Besides the portrait, there was also a small statue of the Duke, depicted as wise and valiant, vividly lifelike.
However, Chu Yi suspected this was an embellished representation.
Chu Yi took a deep breath. Gray mist billowed and obscured his figure. Accompanied by a splatter of blood, an entire human skin floated out, transforming into an exquisite Soul-Calling Banner.
Having absorbed a substantial number of souls, the Soul-Calling Banner had now reached level 40 and could proceed to its next stage of evolution.
Although there were numerous evolution paths, the core materials required were exceedingly rare, some even unheard of: an Ancient God’s Skull, a Necromancer Divine Format, Nether River Water...
If events unfolded according to the dictates of fate, perhaps some of these core materials would appear during the Divine War.
Taking out a portrait, Chu Yi narrowed his eyes. As he activated the Soul-Calling Banner, ancient characters on its surface began to writhe, and a terrifying aura spread out, intent on capturing the soul depicted in the portrait.
This duchy must be annihilated. Otherwise, they will continually cause trouble, bringing no small amount of distress.
"Are you saying that Count Janet’s daughter, using that Holy Relic, has undergone a bloodline mutation, now calls herself the Blood Race Queen, and has declared war on my duchy?"
A portly noble with a full beard, wrapped in a luxurious brocade robe, sat on a throne, squinting. All ten of his fingers were adorned with exquisite jeweled rings. He raised a goblet of wine infused with Mithril, took a large gulp, and then spoke, his voice laced with discontent.
The hall itself was extravagantly luxurious, gleaming with golden light, as if meticulously crafted like a rare treasure. The floor was paved with gold bricks, overlaid with the finest crocodile skin. Chandeliers, assembled from clusters of rare jewels, emitted a dazzling halo. The walls were inlaid with emeralds, agates, black gold, and other precious materials.
Beneath the throne, several ministers reported the latest news.
This time, to test the two heirs, certain disobedient nobles within the duchy had been designated as rebels.
Clearly, the ultimate goal of the greedy Duke was to seize the wealth they controlled.
For instance, there was Count Columbus’s Fishing Island, renowned for its succulent and tender Gem Fish, which could even spit pearls. Then there were Count Magister’s gold mines, rich in mineral resources with a chance of yielding rare Magic Ore, and Viscount Shu Jin’s Wind-Fur Meadow, home to ornamental Pet Beasts like three-tailed spirit cats, Wind-Rolling Grass, and Fur Balls.
He was the Duke to whom they had pledged their loyalty! Yet, they hadn’t offered these things to honor him and had even dared to feign compliance while secretly defying his orders. It was simply too much!
As for Janet, a minister revealed that she had acquired a Holy Relic from the ruins of the Holy City on the Nether River, which was why she had been targeted.
"Ha, what a Janet!" the Duke snorted coldly. He then bit into a large, honey-drenched chicken drumstick handed to him by a maid. He ate with greasy abandon, and another maid wiped his mouth with the finest pearl silk, for which he showed no regard despite its preciousness.
"During the last levy, the Janet family had defaulted on a payment of three hundred gold dragons! They were undoubtedly hiding this money, secretly forging arms and armor, clearly intending to rebel!" a similarly corpulent minister leaped forward, angrily denouncing Kane. He called Kane a shameless, despicable, and sordid fellow for daring to defy the Duke’s orders and evade taxes, declaring he truly deserved the gallows.
At once, the ministers, too, were filled with righteous indignation. They condemned Kane for his ingratitude and cursed his daughter for daring to declare war on their Duke—a ruler known for his benevolence, compassion, philanthropy, and justice! Did she truly fancy herself some legendary hero?
"Rebels like him should be nailed to the cross and judged by the great Progenitors! Let him be exposed to the scorching Twilight Sun for seven days and nights!"
"Back then, Kane had been a wanderer from foreign lands, and it was our merciful and philanthropic Duke who had taken him in! Now, he dared to betray the Duke? How utterly disappointing!"
"Hmph, like father, like daughter! She’s an ungrateful wretch, just like him!"
The assembled ministers, having apparently found their target, began a barrage of curses.
In the corners stood the Duke’s two sons.
The First Prince, Laine, his seaweed-like black hair draped behind him, watched the clamorous hall with an expressionless face.
He had never imagined that a single, careless misstep would lead to the deaths of two Marquises in battle and cause a host of loyal nobles to switch their allegiance to others.
And that wasn’t all. He was the First Prince, of noble lineage, the Duke’s eldest son; there were still ministers who supported him.
But that bitch, now calling herself the Blood Race Queen, had declared war on the Rein Duchy!
This act had directly infuriated the Duke.
This caused Laine’s already precarious support to plummet instantly; even the other ministers now dared not openly associate with him.
Kane, Lias, and those human factions supporting you... I will make you pay the price! Laine clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms as he gritted his teeth.
Opposite him stood the Second Prince, Leibo. Dressed in clean clothes, he looked young and somewhat naive, curiously glancing around, yet a profound light glinted in the depths of his eyes.
He could hardly hide his glee.
His elder brother had recklessly caused the loss of two Marquises in succession. This blunder allowed Leibo to capitalize on the situation; the future position of Duke was surely his!
If he performed well in the upcoming Divine War, and if he could attract the Progenitors’ favor and receive their divine blessings, he would ascend directly to the pinnacle of power.
This time, he truly had to thank the Janet family for their unwitting ’assist.’ He also felt fortunate that the nobles he had been assigned to deal with were so compliant.
Suddenly, within the hall, a golden light flickered. Runes soared into the air, and an eerie aura rushed in, quickly permeating the space.
The phenomenon moved with incredible speed. Almost at the same instant the hall’s Defense Runes flared to life, Leibo felt an icy chill shoot up from the base of his spine as an overwhelming, irresistible terror descended upon him.
This... is it targeting me?
Leibo’s pupils turned blood red as his Blood Energy surged, activating his bloodline talent.
But in his field of vision, the void fractured, and a skeletal hand, emerging from what seemed like the deepest abyss, shot out. It seized him, holding him fast as it moved to capture his soul.
The irresistible force made Leibo’s head spin, his thoughts scattered. The light of his soul, like a guttering candle flame, was being dragged out of his body.
With the Soul-Calling Banner having reached level 40 (its current limit), the Soul Capturing Spell it unleashed had also grown significantly more potent. Unless one possessed an artifact specifically designed to protect the soul, none beneath the Dawn Star rank could hope to escape it.
"Hmm?" The Duke, still disgruntled, sensed a wisp of cold air drift past. He looked sharply towards the hall’s entrance. Could some terrifying entity be paying a visit? he wondered.
The Defense Runes arrayed around the hall began to ooze blood, their light dimming to nothing.
"What’s going on? Has someone arrived?" several ministers exclaimed, realizing something was wrong, though they couldn’t pinpoint what.
It wasn’t until Leibo’s figure wavered, and he staggered a few steps before slowly collapsing to the ground—an event that went unnoticed by most at first—that he finally drew the attention of many.
"Master Leibo, are you alright?" a minister hurried forward. But in the next instant, an icy chill enveloped him. Runes flared once more, and countless bats materialized, swarming as if to block some unseen force.
Within the minister’s fading vision, a skeletal hand tore through the void, seized his soul, and dragged it out as effortlessly as one might snatch a chick.
At this moment, the Blood Race nobles present finally realized something was terribly wrong.