Chapter Sixty-One: The Independent Clan

"Europe!" Suddenly opening her eyes, a radiant gleam flashed across her moist, shining gaze. In the next instant, her figure vanished midair, and she appeared above a small town in Italy.

Landing quietly, Bing Yan gazed at the environment so starkly different from her homeland, stunned for a long while. Then, in a narrow alley, she found a young man and used the Chaos Reincarnation Eye; countless streams of information flooded her mind. When it was over, Bing Yan felt an urge to laugh aloud—she had never considered the Chaos Reincarnation Eye could be used this way. If everyone possessed such an ability, learning foreign languages would no longer be a challenge.

Of course, it was only a fleeting thought; how could everyone in the world master the Chaos Reincarnation Eye? Moreover, Bing Yan had already decided to use it sparingly. Why? With the Chaos Reincarnation Eye, she could discover much about the world—her enemy’s skill level, thoughts, and more. If she always relied on such knowledge during confrontations, mastery would be at her fingertips, but the opportunity to sharpen herself through true challenges would vanish. How could she ever progress further?

Thus, aside from occasionally using it to glean techniques from others, Bing Yan imposed strict self-restraint, rarely employing it. Naturally, she still allowed herself a glimpse at her opponents’ realms.

Having acquired the local language through unconventional means, she was momentarily uncertain about how to proceed. Guided by the faint aura emanating from the second Divine Dragon Cauldron, she flew toward the location of the third cauldron.

After about half an hour—since the cauldron’s aura was not strong—Bing Yan flew slowly, searching meticulously, until she found herself before a manor. It was grand, likely spanning several dozen acres.

Bing Yan sighed inwardly. Truly, the wealthy lived differently.

With a flicker, she slipped inside. No sooner had she entered than her nose wrinkled in distaste, as if confronted with an unpleasant situation. Who would have guessed that such a vast estate would be owned by beings other than humans?

Indeed, the manor’s masters were not human—they were vampires! Thinking of vampires, Bing Yan recalled the one she had rescued, named Luth. She had elevated his power to the rank of prince—a trivial matter for her, since vampires required only sufficient blood energy to ascend, a form of energy she could easily produce. With the Lingyu Purple Qi flowing within her, the highest energy state between heaven and earth, and her ability to absorb and transform spiritual energy at will, converting it to blood energy was effortless.

She had never imagined that a mere viscount could leap to the status of prince so quickly, making him utterly devoted to her. The memory made Bing Yan chuckle softly. "Goddess! He actually calls me Goddess. Should I feel proud, or should I feel sorrow?"

Thinking of Luth, she also remembered the self-important white-clad bishop. She could never fathom how those bird-like missionaries managed to inspire such devotion among so many.

Yet, if this manor belonged to Luth’s clan, matters would be simpler—the quest for the Divine Dragon Cauldron would be effortless. But she knew she was just daydreaming; the vampire clans were many, likely numbering over a hundred, with the largest thirteen being closest in lineage to the progenitor, Cain.

These thirteen clans—Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, Ventrue, Lasombra, Tzimisce, Smith Independent Clan, Assamite, Setite, Giovanni, Ravnos, Cappadocian—represented the vampire race. Though rife with internal strife, they stood united against outsiders, which explained their dominance in the Dark Council.

But sometimes fate is strange. While Bing Yan pondered, the sound of movement surrounded her; a host of vampires encircled her tightly. "Ah... I was careless," she thought, preparing to vanish. She hadn’t expected their vigilance to be so acute. But then she noticed the leader was someone she knew—Luth, whom she had once aided.

It seemed this manor belonged to Luth’s Smith Independent Clan.

At that moment, Luth saw Bing Yan, his eyes alight with excitement. He immediately ordered the vampires to disperse, then approached Bing Yan and bowed respectfully. "Luth did not know the Goddess would come; I failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive me."

Bing Yan was momentarily unsure how to respond, so she merely nodded lightly.

"Luth, I didn’t expect you to hold such sway here," Bing Yan teased, recalling how his casual gesture had sent the others away.

