The progenitors of vampires include the first, second, and third generations of vampires. The first generation is Cain, the eldest son of Adam and Eve. The second generation consists of vampires created by Cain using animal organs and his own blood. The third generation consists of the offspring of the second generation.
Although both are at the progenitor level, there is a significant difference in their strength. The first generation comprehended the power of blood, created the vampire race, and is the origin of vampires.
The second generation, being modified from animals, was considered a monster, while the third generation they gave birth to was even more powerful and was known as the Bloodline.
In the history of vampires, the third generation not only killed the second generation, but also discovered the secret of passing on their bloodline by infecting humans, but they remained in a deep slumber for many years.
The fourth generation of vampires were the first humans to gain vampire powers through the 'Embrace', essentially the existence of a vampire king. Without the progenitor, the vampire king reigns supreme.
In this Chu-Han world, Modu Chanyu became a vampire king directly with the help of the system. The vampire king created by biting humans was a baron, which corresponds to the novice ghost general of the Xiongnu, such as Liu Fei.
Baron Ghost Generals can improve their level through their own efforts. Usually, infecting a thousand people will allow them to be promoted to Viscount, such as Gu A, one of the top ten Ghost Generals killed by Zhongli Mei.
Besides your own efforts, there is an even faster way to level up: let the Ghost King bite you again. As long as you can withstand the backlash, you can directly advance one level. For example, the second warrior of the Huns, Teba Hanxiong, was promoted from viscount to count who could fly through this method.
Otherwise, to be promoted from viscount to earl, one would have to bite at least another nine thousand people. Even if they were all strong Hun men, let alone all the strong Hun men, one would still have to vomit and his mouth would be exhausted. It is simply unrealistic to complete this in the short term.
Whether they are dukes or barons, they are all of the highest caliber, and they infect humans through their biting ability, creating ghost soldiers, who are essentially commoners.
These demon soldiers, when they bite humans, create slave-level vampires, the lowest rank of vampires. It is ten times harder for a demon soldier to advance than a demon general. In other words, a demon soldier needs to infect a thousand humans to become the lowest-ranking baron demon general.
Slave vampires are almost impossible to advance in rank, and if they are infected again, they can only be infected to produce slave vampires. Their regeneration and recovery abilities are relatively weak, and they can be killed without beheading them.
It's important to note that if you get too engrossed in biting humans for too long and use too much force, you might accidentally kill them and become a vampire. It's best to keep it to a minimum.
Ever since the Xiongnu launched their attack on Jiuyuan County, Maodun had been controlling the number of his vampires, or rather, blood warriors.
During the daytime, even when cloaked, the vampire abilities of the commoner soldiers are severely suppressed, making it impossible for the slave vampires to use them.
Each of the ten ghost generals would create a thousand commoner ghost soldiers. That would be a massive undertaking. Maodun was too lazy to bite them himself. Even if he wanted to, biting women would be more appealing.
Therefore, if the 400,000-strong Xiongnu army were to become vampires in a short period of time, there would necessarily have to be a large number of slave-level vampires among them.
After the entire army became vampires, their combat power was excessive at night and greatly weakened during the day, which was a very awkward situation. Moreover, becoming vampires extended their lifespan, but their fertility decreased significantly.
If Maodun didn't want the Xiongnu to be wiped out, he'd better not turn all the Xiongnu men into vampires.
Another point is the issue of food supply. The Central Plains soldiers and civilians captured during the attack on Jiuyuan County and Yunzhong County are not enough to feed 400,000 vampires, or even 100,000.
This is only possible with limited supply, where blood is drawn daily with a knife, rather than being bitten directly. Once bitten, the person becomes a slave vampire, and their blood won't taste good anymore.
But now, before the Xiongnu army besieged Yanmen from three sides, Modu lifted the restrictions and took the initiative to increase the number of Ghost Generals. At the same time, each Earl Ghost General was allowed to expand his army tenfold, from one thousand Blood Clan members to ten thousand Blood Clan members.
Whether it was ten thousand commoners or ten thousand slaves, Maodun didn't care at all, because at night, slave-level vampires could also achieve the fighting power of commoner-level vampires who wore cloaks during the day.
After capturing Yanmen City, food supplies were no longer an issue.
Modu hovered in the air, shouting, "Eternal Night has descended! My people are destined to unify the world! Warriors of the Xiongnu! Attack Yanmen now! Go into the city and drink to your hearts' content! Kill!"
"Kill!" One hundred thousand vampire warriors cheered and leaped as they charged toward Yanmen City, almost all heading in a straight line toward the north city wall. Their siege equipment consisted of nothing more than the simplest long ladders!
Some vampire warriors don't even need long ladders; they can jump more than ten feet high and climb up the city wall by gripping it with their claws.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Arrows rained down, and countless Xiongnu blood clansmen were hit by multiple arrows, but they did not stop at all!
On the north gate tower of Yanmen, Zhang Liang suddenly widened his eyes.
"They took off their cloaks! These siege fighters are all monsters!"
"In that case, serve hot oil!" The result of Han Xin's discussion with Zhang Liang and Li Zuoche on the city defense strategy was that the enemy was very likely to launch a main attack on the north city wall, so they made full preparations on this side.
