Spring arrived quickly. The early spring sunlight warmly shone upon the earth as Edward Lewis and Grace Young took a walk along the streets of their neighborhood. Perhaps because “blood slaves” are innately fearful of their masters, Grace Young never walked side by side with Edward Lewis, always following behind her. Edward Lewis sighed inwardly but felt helpless; her guilt toward Grace Young only deepened. Occasionally, when she looked back and saw Grace Young’s obedient appearance, she couldn’t help but feel a trace of pity and affection.

　　There was a person standing on the road. Edward Lewis saw him from afar and thought he was someone out for morning exercise, as there were many such people in this kind of neighborhood. The man stood there motionless; she assumed he was practicing qigong. Only when she got closer did she realize he was wearing a Daoist robe, exuding the aura of a cultivator. Edward Lewis thought to herself, “Did he really come so quickly?” The man looked at Edward Lewis and said, “Such an evil power—seems like the aura of a king of zombies.” With a flick of his hand, several talisman flags flew from his sleeve and pinned themselves to the ground. Edward Lewis knew he had isolated this place from the outside world. The man cupped his hands toward Edward Lewis and said solemnly, “I am Emei’s Quentin. A few days ago in S City, someone performed a large-scale sorcery—was that your doing?” Edward Lewis nodded and said, “Yes, that was me. But you also—” Quentin raised his hand, stopping her from continuing: “No need to explain. Since you’ve committed such sins, you should have the courage to bear the consequences.” He bowed to the heavens and declared loudly, “Disciple of Emei, Quentin, today acts on behalf of heaven. I beg the heavens to forgive Quentin for taking lives again!” He looked back at Edward Lewis and said, “Are you ready? I’ll give you a chance to resist.” He summoned his flying sword—a green sword floated before him, its pale green light casting an eerie glow on his otherwise righteous face. Edward Lewis tried to explain, “Listen to me—” but Quentin gave her no chance: “No more words—go!” With a spell gesture, a streak of green light shot straight toward Edward Lewis. Instinctively, Edward Lewis dodged to the side, but suddenly remembered Grace Young behind her and thought, “Oh no!” Although Grace Young was a “blood slave,” her body was still that of an ordinary person, unable to evade such a swift attack. Sure enough, when Edward Lewis turned around, she saw the green light pierce through Grace Young’s chest. Grace Young coughed up a spray of blood and, like a falling leaf, gently collapsed to the ground.

　　Edward Lewis cried out, “Grace Young!” She rushed over and held her, letting out a long howl to the sky, revealing her vampire fangs and bat wings. She bent down to bite Grace Young’s neck, but saw Grace Young weakly shake her head, causing Edward Lewis to freeze. Grace Young trembled as she tried to pull out the necklace from her chest, but halfway through, her strength failed and her hand fell. Edward Lewis could no longer hold back; tears finally streamed down her face. She had always felt deep guilt toward Grace Young, and after seeing her kindness and gentleness, had developed a brotherly affection for this girl who was her blood slave. But today, Grace Young died because of her. An unbearable, overwhelming grief filled her, the pain of losing a loved one making her lose control.

　　Standing behind her, Quentin saw that he had accidentally killed an ordinary person and couldn’t help but feel some regret, but this did not diminish his resolve to “eliminate evil and uphold the Dao.” He formed a hand seal, silently reciting a spell, preparing to launch his next attack.

　　Edward Lewis slowly turned her head, her eyes now blood-red. Her hands were covered in Grace Young’s blood, which slowly gathered from the backs of her hands and fingers into her palms, forming a blood sphere that floated before her. She opened her mouth and sucked the blood sphere in—“Blood Refining Technique” was now fully activated. The red light in her eyes grew even stronger. “Blood Palm!” With a sharp shout, a massive blood-red palm print, ten meters in diameter, struck toward Quentin from midair. Quentin controlled his flying sword to meet it, but with a loud “bang,” his sword shattered into pieces and he spat out a mouthful of blood. The “Blood Palm” did not lose its momentum, continuing to surge forward and heavily striking the still-airborne Quentin, sending him flying back more than ten meters, crashing into his own talisman barrier, then bouncing back and tumbling several times in the air. Edward Lewis gave him no chance to recover. “Heaven-Flipping Golden Seal!” With a spell gesture, the orthodox Daoist technique “Heaven-Flipping Golden Seal,” under the power of her “Blood Refining Technique,” turned from gold to blood-red. A burst of red light, trailing a thin blood-colored tail, shot into the sky and struck the tumbling Quentin, shattering both him and his golden core into pieces.

　　As Quentin’s golden core shattered, a streak of green light shot out from the fragments and flew toward Mount Emei, but the grief-stricken Edward Lewis did not notice. She turned to look at Grace Young’s lifeless body on the ground, her face ashen. The girl who had obediently followed behind her just minutes ago now lay quietly on the ground. The stark contrast and the inescapable guilt plunged her heart into endless sorrow. Using Grace Young’s blood to activate the “Blood Refining Technique” and kill Quentin was, in a way, avenging her together with Grace Young. After standing in a daze for a long time, she walked to Grace Young’s side, took the necklace from her neck and put it on herself, then picked her up and flew toward the Qinling Mountains. Behind her, a powerful Nine Heavens Divine Thunder spell was unleashed, bolts of lightning crashing down from the sky, turning the ground within a radius of twenty zhang into scorched earth.