I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield Chapter 626 - 478: Ice Stele, Battle with the Vampire Again (Part 2)

"What a shame, we still don’t know the origins of these monsters." A flicker of regret appeared in Qin Tian’s eyes as he opened them.

Battle fragments filled his memories, yet not a single hint revealed where the monsters truly came from.

"Never mind, I’ll set that aside for the moment."

Shaking his head, Qin Tian dismissed the wandering thoughts.

Lifting his hand, spiritual energy stirred gently within him. The earth trembled abruptly, frozen ground twisting like it was guided by unseen forces. It gathered the scattered ice bones of the Ice God Tribe from the plains, returning them deep into the soil.

Even without knowing their precise burial rites, giving these fallen ancient warriors a proper rest showed deep respect.

Finishing this task, Qin Tian’s form blurred into motion, soaring quickly toward the spot etched in his memory.

That direction held a treasure, according to the Ice God warriors’ memories.

Before half an incense stick had burned, Qin Tian reached the place.

An ice mountain towering tens of meters loomed ahead, gleaming all over and radiating a piercing cold.

Peering through the dense ice, a fuzzy black shadow was faintly visible inside. Far bigger than typical monsters, the shape even in frozen stasis released an overwhelming, terrifying pressure.

Capping the ice mountain was an ice stele merged seamlessly with it.

Ancient carvings adorned the stele’s face, echoing the hidden scripts of the Ice Seal Gate, while giving off an icy, enigmatic vibe.

Though unclear on the ice stele’s nature, Qin Tian recalled a mighty Ice God sacrificing its core to power the stele, sealing away a top-level monster.

Clearly, this ice stele ranked as a priceless sealing artifact.

Right as Qin Tian prepared to approach the ice mountain, his sharp senses picked up an odd presence racing near. He halted, holding back, hid his energy, and shifted his eyes to the far horizon.

Moments later, a silhouette with massive black wings unfurled appeared before him.

The figure drifted down gradually, tucking away the dark wings, uncovering a ghostly pale face—nearly see-through, like it shunned all sunlight. Handsome features carried a chilling depth to the bones, especially the crimson eyes that probed Qin Tian with curious intent.

"I didn’t expect someone to arrive ahead of me." A mocking smirk tugged at the man’s lips, his voice raspy, "Let me introduce myself: I’m Karen Vladimir."

Qin Tian’s eyes tightened a bit, fixing on Karen’s black wings and ghostly yet striking face—the swirling blood aura and telltale wings screamed Vladimir Clan from the Nine Great Holy Bloods, famed worldwide as "Vampires."

"After a few years, I’m finally facing a Holy Blood Vampire again."

Qin Tian pondered in silence.

His Night Demon bloodline stemmed from a vampire viscount initially. Through multiple merges and upgrades, it had advanced to the Holy Blood tier of "Night Emperor’s Blood," matching the famed Cain Holy Blood in lineage purity.

Karen’s stare stayed glued to the ice stele crowning the mountain, obviously drawn by the same prize.

Of course, Qin Tian wouldn’t yield the ice stele without a fight. Both boasting elite bloodlines, only a head-on clash could settle which reigned supreme—his base or his enhanced version.

"Qin Tian."

Qin Tian stated his name steadily, rooted in position with no plans to budge.

"The surname Qin?"

An eyebrow arched on Karen, surprise sparking in his blood-red gaze, "You’re not from a Holy Blood Clan?"

Scanning Qin Tian thoroughly, disdain laced his words, "So even spotting me, you refuse to leave? Trying to flaunt your pointless pride and bravery before me?"

Qin Tian stayed quiet, meeting his look with calm steadiness—words were useless; raw power spoke loudest.

Qin Tian’s quietness sparked irritation in Karen’s eyes, prompting him to fall silent too.

With a flick of his hand, crimson bloodlight erupted from his palm, filling the air with a sharp, metallic stench.

"Foolish fool."

At those words, the bloodlight lunged at Qin Tian like a beast alive, the Vladimir Clan’s unique art—Boiling Blood Technique.

