practicing the codex, only three had barely reached the threshold of mastery, capable of absorbing energy to strengthen the Six-Winged Golden Centipede bloodline within their bodies. These three were Amelia, Lucien, and the very first bloodline warlock born, Raze. The rest could, for now, merely utilize their inherent powers on a purely instinctive level.

From the situation of these three, Li Yang drew a conclusion: the more profound a creature's innate foundation, the faster they would be able to generate vital blood essence after transforming into a bloodline warlock, thereby stepping onto the path of practicing the Bloodline Secret Codex. Putting aside Lucien and Amelia, who were the most ancient entities among the current bloodline warlocks and had condensed their natal blood essence at the very moment of their transformation, Raze—though slightly lacking in foundation—was nevertheless the most ancient entity besides those two. Coupled with the fact that he had followed Li Yang in practice for the longest time, his familiarity with the bloodline codex was second only to Katherine's.

...

Down below the manor, in a crude underground laboratory, Dr. Ericson was staring fixedly at a Black man on the operating table, his face filled with extreme tension.

"Cough, cough... spit, spit, spit..."
"Oh... shit... It failed again!"

Looking at the man on the operating table, whose eyes were rolled back, coughing violently, and whose flesh had degenerated into a decaying mass of collapsed cells shortly after, Dr. Ericson wore a look of profound disappointment.

It was no wonder he was disappointed. Second-generation bloodline warlocks were an important project assigned by Li Yang. Currently, aside from the production of the primary serum, the laboratory's primary research was focused on the second-generation bloodline warlock serum. After all, the quantity of the Blood of Perfection was limited, and the numbers of both the vampire and werewolf clans were likewise restricted. Those newly converted werewolves and vampires possessed physical attributes barely superior to ordinary humans, making them unsuitable for transformation into bloodline warlocks. Relying solely on the populations of the werewolf and vampire clans, how could the path of the bloodline warlocks ever develop and flourish?

Therefore, after much deliberation, Li Yang had initiated the research into the second-generation bloodline warlock serum. He wondered whether they could use the infection capabilities of the werewolves and vampires as a starting point, allowing people bitten by them to spontaneously transform into bloodline warlocks.

However, it was evidently unfeasible. Once members of the two clans transformed into bloodline warlocks, they lost their previous infectious capabilities. This discovery caused Li Yang a great deal of a headache, for it meant that the source of future bloodline warlocks was under threat. Once the remaining werewolves and vampires were all converted into bloodline warlocks, the development of the warlock system would undoubtedly stall. This was the primary reason why Li Yang was so impatient to research the second-generation bloodline warlock serum.

...

"Your Majesty, we have failed again!"

In a simple study located in the back courtyard of the manor, Dr. Ericson stood with a deeply ashamed expression, looking at Li Yang, who was writing something at his desk.

"Doctor, I believe you might need to change your perspective."

Li Yang was not surprised by Dr. Ericson's arrival. With his current level of cultivation, every single movement within the entire manor was effectively under his surveillance. If he wished, even the events transpiring across London could not escape his eyes.

"I believe the development of the second-generation bloodline warlock serum should not be based on my cells as a blueprint."

"The human genetic chain is far too fragile, and their cells cannot accommodate a significant amount of energy. The energy required for the infection and transformation of my cells is clearly something they cannot provide. I think you should use Amelia's and Lucien's cells as the blueprint for developing the second-generation bloodline warlock serum."

"Although their cells carry the traits of the Six-Winged Golden Centipede, they are not yet pure, and the energy they require is not overly excessive."

"This... if we use their cells as a blueprint, I'm afraid it will greatly weaken the second-generation bloodline warlocks, perhaps even leaving them with no significant difference from ordinary humans."

Just as Li Yang's voice trailed off, Dr. Ericson furrowed his brow, a troubled expression washing over his face.

The power of bloodline warlocks originated from the Six-Winged Golden Centipede cells within Li Yang's body. If Li Yang's cells were to be replaced by those of Lucien and the others, it would undoubtedly drastically diminish the capabilities of the warlocks. As a scientific researcher, this was something Dr. Ericson could not accept. How could a serum that failed to enhance a living organism be called a transcendent serum?

