Chapter 544, Memories and Unfinished Business
The vampire spirit glared outside in rage.
His eyes were filled with disdain and resentment toward the necromancer before him.
"Little one, how long do you think you can keep me locked up? Sooner or later, the clan will contact the guild and get me out of here. When that happens, I'll skin you alive and hang you up while I collect your blood drop by drop."
Even as a spirit trapped in a necromancer's hands,
he remained as arrogant as ever.
This was completely different from how other spirits had behaved during interrogation.
Whether it was the spirit of an 18th-level island lord or the grand fist master of the Divine Punishment Sect, even when they made threats, they didn't dare to be this brazen.
But this vampire was confident and fearless.
Even as a captured spirit, he wasn't worried—at most, he'd be imprisoned for a while.
He believed the vampire clan would protect him.
Wu Heng ignored him and looked at Glenda. "Is everything okay?"
Glenda spoke calmly, "No problem. His level is low enough that I can suppress him."
Xiaoxiao, lying on Wu Heng's shoulder, said, "Auntie won't be affected, right? His brain doesn't seem to work properly."
"She shouldn't be."
The vampire spirit stopped cursing and mocking them, suspicion flashing in his eyes. "Hey, what are you guys talking about? What do you mean?"
His gaze swept quickly over the two spirits, and his expression shifted slightly.
Suppressing his emotions, he adopted a more rational tone. "What's this? Are you planning to harm me? If you do, you won't be able to explain it to the vampire clan. We can negotiate—my status is significant, and I can offer you a generous reward."
No one outside responded.
Wu Heng continued to watch Glenda. "Go ahead, don't hold back."
"Got it," Glenda nodded.
The bone prison opened a small gap, and Glenda flew inside.
Seeing this, the vampire spirit's expression changed. His eyes darted between Glenda and Wu Heng as he shouted in rage, "What are you doing? I'm a vampire prince! Anger me, and you'll regret it!"
Glenda replied, "Wu Heng wrote to your leader Lilith, and she didn't even bother to respond. Do you really think the vampire clan plans to save you?"
So much time had passed.
Neither the vampire clan nor Lilith had sent any messages. At most, they had asked Sheila Grey to return the vampire's incomplete corpse.
That was simply to prevent Wu Heng from turning it into a skeleton and tarnishing the vampire clan's reputation.
As for this vampire spirit, they hadn't mentioned it at all.
That alone showed how the vampire clan and Lilith viewed him.
"You're lying! You're a spirit—absorbing me won't benefit you much! Besides, you're just a field agent. You wouldn't have even qualified to speak to me before. How dare you do this to me?" The spirit roared furiously.
"Someone like you would be even more dangerous if released," Glenda said before lunging forward.
The two spirits intertwined in an instant.
Like two drops of ink mixing, they entangled and eroded each other.
Outside the bone prison, Wu Heng and Xiaoxiao watched the swirling mass of energy intently.
Even though Glenda had the advantage and there theoretically shouldn't be any issues,
they couldn't guarantee everything would go smoothly.
Time passed as they watched, and the two spirits became increasingly indistinguishable.
At that moment, a notification appeared.
[Spirit level increased to 18, Constitution +3, Perception +3, Charisma +2.]
[New Trait Unlocked: Enhanced Possession.]
[New Ability Unlocked: Withering Touch.]
[New Restriction Unlocked: Unfinished Business.]
The notifications brought joy to Wu Heng.
Absorbing a complete spirit was indeed more effective than absorbing remnants.
Glenda had reached level 18.
The upgrade of his spirit ally also resolved his long-standing fear of dealing with high-level spirits.
The necromancer from the Destiny Sect had been so troublesome on Gold-Silver Island because his spirits were higher level.
Seeing that Glenda hadn't fully recovered yet,
Wu Heng opened the status panel to check the newly unlocked abilities.
[Enhanced Possession]: Enhances the existing possession ability. If the target's Intelligence or Charisma is lower than the spirit's, the spirit will forcibly take control of the body.
[Withering Touch]: Spirit attacks now deal corrosive damage, harming both physical beings and their souls.
[Unfinished Business]: The spirit yearns to fulfill its unresolved wishes from life. (Failure to complete these will prevent further level advancement.)
He had unlocked three new abilities.
[Enhanced Possession] strengthened the spirit's core ability.
Possession had played a significant role in the zombie world.
The enhancement now allowed possession of higher-level Professionals.
The second ability, [Withering Touch], enabled attacks on spirits or living souls.
Previously, spirits had no inherent offensive power.
When a spirit used a weapon to attack, it was thanks to abilities Wu Heng had bestowed through rituals.
This ability provided an additional form of attack.
The final ability was [Unfinished Business].
According to the description, a spirit's advancement depended on fulfilling unresolved wishes from life.
It was somewhat akin to the concept of inner demons.
It also resembled the 18th-level Professional ability [Hero's Path], which imposed restrictions on leveling up.
Though different in nature, both capped advancement at level 18.
...
Inside the bone prison,
Glenda's form gradually solidified, returning to her familiar appearance as a western housewife.
She looked down at her ethereal hands,
then glanced at Wu Heng and Xiaoxiao outside.
Wu Heng closed the panel and asked with concern, "How do you feel? Anything unusual?"
"I feel stronger," Glenda replied, then added, "I also received some fragmented memories from the vampire."
"Memories? Will they affect you?"
"Not really. It's like watching one of Xiaoxiao's cartoons—just a show. It's actually pretty interesting. Do you want to see it?" Glenda asked.
"I can see it too?"
"I think so. Let's give it a try."
Wu Heng deactivated the bone prison, and Glenda floated in a circle before entering his body.
Immediately, fragmented and chaotic memories flooded his mind.
Wu Heng saw glimpses of the vampire spirit's past: bullying fellow clan members, slaughtering innocent creatures, raping women, and indulging his thirst for blood and lust.
As he gained power and status within the clan, his depravity intensified. He kept blood slaves in his mansion's cellar, feeding off them at will.
The most horrific memories involved abducting newlywed brides and hosting "blood feasts" in his mansion. Dressed in wedding gowns or traditional attire, the women were bitten on the neck and drained of blood.
The scenes flashed by until more vivid moments from the vampire's memory emerged.
Inside a dark, cold castle,
an adult male vampire sat on a steel-gray throne.
"Stop indulging in those depraved habits. The guild is watching you closely—don't bring trouble upon yourself."
"That bitch Lilith brought this upon us. Ever since she joined that damned guild, she no longer considers herself one of us," the vampire spirit said, stepping forward angrily. "She's only deepening the conflict between us and the guild. Give her to me—I need a woman to distract myself, and I promise not to cause trouble."
"She's the eldest daughter of the Beshmite family. Don't get involved with her."
The vampire gritted his teeth. "Understood."
The scene shifted again.
A woman in black armor with a cold, stunning face sat on the steel-gray throne.
Her voice was icy. "Melanis, by the laws of the vampire clan, you've committed grave offenses—murdering neighboring civilians, raping and imprisoning young women from various races, and tarnishing the clan's reputation. I hereby sentence you to permanent exile, where you'll have the rest of your life to repent."
"Lilith, you can't do this to me! You can't!"
Lilith gave a slight wave of her hand.
Crimson light enveloped the vampire.
His flesh began to wither, and in a grotesque twist, his male organ disappeared.