Splash splash splash...
Ladlefuls of hot oil were poured out!
Sizzle sizzle...
"ah!"
"Aww..."
...
"Ignite it!" Han Xin gave the signal again.
Rockets and torches soaked in oil were thrown down from the city walls, instantly setting the vampire warriors, whose bodies were covered in hot oil, ablaze.
More importantly, a large number of flammable materials were also placed in the moat beforehand!
In an instant, the area below the city was engulfed in flames!
The screams were incessant. Whether they could be burned to death was unknown, but they would definitely feel the pain!
"The fire attack worked." Zhang Liang's lips curled into a slight smile.
"They're afraid of fire!" Han Xin exclaimed excitedly.
"In this way, we know the weaknesses of two, no, three monsters: they will die if their heads are cut off, they are afraid of fire, and they are also afraid of sunlight!" Li Zuoche stroked his beard.
"In other words, as long as we hold out until dawn, these monsters will have no choice but to retreat!" Han Xin exclaimed with delight.
"Don't be too happy yet. Although we are well prepared, these monsters seem to be stronger at night. They have learned their lesson and become smarter. Fire attacks will not be decisive." Zhang Liang said, then turned his gaze to Ji Bu, who was resting with his eyes closed in a corner.
Alone, he covered the rear, slaughtering countless cloaked soldiers and beheading four ghost generals. I never imagined that Ji Bu had grown to this level.
"General, be careful!"
One of the soldiers shouted, and then everyone saw a strong Hun monster with a shield and short spear leap up the city wall and head straight for Han Xin, Zhang Liang and Li Zuoche, who were chatting and laughing!
puff!
A flash of sword light, and heads flew through the air!
"Are ghost generals so worthless now?" Ji Bu's expression turned solemn. "No, these aren't ghost generals, they're elite ghost soldiers! Fire can't stop them. Those who have mastered the domineering aura, come with me and fight hand-to-hand!"
Chapter 319 Eternal Night (Part 3)
Flames soared into the sky over Yanmen City, and the cries of agony could be heard clearly for miles around.
Maodun found a high place to sit down and watch the battle, the crimson liquid swirling in his wine glass.
"The Chu army is too naive. Fire can't stop my vampire army. Hehe, they've scaled the city walls... Hmm? They've held them off? Interesting. Could it be that the Chu army has hidden an elite force at Yanmen Pass?"
The characteristic of the domineering cultivation system is that it is very easy to get started. As long as you have enough killing intent, you can usually do it and your physical fitness will improve immediately.
Comprehending explosive power to the King Realm isn't too difficult. Once mastered, both attack power and evasion ability will greatly increase, making one a top expert among mortals.
Breaking through to the Emperor Realm is somewhat difficult, but those with decent aptitude can achieve it through diligent cultivation; the only difference is how much time it takes.
However, once you reach the next level and begin to unleash your domineering aura, it becomes extremely difficult to break through. Most people will never be able to break through in their entire lives. At least within the limited lifespan of a human, it cannot be achieved by simply grinding away at it over time. The key to unleashing one's domineering aura lies in whether the acupoints, meridians, and dantian within the body are suitable for cultivation.
The characteristic of domineering cultivation is that the more life-and-death battles one experiences, the faster one's progress becomes. Like gold being sifted from sand, as long as one persists, many promising talents in domineering cultivation will surely emerge from among the 200,000 Chu soldiers.
Although the initial training in Overlord's Aura doesn't significantly improve physical abilities, it can make soldiers clearly feel much stronger. This is a powerful form of psychological suggestion. The Overlord's divine skill has such power after only a short time of learning it. What if they can survive tonight and make it to tomorrow?
More importantly, the power that Ji Bu displayed was, in their eyes, even greater than that of those unkillable monsters!
Vampires can survive having holes pierced in their bodies, but Ji Bu is now completely impervious to blades and spears!
As time went on, more and more Chu soldiers grasped the essence of dominance, but to advance further, they had to engage in combat.
Therefore, the Chu soldiers were not frightened away by the Xiongnu monsters' attack; on the contrary, they were eager to try, and it was not easy for later people to find a place on the city wall.
After the Xiongnu vampire warriors dodged the rolling logs and boulders and rushed to the top of the city wall, they were met with an attack from many people. Although the long halberds and spears could not kill them by piercing their bodies, they could incapacitate them, making it much easier to cut off their heads.
Originally, we didn't know how many people would have to die to kill a monster, but now, with good teamwork, we can kill it without anyone dying. So what is there to be afraid of?
“The world has changed. Why don’t we go and accumulate some killing intent and practice?” Li Zuoche could tell that Zhang Liang also envied such abilities. If you had an army that was invulnerable to swords and spears, what would you be afraid of intrigues and tricks?
“The path of slaughter is not suitable for us. Why don’t we learn the path of immortality together?” Zhang Liang looked at the battle situation. The fire below the city had been extinguished, but with the help of rolling logs and stones and these warriors who had learned the domineering aura, they had managed to hold on.
