The Blood Attribute

Hun Lian lay on the cold, damp ground of the cave, his body wracked with pain as the transformation into a vampire took hold. He had lost all sense of time and space, and was consumed by the overwhelming sensation of his body being twisted and reshaped into something dark and unnatural.

As he lay there, lost in his agony, the vampire who had bitten him disappeared into the portal, leaving him alone to face his fate.

The pain was unbearable, and Hun Lian thought he would surely die. But as the hours passed, the pain slowly began to subside, replaced by a deep and insatiable hunger that he could not ignore.

His eyes flickered open, and he looked down at his hands. They were pale and cold, and his veins pulsed with a dark, red energy that he could feel coursing through him.

He stumbled to his feet, his body feeling strange and unfamiliar as he tried to stand. He took a few tentative steps, then a few more, until he was walking unsteadily through the damp, mossy cave.

His senses were heightened, and he could hear every sound, smell every scent, and see in perfect darkness. The world around him was no longer the same, and he knew that he was no longer human.

He could feel the hunger growing inside him, a deep and primal need that he could not ignore. He had to feed, had to find the life force that would sustain him for eternity.

With a sudden burst of speed, he lunged forward, his fangs bared as he sank them into the neck of a nearby bat. The taste of blood flooded his mouth, and he felt a surge of energy as the bat's life force flowed into him.

He knew that he was changed forever, a creature of the night, forever bound to the darkness and the hunger that came with it. But he could not help but feel a thrill of excitement at the power that now coursed through his veins.

'I should be more careful in the future when approaching something with half knowledge…This could've gone very badly.'

Hun Lian's Qi had turned red and he could feel the new attribute in his dantian, the Blood Attribute.

Although not as powerful as the others, but it had a nearly infinite potential to evolve him through devouring other beings.

As he willed it, Hun Lian's pale skin turned healthy again and his eyes also turned from an intense shade of red to his natural black; but what could not be reverted was an unnatural charisma that came from being a vampire.

Hun Lian's cultivation had not increased after this transformation, and even decreased from the middle of the 6th Stage to the Early 6th Stage of the Transcendent Realm, but his Qi had become viscous and he could feel a new power within him, the power to control blood.

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Hun Lian stepped out of the damp, mossy cave, his eyes adjusting to the sunlight that streamed in from outside. He shielded his eyes, taking a deep breath of fresh air as he surveyed his surroundings.

He was standing at the base of a towering waterfall, the rush of water thundering down upon him in a never-ending torrent. The mist from the waterfall had created a small pool at the base of the rocks, connecting to the river, and without a second thought, he began to walk towards the pool, his bare feet sinking into the soft earth beneath him. He could feel the cool spray of the water on his skin, and he knew that he had found the perfect place to wash away the dirt and grime of the cave.

He stripped off his tattered clothes, revealing an explosive but lean body that was perfectly healed from the earlier fight. His long, jet-black hair hung in damp strands around his shoulders, and his deep black eyes shone like the abyss.

He stepped into the pool, the cool water soothing his slightly aching muscles from the transformation, as he waded deeper into the stream. He let out a contented sigh, his eyes closing as he let the water wash over him, calming him of the darkness that had consumed him in the cave.

After several minutes of indulging in the refreshing water, Hun Lian stepped out of the pool and onto the rocky shore. He reached for a blue robe that he had draped over a nearby boulder and slipped it on, tying the belt securely around his waist.

He took a jade hairpin from his spatial ring, intricately carved with the symbol of a dragon, and used it to tie most of his long hair back from his face. He looked in the pool at his reflection and smiled, satisfied with his new look.

Hun Lian stood there for a moment longer, taking in the beauty of the waterfall and the surrounding nature. He knew that his new life as a vampire would be fraught with danger and darkness, but in this moment, he felt a sense of peace that he had not experienced since the time he had arrived in this dangerous world.

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Hun Lian hopped onto his steed, and started moving towards the east, where his next objective was located.

It was a village known as Dewmire where some Evil Spirits had made their coven.

Most of the residents have abandoned the village but some poor farmers had nowhere to go, and hence they turned to the Perepetuity Sect for help and the Sect accepted their request without any fees.

Hun Lian's mission was to use any methods he knew to deal with the spirits and rid the town of it's misery.

For visiting the Cave, he had taken a detour, which resulted in his journey to become 2 days longer, and he arrived at the Dewmire village three days later.

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The village had only recently been abandoned, its once bustling streets now eerily empty and silent. Buildings that had once been filled with the sounds of daily life now stood empty, their walls and roofs sagging, their paint peeling and flaking away.

It was clear that something had happened to drive the villagers away, leaving behind their homes and belongings to decay and rot. The air was thick with a sense of unease, and even the wildlife seemed to have fled the area.

As one wandered through the abandoned village, there was a sense that something was not quite right. Shadows seemed to dance in the corners of one's vision, and the faint sound of whispers and moans could be heard echoing through the empty streets.

The buildings themselves appeared to be decaying at an alarming rate, their walls and floors seemingly collapsing in on themselves. It was almost as if the very fabric of the village was disintegrating before one's eyes.

And then there were the ghosts. Apparitions that seemed to flit through the empty buildings, their faces twisted in agony or rage. They appeared without warning, and disappeared just as quickly, leaving only a cold breeze in their wake.

It was as if the village itself had been cursed, its very essence twisted and corrupted by some malevolent force. The newly abandoned buildings now seemed to be alive with a dark energy, drawing in unsuspecting travellers and trapping them within its decaying walls.

