Roderic Locke spread his arms wide.
His muscles rippled and writhed beneath his skin.
The collapsed back was rapidly restoring itself, and the spine Evan Lin had shattered with a single kick was reconnecting at an astonishing speed.
All around him, the crimson glow grew even stronger.
An oppressive aura radiated from his entire body.
"The reason we Blood Clan are called Blood Clan is simple: blood is our core energy, while the body is just a container."
"If the container breaks, so be it. As long as the energy remains, any injury can be healed!"
Roderic Locke burst out laughing. Crimson light flickered on his fingertips, and with a casual wave, red glimmers suddenly appeared in the air.
Evan Lin felt his body being pulled by some invisible force. The power struck suddenly—not like ordinary qi, which is intangible but traceable.
The force Roderic unleashed felt more like a ripple in the air, wrapping around Evan, as if trying to completely envelop him.
"Once I devour your pill, I'll drain you dry!"
"I can feel it—your blood alone is enough for me to evolve!"
Roderic grinned wide, his fangs gleaming even sharper.
He clenched his hand, and Evan immediately felt the ripples intensify. All the energy converged inward, like a pair of hands closing, with Evan trapped at the center.
The ground around them shattered, rubble and floor tiles, even the beams overhead, all began to crack and break apart.
That intangible, formless ripple of energy was truly powerful.
Faye Zheng could see the entire house starting to distort, as if twisting along with Roderic's movements.
"Can't move now, can you!"
Roderic laughed wildly, his figure blurring as he appeared right in front of Evan.
"Stupid Easterner!"
"You have no idea what our true power is, and you definitely don't understand just how terrifying I am!"
"But it doesn't matter. In a moment, your blood will be completely drained. Don't worry, I won't let you die easily!"
Roderic's blood-red eyes gleamed with greed. "You'll obediently tell me where that pill came from, and for the rest of your life, you'll answer my call and become my slave!"
"I want you to supply me with energy forever! You'll never be able to live or die on your own terms!"
With those words, Roderic didn't hesitate any longer. He opened his mouth wide, razor-sharp fangs aiming straight for Evan's carotid artery.
He lunged down, eyes blazing with madness, going in for a bite.
Faye Zheng saw Evan Lin standing there, not dodging or moving, and her face changed dramatically. She suddenly leapt up from the ground and lunged toward him.
She tried to push Evan away, but as she got close, Faye was hit by the terrifying, twisting force surrounding him.
Invisible energy at that moment made Faye feel like she was suffocating.
"Let me taste your blood!"
Roderic's face twisted with madness; Faye was pale as a sheet. Old Master Zheng and Old Madam Zheng were utterly terrified.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Jason Zheng was full of delight. "Lord Roderic is truly unstoppable!"
"Go for it! Bite him! Bite him to death!"
Frank Chang, who had just been complaining about Roderic being useless, suddenly acted like a different person, jumping up and down with excitement.
Those razor-sharp fangs pressed right up against Evan's carotid artery.
The pointed tips glinted with a chilling, icy light.
But as the bite landed—
—the scene everyone expected didn't happen.
Evan didn't move—not even his hands twitched.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
"Lord Roderic?"
Jason Zheng waited a few seconds, and when Roderic didn't move, he finally asked timidly.
To everyone's eyes, Roderic had frozen in place mid-bite, not speaking, not moving.
"My teeth!"
A shrill scream rang out.
Roderic jumped three feet into the air.
Clutching his mouth, he smashed his head against the ceiling, shattering stone, bouncing around the room and stomping frantically.
"Lord Roderic, what's wrong with you?"
Jason's expression changed instantly, full of confusion.
"Stop clowning around! You foreigners are always such a hassle!"
Frank Chang was furious on the sidelines. "Just bite him already!"
"Bite him to death! Why are you jumping around like that?"
Frank looked furious, pointing at Roderic's face. His wrinkled face looked uglier than ever.
"Get lost!"
Roderic flashed over to Frank Chang and kicked him, sending him flying.
Frank let out a howl, his elderly body vanishing from everyone's sight.
"You!"
Roderic suddenly turned his head and let go of his hand.
Only then did everyone notice that Roderic's two razor-sharp fangs had been broken clean in half.
His mouth was covered in wounds, and the red glow on his body faded along with his broken fangs.
Even his once youthful skin began to age at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Your skin—it feels like stone!"
Roderic gritted his teeth. With his fangs broken, his aura plummeted, his speech whistled through the gaps, and he looked utterly unstable.
"Maybe you should blame your bad teeth."
Evan shook his head.
He had just activated the Gold Spirit Mortal Body's "Diamond-Unbroken." Evan was tougher than gold or stone—how could Roderic's tiny fangs possibly hurt him?
"You, Roderic of the so-called Blood Clan—don't you have any other moves?"
Evan glanced at him, voice calm: "If that's all you've got, you're way too weak."
"I'm disappointed."
Disappointed.
Hearing those words, Roderic's eyes went wide with fury.
"Lord Roderic!"
Jason Zheng saw Roderic's defeated look and grew frantic inside.
He didn't dare rush in to fight Evan himself, but this so-called Blood Clan Roderic was just too weak!
Actually, it wasn't that Roderic was weak—it was Evan who was too strong.
Roderic's fangs were extremely sharp, able to pierce countless things. But in the end, fangs are still fangs—they can't pierce gold or stone.
"Stupid Easterner! From today onward, my Blood Clan will never rest until you're dead!"
Roderic suddenly sprang up, grabbed Jason Zheng, and hurled him at Evan before turning and dashing for the door.
"Ah!"
Jason Zheng shrieked in terror.
What greeted him was the forceful energy swirling around Evan.
Evan didn't move, but the energy around him struck Jason clean in the face, sending him flying.
"Now you want to run?"
Evan glanced at Roderic, who had already reached the gates of the Zheng family compound, sneered, and snapped his fingers.