"Doctor, I think you have fallen into a misconception. Granted, the bloodline warlocks transformed using cells from Amelia and the others will be almost indistinguishable from ordinary humans and will not be excessively powerful."

"However, the source of strength in a cultivation system is not bestowed by a serum, but attained through one's own practice. Take me, for instance; it was also through step-by-step arduous cultivation that I attained today's transcendence. The second-generation bloodline warlock serum may not allow people to ascend to the heavens in a single bound or grant them overwhelming might, but it provides them with infinite possibilities. Is that not wonderful?"

"I believe humanity became the rulers of the world precisely through generations of natural selection. Perhaps second-generation bloodline warlocks cannot be natural transcendent beings like the first generation, but through their own diligent practice, it is entirely possible for them to stand out. Indeed, only after experiencing arduous cultivation can they truly comprehend the essence of power, surpassing their predecessors through diligent effort."

Faced with Dr. Ericson's internal conflict, Li Yang smiled faintly and explained slowly.

Ever since he crossed through the great tribulation and experienced the baptism of reincarnation, Li Yang had come to truly understand the preciousness of arduous cultivation. Taking shortcuts would inevitably demand a price. He himself was a unique exception; if not for a fortuitous convergence of circumstances, countless extraordinary encounters, and the advantage of knowing the plot in advance, how could he have ever reached his current state? Yet even so, he had faced mortal peril on several occasions before achieving his present transformation.

The path of cultivation he walked, when all was said and done, still contained opportunistic elements. It was not accumulated bit by bit through his own sweat, but rather seized by plundering the power of ancient exotic beasts. Even with complete cultivation manuals, coupled with his ceaseless refinement through bitter practice and the tempering of several great tribulations, he was only able to make this power entirely his own. He did not believe ordinary mortals would ever possess his unique opportunities.

In truth, he was merely an anomaly; his path of cultivation was utterly uncopyable and entirely his own.

Mindful of his own lessons, Li Yang naturally did not want the orthodox path he had pioneered to become a flawed one. He hoped that the path of the bloodline warlocks he founded could become a supreme avenue capable of rivaling the Daoist and Buddhist sects.

To achieve this goal, a solid foundation was indispensable.

The path of the bloodline warlocks was centered around bloodline. Because the first-generation warlocks carried the traits of the Six-Winged Golden Centipede within their genes, the energy they could absorb was no longer restricted solely to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Naturally, since they merely carried certain genes of an ancient exotic beast, they could not compare to the true Six-Winged Golden Centipede.

Even so, their rate of energy absorption would far surpass that of ordinary cultivators. However, the energy they required to nurture their bloodline was also far greater than that of ordinary cultivators. Thus, the gains and losses balanced out, nearly evening them out. Yet they could acquire power far exceeding that of ordinary cultivators, and as their bloodlines were developed step by step, this advantage would expand infinitely until their bloodlines underwent atavism, completely fulfilling the transformation into an ancient exotic beast.

Li Yang had not been idle during this period either. Aside from drafting the subsequent parts of the Bloodline Secret Codex, he had spent the remaining time slowly consolidating his own cultivation realm, preparing for his return to the Central Plains.

Although he had long desired to return, the development in London was only just showing promise, and his ultimate target—Alexander Corvinus—had yielded not a trace of news up to the present day. He could only forcefully suppress his homesickness and endure a temporary delay.

By now, not only had his injuries fully healed, but his cultivation realm had also advanced to a higher tier. In terms of sheer realm alone, he could now rival the earth immortals of the Daoist sects who had successfully forged a golden elixir; in terms of combat capability, he far surpassed them.

One must know that he had not only completely fused the power of the Six-Winged Golden Centipede, but had also mastered the "General Outline of Chaos Datian Divine Thunder." Although it was still just at the introductory stage, compared to the divine arts of figures like Celestial Master Zhang, his capabilities exceeded theirs by more than just a starry margin.