"It’s all thanks to the Goddess’s blessing. Without you, I would never possess such power, nor this status. Though I am the eldest son, I was only a mid-ranking vampire before." Bing Yan agreed; the vampire society was one of survival of the fittest—power ruled.

"Goddess, may I speak further?" Luth asked eagerly.

"Oh?" Bing Yan made no comment, maintaining her distant, icy demeanor.

"My family elders were intrigued by my sudden surge in strength after visiting the East, so I told them about meeting the Goddess, warning them never to step into the East. Now that you’re here yourself, I hope you will consent to meet my elders," Luth said timidly, unsure if she would be angered by his actions.

Bing Yan was not so petty, and she herself needed the vampires’ assistance. With the support of the Smith Independent Clan, finding the Divine Dragon Cauldron would be much easier. She nodded.

She did not fear the vampires trying to keep the cauldron for themselves; it would be useless to them without Eastern bloodlines and cultivation abilities.

Seeing her assent, Luth relaxed, eagerly inviting Bing Yan to the manor’s main hall.

It was not surprising Luth believed Bing Yan to be a goddess. With her strength at the nascent stage of Immortal Emperor, it was not an exaggeration—at least in mortal eyes, immortals are gods. But Bing Yan dared not claim such a title for herself. Regardless of her acceptance, even if she was born female and had reached the Immortal Emperor stage, she would not presume herself a goddess. The laws of the world were manifold; she had only grasped their surface. Perhaps only after passing the divine tribulation and becoming a true deity could she rightly bear the title "Goddess."

As they walked, Bing Yan hovered in midair. Luth’s conviction grew stronger. For a vampire, flight depended on leathery wings; Bing Yan floated effortlessly, with no detectable energy response—what but divine power could explain it?

He could not know that Eastern cultivators, upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage, could harness spiritual energy to levitate. If he ever encountered such cultivators, he would not know how many "gods" to worship.

In a narrow, secret chamber, Bing Yan sat at a table with the Smith Independent Clan’s ruling vampires.

She observed the seven before her: two princes and five dukes. One prince was Luth, the other, unsurprisingly, was the clan leader. Now she understood how Luth had gained such authority—princes were rare among vampires.

The clan leader’s face was aged, furrowed like deep ravines, and Bing Yan could not guess his age. A hundred years? Surely much more—perhaps five or six centuries.

Yet she rather enjoyed their reverent gazes.

"Goddess, we heard you bestowed Luth with power, elevating him to prince?" The elderly prince stared at her, eyes shining with unprecedented fervor. Bing Yan nodded, and he grew more excited. "Then, might you—"

She interrupted him, producing a Divine Dragon Cauldron. "If you can find me another cauldron identical or similar to this one, I will grant you each an increase of at least one rank in power." The temptation was surely irresistible, Bing Yan thought with satisfaction. Elevating a few vampires cost her nothing. With the whole clan’s help, finding the cauldron would be much easier.

The old prince’s eyes widened so dramatically it seemed they might fall out. Was there truly such fortune in the world? He wondered where he might find such a cauldron.

Wait! Suddenly he shuddered; he remembered seeing such a cauldron in the warehouse. At the time, he thought it useless and tossed it aside.

Now he cursed his own foolishness. Clearly, the cauldron was extraordinary, though its uniqueness was unclear. Now it was tied to the interests of himself and the entire clan, and was of critical importance. If only he could find it... Bing Yan’s words echoed: "If you can find me another cauldron identical or similar to this one, I will grant you each an increase of at least one rank in power."

One rank! At least!

"Ancestor Cain, bless us. Let it still be there!" The old prince immediately ordered a search of the warehouse. Half an hour later, a servant returned, cheeks flushed, carrying the cauldron before the old prince and Bing Yan.

Bing Yan was elated—this was it, the third Divine Dragon Cauldron!

The vampires were equally jubilant, now hoping Bing Yan would keep her promise.

She did not display her joy outwardly; the vampires watched her anxiously.

At last, she spoke. "Yes, this is it! I have sought it for so long. As thanks—"

With a wave of her hand, several streams of spiritual energy flowed into the bodies of the vampires.