Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Hunt Begins

At the command, Gu Chongyan vanished from the rooftop, and in the next instant, that familiar figure appeared amidst the chaos of the bar. Despite the blaring music and the tumultuous crowd, Gu Chongyan’s sudden arrival drew countless eyes upon him.

Before anyone could react, Gu Chongyan had already raised his wand. The white dragonbone wand, shimmering beneath the dazzling colored lights, exuded a bleak aura of death. With a gentle flick, it became a harbinger of doom for the vampires within the bar.

“Sunlight Flicker!”

Boom!

Brilliant gold-red light erupted like a colossal lamp, exploding across the bar. The silent radiance bathed the entire space in daylight, overpowering the vibrant colored lights until not a trace remained. This magic, forged from flickering fluorescence and imbued with the sun’s brilliance, was undoubtedly a death sentence for vampires.

The moment the light burst forth, the vampires sensed an overwhelming threat. Yet no matter how swift their reflexes, they were no match for the speed of sunlight’s explosion. To them, the gold-red light was like winter ice suddenly struck by summer’s blazing sun—the penetrating rays shot through their skin, searing deep into their bodies like acid.

With agonized screams, the vampires became living sparks, crimson light erupting from their bodies. Their skin vaporized instantaneously, flesh and blood falling as if into molten lava. In the blink of an eye, men and women alike were reduced to smoldering charcoal, howling as they crumbled into ash, covering the bar in a blanket of dust.

Though it seemed lengthy in description, it all transpired in but a fleeting moment. A single flash of light, and the once-crowded bar was emptied in an instant. A few vampires shielded by shadows, or the ordinary Hagui tribe, barely had time to react—only perceiving a blur before dozens of vampires were annihilated without a trace.

“Devil—devil! Devil!”

Thud!

The Hagui tribe and remaining vampires paled, their legs giving way as they collapsed to the floor, staring at Gu Chongyan in terror. Though they themselves were vampire retainers, facing Gu Chongyan was as if confronting the devil himself.

Gu Chongyan cast a cold glance at them but made no move to strike at these survivors; Matt and his team would soon arrive, and these people had nowhere to run. With a flicker, he swiftly darted into the kitchen, unleashing another “Sunlight Flicker” as he strode toward the freezer door.

“Shatter!”

With a shake of his wand, the freezer door exploded open, revealing a long corridor. At the end stood a silver, high-tech door, radiating a distinctly modern aura.

Gazing at the steel-forged door, Gu Chongyan refrained from dismantling it by force. He remembered that behind this door was the last remaining “Vampire Bible” in the vampires’ possession, and he had no intention of blasting it apart with magic. After all, books written with magic could not be restored by simple spells.

But a mere door could not stop him.

“Alohomora!”

At the utterance of the thief’s friend spell, the seemingly sturdy door swung open, exposing a vast underground hall. The hall, nearly the size of a football field, was filled with dozens—perhaps hundreds—of glass display cases. In each case lay a sheet of ancient A1-sized parchment, densely inscribed with mysterious symbols: the fragmented pages of the “Vampire Bible.”

Beep, beep, beep—

As the door opened, a shrill alarm echoed throughout the building. Clearly, Gu Chongyan’s actions had alerted the vampires inside; even without magic, his enhanced hearing picked up the rapid footsteps above.

Ignoring the footsteps overhead, Gu Chongyan gently waved his wand, releasing an invisible force from its tip.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Like rain on banana leaves, the glass cases shattered one by one. The ancient parchments, drawn by an unseen force, flew to Gu Chongyan like weary birds returning to their nest.

“There he is—fire!”

Just as Gu Chongyan seized the “Vampire Bible” before him, a squad of fully armed vampires burst in, wielding Scorpion submachine guns and unleashing a furious hail of bullets.

Whizzing through the air, the bullets swarmed like locusts. Even with protective charms and defensive spells, there were simply too many to block. But as a sorcerer, Gu Chongyan had no need for direct confrontation.

Control was a wizard’s true power.

Before the vampires could even pull their triggers, Gu Chongyan’s figure vanished from their sight.

Magic—Apparition.

In the next instant, the vanished Gu Chongyan appeared behind the vampires, the corner of his mouth curled in a mocking smile as he slowly raised his wand.

“Sunlight Flicker!”

The dazzling gold-red light burst forth like a miniature sun. The vampires, as if plunged into hell, let out cries of agony.

Strangely, however, after the sunlight flickered, only two or three unlucky ones were reduced to ashes in the blazing light. The rest, though writhing in pain, did not perish.

“He’s behind us—fire!”

The lead vampire, enduring the intense pain, spun around and fired, bullets sparking as they sprayed wildly. Yet his movements were still no match for Gu Chongyan.

Before the vampires could react, Gu Chongyan had once again vanished with Apparition.

Pausing in brief confusion, Gu Chongyan quickly understood why the remaining vampires had survived.

Special sunscreen.

Just as humans know vampires’ weaknesses, these ancient creatures were equally aware of their own vulnerabilities. Centuries of battle had prepared them well against their own frailties. Silver and garlic aside, sunlight could be blocked—a fact they discovered long ago.

From only appearing at night or cloaked in capes, to modern times, they developed a potent sunscreen that rendered them immune to sunlight’s harm.

Clearly, these armed vampires had thoroughly coated themselves in this special sunscreen. The two unlucky ones either applied too little or for some other reason, perished in the light.

Had Gu Chongyan’s “Sunlight Flicker” not been magical—more penetrating and deadly than ordinary sunlight or ultraviolet lamps—they might not have even screamed.

“Don’t be afraid! His magic is useless against us! Quick, spread out—kill him!”

The lead vampire shouted again. Clearly, to be captain, he had some skill.

Gu Chongyan merely sneered. Did they really think that was his only trick?