The source of the curse was unknown, but those who dared to venture into the village knew that they did so at their own peril. For the spirits that now haunted the village were restless and vengeful, and they had no qualms about adding to their ranks.

Upon Hun L's arrival, he saw an old farmer run towards him in tattered rags and as Hun Lian jumped down from his horse, the farmer fell to his knees and cried.

"Respected Sir, we've been waiting for you with bated breath. Please cleanse our village of these evil spirits. Day by day, they grow stronger and more powerful. We can't leave our fields as they are the only source for us to feed our children. Please help us. We beg of you."

Hun Lian glanced at the poor old farmer and an urge to devour him almost consumed him. He could clearly see the veins in the farmer's neck, but he controlled himself.

He would need some time to command his urges and after calming down, he responded.

"Get up, please. Tell me, How many of you are still residing in this village and how many have died at the hands of the spirits? Also, tell me if you have any idea of where these spirits came from?"

Upon hearing Hun Lian, the old man got up from the ground with shaky legs and responded.

"Venerable Sire, Only 4 of our families are left in this village, which in total are around 18 people who live at the farms at the border of the town.

The suspected source of these spirits is the Mayor's Mansion which you can see from here. The beautiful building one day became eerily quiet, and the next day, the Mayor, along with his family had disappeared.

We didn't know how to contact the Imperial family, and hence requested aid from your Venerable Sect.

Most people have already left the village, and the spirits have killed around 7 people in total.

If we assume that everyone from the Mayor's family had turned into spirits, then there would be a total of 10 Spirits in this town."

The old man was intelligent and quickly summarised the events for Hun Lian to record in his mission report which was his Id Card itself.

Hun Lian nodded to the Old man and tapped his Horse, which escorted the old man to his fields, and Hun Lian, without any interruptions, approached the ruin-like Mayor's mansion.

He stood at the entrance of the dilapidated mansion leisurely, his hands resting behind his back. He could feel the malevolent energy emanating from the building, and he knew that he was walking into a trap.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, his mind focused on the technique he was going to use here. The Thuum was a powerful martial technique that allowed its user to absorb the spirits that they captured, using it to power different types of Verbal Prowess and increase their strength.

As he entered the mansion, Hun Lian's senses were assaulted by the presence of hostile phantoms. They swirled around him, their ethereal forms glowing with a sickly green light. But Hun Lian was not afraid. Closing his eyes, He focused his mind on the Thuum technique. He felt the power building within him, a deep well of energy that he could draw on to capture the spirits which were more powerful than any he had dealt with before.

With a swift movement of his hands, Hun Lian began to suck the spirits in, drawing them into himself and absorbing their energy. He moved quickly and efficiently, taking down the ten spirits in a matter of minutes.

As each spirit was captured, Hun Lian felt his own power growing. The energy of the spirits flowed through him, augmenting his Thuum called 'Ha hor Suf', which could fling away anything in his way. And with each capture, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

When he had finished, Hun Lian stood in the centre of the mansion, his eyes closed as he let the energy of the spirits flow through him. He knew that he had succeeded, that the Thuum technique had once again proven its power.

Opening his eyes, Hun Lian turned and walked out of the mansion, feeling the 'Ha hor suf' Thuum breakthrough to the second level.

Now, He can even use this Thuum on the people who are at the same power level than him.

If anyone from the sect had seen Hun Lian deal with the spirits so easily and efficiently, they would immediately report it to the Elders and label Hun Lian as an Evil Practitioner, which were banned by the Imperial Family.

As soon as Hun Lian captured the spirits, the village suddenly turned silent.

Many buildings which were hanging on by a thread as if lost their support and fell to the ground creating a mess of rubble and dust.

The old man who was waiting with his family for the last half hour heard the big commotion in the village and couldn't help but look out, only to find the village in an even worse condition.

He shortly saw Hun Lian walk out from the cloud of dust with a smile and the old farmer finally sighed with relief.

"Papa, is our village really saved?"

A child asked his father as the Old man exited their home. He didn't have an answer for his son and hence he looked outside to see his father bow down to the Powerful cultivator and tried to hear what they were saying through the slightly ajar door of their hut.

"Sir? Did you…-did you succeed?"

"Yes, but you need to redevelop your town."

As Hun Lian approached the group of old farmers who came out of their huts with some fear, he could see the relief in their eyes. They had been living in fear of the ghost for days, and now, thanks to his intervention, they could finally sleep soundly at night.

One of the farmers stepped forward, his voice shaky with emotion. "Venerable Cultivator, we cannot thank you enough for what you have done for us. You have rid our village of the spirits that have been plaguing our village, and for that, we are forever grateful."

The other farmers nodded in agreement, their weathered faces lined with gratitude. "We had no idea how to stop the ghosts," one of them said. "But you came and took care of it without batting an eye. You are truly a master of your craft."

Hun Lian nodded, his face stoic. He knew that this was just a mission from the sect which was going to reward him with a 1000 contribution points. But hearing the thanks of the farmers still satisfied his vanity.

"It was my pleasure to be of service," he said. "I am glad that I could be of help to your village."

The farmers continued to thank him, and Hun Lian listened impatiently, his mind already moving on to his next assignment. He knew that he only had 8 days left to turn in this mission and he had to acquire the Seven Colored Begonia Flower for Mo Xieren and hopefully bridge a relationship with another founding family and further steal the luck of Han Yan.

Hun Lian took his horse and sped out from the village, already forgetting about the farmers as his mind started to form different plans for safely stealing the Seven colour Begonia flower from the forces which were guarding it.