Vampire Clan and Succubus Clan

The doors of the great hall slowly closed.

After a dull thud, silence once again descended upon the hall.

It was a completely different kind of silence from before.

Gone was the suffocating oppression; it was simply... quiet.

Because the sternness on the face of the black-clad figure seated upon the high dais had completely vanished.

Replaced by an easygoing smile.

Gu Changyuan had always been like this.

He naturally showed different expressions for different situations.

When it was time to be strict, he would not be soft-hearted; when it was time to be relaxed, he would not put on airs.

The scene just now was meant for all the elders to see.

Especially those who might still have their own hidden agendas or whose loyalty was not yet entirely firm.

He wanted them to know the consequences of breaking the rules.

"Alright."

He spoke, his tone light, as if nothing had happened moments ago.

"Since that matter has been resolved, let us begin our real business."

His gaze swept over every elder below. There was no scrutiny or oppression in his eyes, only a reassuring gentleness.

"Rest assured, everyone. As long as you do not violate the sect's rules, I will not do anything to you."

He paused, the smile on his lips deepening a little.

"On the contrary, in recognition of your contributions to the sect over the past thousand years, I will even grant you certain rewards."

As his voice fell—

He waved his right hand.

In the next instant, countless streams of radiant light surged from the void, landing flawlessly in front of every elder.

They were Supreme Demon Bones and Half-Immortal Artifacts.

The quantity distributed was exactly the same as what was given to the Heavenly Human Holy Land and the Heavenly Demon Sect.

All the elders were instantly dumbfounded.

They widened their eyes, staring fixedly at the piles of treasures floating before them, their eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets.

This... this, this, this...

Is this real?!

So many Supreme Demon Bones?!

So many Half-Immortal Artifacts?!

Just directly... rewarded to them?!

The feelings of oppression, fear, and caution from moments ago were completely washed away by endless fiery passion and shock in this instant.

"Holy shit..."

An unknown elder could not hold back and muttered a curse under his breath.

But at this moment, no one would laugh at him.

Because everyone's heart only harbored a single thought right now—

We are rich!

We are truly rich!

They had originally wanted to see what kind of strength and foundation this legendary Sect Master truly possessed, and whether he was worth following.

Now, looking at this—

What do you mean 'worth it or not'?

This was the return of a literal godfather!

In that instant, every elder's loyalty to the sect and their support for Sect Master Gu Changyuan became firmer than at any previous moment.

What did it mean to have the hearts of demons aligned?

This was what it meant.

Watching the brilliant, light-speed change in the expressions of the elders below, the smile on Gu Changyuan's face only grew.

He waved his right hand once more.

A black formation was silently laid out in the center of the great hall.

"Everyone, you may absorb these Supreme Demon Bones directly here."

Gu Changyuan's voice rang out.

"This formation will help speed up your refinement, yielding twice the result with half the effort."

Hearing this, the last trace of hesitation in the elders' hearts vanished into thin air.

Without another word, they bowed in unison.

"Thank you, Sect Master!"

Then, they each sat cross-legged and began to refine the Supreme Demon Bones floating before them.

Soon, dense and heavy fluctuations of demonic energy filled the great hall.

Once the elders entered their cultivation states, Gu Changyuan turned his gaze to his ten disciples.

With a wave of his right hand, ten Sacred Bones flew to each of the disciples.

Gu Changyuan briefly explained their effects and then told them to begin absorbing and refining as well.

Eight of the disciples did not hesitate; they found their own spots, sat cross-legged, and quickly entered a state of cultivation.

However, Mo Yingluo and Mo Yingyue did not move.

They exchanged a glance, and then—

As if by prior agreement, they stood up and walked over to Gu Changyuan.

They sat down on his left and right sides respectively.

Gu Changyuan looked down at the two silver heads on either side of him and did not refuse.

He merely let the corners of his mouth curl up slightly, allowing them to lean against him.

Mo Yingluo and Mo Yingyue, these twin sisters, hailed from two of the top demonic races in the Demon Realm: the Vampire Race and the Succubus Race.

The status of these two races in the Demon Realm truly stood at the very top of the pyramid.

The Vampire Race was named for blood and lived on blood.

Their combat methods were inextricably linked to blood.

A pure-blooded Vampire expert could manipulate their own blood, as well as the blood of their enemies, during battle.

They could turn blood into thousands of blood blades that blotted out the sky, or condense blood into sturdy shields to block all myriad techniques.

They could also use blood to fortify their own bodies, granting them formidable close-quarters combat abilities.

They were a natural-born warrior race: bloodthirsty, ruthless, and powerful.

The Succubus Race, on the other hand, leaned toward the opposite extreme.

They lacked the berserk combat prowess of the Vampires, but they possessed abilities that were far more bizarre and impossible to guard against: the manipulation of mind and desire.

Succubi were naturally capable of peering into the deepest desires and fears within a living creature's heart and amplifying them infinitely.

They could weave illusions in battle, causing enemies to sink into their own inner demons, unable to free themselves.

They could silently influence the minds of their opponents, making them slaughter one another.

They could even establish a mental link with any living being, directly planting suggestions deep within their souls, turning the target into a puppet without them ever realizing it.

Both of these races possessed terrifying strength sufficient to shake the entire Demon Realm.

And in order to bolster their respective families' status and power within the Demon Realm, and even across the entire Nine Heavens Realm.

And to bind the ties between these two pinnacle families even more tightly together—

A thousand years ago, the Vampire Race and the Succubus Race engaged in a large-scale intermarriage.

They hoped that through the fusion of their bloodlines, they could produce offspring who possessed the innate talents of both races.

Mo Yingluo and Mo Yingyue were one pair among the countless products of these arranged marriages.

Their father was a certain noble of the Vampire Race, while their mother was a highly renowned woman among the Succubi.

The two were united under their families' arrangements and gave birth to these twins.

At first, everything was wonderful.

Shortly after the two girls were born, the families tested their affinity with the Demonic Dao.

The moment the test results came out, the entire family boiled over with excitement—Demon Self.

The absolute highest tier of Demonic Dao affinity, an existence born naturally for the demonic path.

They could almost already see the future where their twin daughters stood at the pinnacle of the Demon Realm, bringing boundless glory to their ancestors.

Next came the test for their Demon Seed grade.

The moment those results came out, all smiles froze.

Mortal Demon Seed.

The lowest tier of Demon Seed grades.

A Demon Self affinity paired with a Mortal Demon Seed—this was the cruelest joke in the entire Demon Realm.

It was like being given a heavenly ladder leading to the clouds, only to find the very first rung broken.

To possess top-tier comprehension in vain, without a high enough grade of Demon Seed to bear it, rendered even the highest level of enlightenment entirely meaningless.

Of course, there was still one other possibility—what slumbered within their bodies might actually be the Formless Demon Seed, masked by the outward appearance of a Mortal Demon Seed.

However, testing for a Formless Demon Seed required an extremely complex secret art, consuming a massive ocean of rare and precious materials.

During that period, amid the wave of intermarriages between the two races, far more offspring were born than just the two of them.

Among them were four or five others who similarly tested positive for Demonic Ego Compatibility, along with quite a few geniuses possessing the Sacred Demon Seed.

After all, the combination of Demonic Ego Compatibility and a Mortal Demon Seed was not an isolated case in the Demon Realm; it was hardly a rarity.

Rather than squandering resources to chase a slim possibility, it was better to invest those resources into descendants with proven talents and far greater potential.

Therefore, they were abandoned.