"It would be good if it could prolong life, but we need to survive first." Li Zuoche was not very optimistic. Although Ji Bu was brave, he was only one person. Putting out fires everywhere would not last long. Moreover, there might be experts in the Xiongnu army who could match Ji Bu. If they managed to entangle Ji Bu, who would come to his rescue if there was a crisis elsewhere?
“That’s true…” Zhang Liang understood why Li Zuoche wanted to learn that domineering aura at this time. Cultivating immortality is not something that can be accomplished overnight, but this domineering aura is extremely easy to learn. Once you learn it, you will immediately have more self-protection power.
"Rest assured, both of you. The morale of the army is high, and we will definitely hold the line tonight. It's just a matter of how many men die. Look! General Ji has slain another ghost general! He's truly comparable to the Overlord!"
Han Xin clenched his fists. He had also learned the domineering style from Ji Bu, but because he was in charge of commanding the defense of the city, he was not allowed to personally fight the enemy, so he could only watch.
"Comparable to the Overlord? Heh." Ji Bu smiled bitterly. Putting aside the cultivation of domineering aura, just in terms of combat skills and experience, he had only barely reached the level of the Overlord a year ago after decades of practice. How could someone his age dare to compare himself to a young man?
To cope with this crisis, Ji Bu merged with his clone from the sixth plane. Both Ji Bus cultivated domineering aura, and the one from the sixth plane cultivated it for more than a year. So it's only now that he has become a royal-level expert with domineering aura protecting him. There's really nothing to be proud of.
Of course, Ji Bu of the sixth plane is already in his twilight years, so even with a seventeen-fold time acceleration, his cultivation won't be very fast.
After the fusion, Ji Bu calculated the time to cultivate for a few more days in the sixth plane, barely breaking through to the Emperor Realm and possessing an invincible aura protecting his body.
However, at this time, Ji Bu was not yet particularly skilled at using his domineering aura to protect himself. It was only after the battle to hold off the enemy at the rear north of Yanmen that he finally consolidated his imperial realm.
In that battle, the cloaked Xiongnu soldiers were no match for Ji Bu. Then a ghost general came and killed him, and three more ghost generals came to attack him, but he beheaded them all.
Finally, five more came. Ji Bu figured that he had stalled for time, so he decisively retreated, taking the heads of four ghost generals with him.
Ji Bu could have been far ahead of the Xiongnu in the race, but instead of rushing back to Yanmen, he would occasionally launch a surprise attack, scaring the Xiongnu soldiers into not daring to pursue too quickly. Three of his ghost generals were beheaded by him when they tried to surround him, so it was no exaggeration to say that the Xiongnu soldiers were not afraid.
However, Maodun never appeared. Ji Bu analyzed that either Maodun himself was not as strong as these monsters, or he was extremely powerful but arrogant and disdainful of fighting him, putting on airs as the Xiongnu Chanyu.
Indeed, Maodun always believed that only Xiang Yu was worthy of his personal attention, and even Ji Bu, who was invulnerable to swords and spears, was nothing more than a slightly stronger ant in his eyes.
At this very moment, the strong ants in Maodun's eyes were scurrying back and forth on the city wall, taking care of those Xiongnu experts one by one. Among them were two particularly troublesome individuals whose strength was comparable to that of ghost generals, but they were dressed in the clothes of ordinary soldiers.
However, Ji Bu did not see any of the five ghost generals who had tried to kill him when he broke through the encirclement, which gave Ji Bu a vague sense of foreboding.
Perhaps the Xiongnu were waiting for the right moment, waiting until they were most tired in the middle of the night before making their move?
Thinking of this, Ji Bu gradually reduced the number of times he attacked. His stamina potions were not particularly abundant, and even if he could get through tonight, there would be tomorrow night. He had to make long-term plans.
But soon, Ji Bu had to fight with all his might. His soldiers had learned the domineering aura, but they could only deal with ordinary ghost soldiers. Once several elite ghost soldiers and ghost generals climbed the city walls, the defense line would be torn open immediately.
If left unchecked, even more ghost soldiers will rush onto the city wall, and countless lives will be lost before this section of the wall can be retaken.
However, during the battle, Ji Bu also discovered that there seemed to be other hidden masters or so-called geniuses in the army. Although they had not reached the Emperor Realm with their domineering aura, they were already very skilled at using their explosive power.
Otherwise, the city would probably have been breached long ago. After nightfall, not only did the number of monsters increase dramatically, but also many elite ghost soldiers and even more ghost generals appeared.
At first, the monsters were very arrogant and underestimated the Chu army, so they only attacked the nearest northern side, and very few went around to attack the east and west sides. Moreover, most of them were concentrated near the northern city wall.
However, as the Xiongnu's attacks were gradually thwarted, more and more monsters attempted to bypass the city and break through the encirclement. At this point, Ji Bu alone was simply not enough to provide relief.
Moreover, the situation will only worsen over time. If there were three Ji Bus each guarding a section of the city wall, dealing with the Xiongnu's ghost-general-level powerhouses, there might still be a chance of fighting back, but now...
"How much longer until dawn?" Han Xin stared intently at the sky.