This technique pierced through any shield straight to the blood, forcing it into a furious boil.

Should it be any other descendant of Holy Blood, they could counter with their bloodline strength and spiritual power, yet when confronting a same-level spiritualist without Holy Blood, the torment of boiling blood upon impact would shatter most combat capabilities, or even trigger bodily detonation.

But the instant the bloodlight of the Boiling Blood Technique contacted Qin Tian’s frame, Karen’s face stiffened, the contempt on his lips evaporating instantly.

He sensed distinctly how his blood magic sank like a stone into the sea, not just failing to agitate Qin Tian’s blood but also unable to produce even the tiniest disturbance, as though quelled by a superior bloodline might!

"How is this possible?"

Karen’s eyes constricted, his countenance growing solemn.

Suddenly, a chilling thought struck him: might Qin Tian’s power vastly exceed his own?

Should the foe possess a far superior rank with an equally potent bloodline, the Boiling Blood Technique’s effect would diminish greatly or become utterly nullified.

Filled with uncertainty and wariness, Karen refrained from rash moves. His voice mellowed as he suggested a bargain: "It seems I underestimated you. In that case, let’s make a deal. I’ll take the ice stele, and in exchange, I can offer you other treasures—whether high-tier spiritual weapons or rare cultivation resources, whatever I can provide, we can negotiate. If I don’t currently have what you want, we can sign a contract now, and I promise to fulfill it later. As a direct lineage of the Vladimir Clan, I wouldn’t deceive you in this regard."

Hearing this, Qin Tian shook his head slowly. Truth be told, the vampire clan’s fame was rather tarnished, mostly from their blood-drinking ways, though their reliability wasn’t deemed lacking.

Still, he had no shortage of spiritual weapons or cultivation resources right now, and a sealing relic from an ancient lineage proved far more alluring.

Qin Tian responded resolutely, "Sorry, I want this ice stele too."

"Then there’s nothing more to discuss." Karen’s visage turned utterly grim, savage light flickering in his crimson eyes.

As a Holy Blood direct heir, he believed he’d already shown ample respect to the foe.

Even if the rival held a higher cultivation, defying stronger opponents was routine for Holy Blood; battle’s result remained unpredictable.

He lifted his hand, drawing a magic staff from his space ring. Crafted from pure black wood, the staff bore blood-red runes along its length, topped by a pigeon-egg-sized blood crystal that held swirling blood within, radiating intense dark power.

Vladimir Clan heirs typically pursued one of two battle styles: mastering vampire dominion over blood via blood magic to evolve into a blood mage commanding all blood flows.

Alternatively, leveraging the vampire’s agile form and sturdy build for melee, transforming into a spectral assassin.

Karen had clearly picked the first path, the staff serving as his prime tool for unleashing blood magic.

With the staff grasped, dark energy exploded around Karen, crimson bloodlight coiling like surging waves, the air’s bloody odor thickening sharply, even staining the snow below with pale red hues, as if his blood magic was corrupting the whole snowfield.

Right then, a fiercer dark presence burst forth from Qin Tian.

This presence, no longer held back, roused like an ancient beast from slumber, bearing imperial dignity that swept across the ice mountain’s vicinity.

Black torrents whirled about him, pulverizing descending snowflakes. Even more startling, golden demon markings emerged from his eye corners, crawling over his face like marks of an archaic sovereign, tracing down his jaw to his throat, glowing softly in gold while merging with his surrounding dark aura, evoking a dark monarch’s earthly advent.

The clashing dark presences in midair saw Karen’s blood-infused dark red force yield slightly to Qin Tian’s deep, sovereign dark aura.

Karen’s pupils shrank sharply, raw astonishment flashing in his gaze. The rival’s aura felt oddly akin yet fundamentally alien.

Qin Tian’s dark aura carried no blood stench, emanating icy grandeur instead, as if towering over every dark being. This clashing sensation unsettled him deeply.

"What bloodline does he have exactly?"

Doubts flooded Karen, an ominous premonition swelling inside him.