Jorik’s voice snapped Gwendolyn out of her daze. She subconsciously raised her hand, pinching a gemstone between her index and middle fingers, and looked forward with a vigilant expression.

  With one look, Gwendolyn was instantly stunned.

  A hundred meters ahead, a woman sat under the shade of a tree, leaning against the trunk, looking at them with a placid gaze.

  The woman's skin was as pale as ice and snow, and her long black hair shone like obsidian, cascading down from her ivory forehead to obscure half her face. Her lips were as vivid and alluring as fresh blood.

  What was even more surprising was that she wore a tight-fitting black evening gown that perfectly accentuated the curves of her body. While it couldn't be described as overly provocative, it gave off a wondrous feeling—add a fraction and it would be too much; take a fraction away and it would be lacking.

  The afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves and dappled over the woman, making her look like a beautiful phantom that didn't belong to the mortal realm.

  Jorik and the other three exchanged glances, unanimously raising their guard to the absolute maximum.

  Encountering a beautiful lady dressed like this in the middle of a desolate forest was incredibly bizarre no matter how they looked at it.

  Facing the wary gazes of the four, the woman merely smiled faintly. Her impeccably exquisite facial features carried an elegant and composed expression. Her crimson eyes swept over the group and finally landed on Gwendolyn. After staring for a few seconds, a flash of surprise seemed to cross her eyes.

  Gwendolyn didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she thought she saw the woman's nose twitch slightly.

  "What a rare scent."

  The woman's gaze toward Gwendolyn revealed a hint of profound interest.

  "Among all the humans I have encountered, the scent of your blood easily ranks in the top five."

  As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the three Wizards changed drastically.

  Jorik's face grew even more tense, as if facing a mortal enemy. He stared dead at the woman and spoke in a deep voice, "A Vampire?"

  The woman glanced at him and smiled faintly, tacitly admitting it.

  Gwendolyn sharply inhaled a breath of cold air.

  No wonder this woman's temperament and appearance were so outstanding, and she possessed a pair of blood-red eyes. She was actually a Vampire!

  There were countless, myriad varieties of Undead. However, it was generally recognized that Liches stood at the absolute apex of the Undead hierarchy, and Vampires ranked almost immediately below them.

  Vampires also possessed independent consciousness, making them high-tier Undead with both formidable power and lucid rationality.

  They were intelligent, cunning, insidious, and cruel. They possessed immense physical strength, moved like the wind, and boasted terrifying regenerative abilities. Furthermore, they commanded various spell-like abilities. They were the absolute elites among the Undead and often carried themselves as aristocrats.

  A Vampire that had lived for two to three hundred years possessed strength rivaling that of a Rank 2 Wizard at the bare minimum.

  If it were an ancient Vampire that had lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, even Rank 5 or Rank 6 Wizards wouldn't dare provoke them.

  Knowing that the woman before them was a Vampire, the expressions of Jorik, Jocelyn, and the others turned incredibly solemn.

  "There is no need to be tense."

  Seeing their wariness and vigilance, the woman smiled slightly.

  "I am merely sitting here resting. I will not do anything to you."

  Pausing here, her crimson eyes shifted to Gwendolyn, and a smile curled the corners of her lips.

  "Of course, if possible... lovely maiden, could you spare me a little of your blood?"

  "Rest assured, I won't take it for free. I can pay you. Hmm, let me think... how about a Purified Soul Crystal?"

  Hearing that the Vampire before her wanted her blood, Gwendolyn couldn't suppress a shudder of revulsion. But upon hearing the second half of the sentence, her eyes instantly lit up.

  A Purified Soul Crystal!

  That was an incredibly precious treasure!

  A single Soul Crystal could quadruple her meditation efficiency all the way until she advanced to a formal Wizard.

  However, these items were extremely rare, and crafting them was incredibly difficult. Generally, aside from the Devils of Hell and the Demons of the Abyss, only High-Tier Wizards knew how to refine them.

  "Do you really have a Purified Soul Crystal?" Gwendolyn couldn't help but ask.

  The woman smiled radiantly and said, "Despite my appearance, I am actually a Wizard as well."

  The moment these words left her lips, Gwendolyn and the three Wizards were utterly astounded.

  A Vampire Wizard?

  What kind of combination was that?

  The four exchanged bewildered glances, unable to hide the shock on their faces.

  However, thinking about it carefully, as one of the rare high-tier Undead that maintained lucid rationality, it didn't seem entirely impossible for a Vampire to become a Wizard.

  In fact, due to their extraordinarily long lifespans, they possessed a significantly greater advantage on the path of a Wizard compared to humans.

  Even if their innate aptitude was a bit lacking, they could completely make up for it with time.

  But theory was just theory; none of the four had ever heard of the existence of a Vampire Wizard before.

  They had no idea if the woman before them was lying.

  Seemingly reading their thoughts, the woman smiled faintly. A sudden wave of energy surged from her body.

  As fellow Wizards, Jorik's trio immediately recognized it as the unique mental force field of a Wizard. All doubts vanished from their hearts instantly.

  This woman truly was a Wizard!

  Moreover, judging from the intensity of her mental fluctuations, her level absolutely vastly exceeded theirs.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Seeing this, Jorik and the others exchanged a look and lowered their defensive postures.

  It wasn't because they had confirmed the woman harbored no ill intent, but rather because her dual identity as a Vampire and a High-Tier Wizard meant her power was overwhelmingly superior to theirs.

  If she truly wanted to harm them, she could likely crush them with a single finger. Any guard they put up would be utterly futile.

  Gwendolyn also understood this point. Her eyes darted around, and without hesitation, she nodded. "Alright, I'll trade with you."

  A little bit of blood for a Purified Soul Crystal—this trade was simply too good to pass up.

  Although she didn't know why the Vampire Wizard before her was letting her take such a massive advantage.

  Perhaps high-quality blood was extremely important to Vampires?

  "How much blood do you need?"

  "Two hundred milliliters will suffice."

  Gwendolyn took out a clean small vial and was about to get to work when she saw the woman smile faintly.

  "There's no need for such trouble."

  The woman raised a pale finger and crooked it slightly. Gwendolyn suddenly felt the back of her right hand grow warm. Wisps of blood mist seeped out from her pores, gathering in mid-air into a sphere of blood before flying toward the woman.

  By the time the blood reached the woman, it had already condensed into a crystal-clear, crimson bead.

  The woman extended her pale fingers, pinched the blood bead, and gently placed it into her lips. Her movements were composed and elegant, like an aristocrat savoring a fine vintage wine.

  A moment later, the woman's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a captivating smile.

  "The taste is indeed exquisite."

  With a flick of her finger, a streak of silver light flew toward Gwendolyn.

  "Thank you for the hospitality. Here is the promised payment."

  Gwendolyn hurriedly caught it. Looking down, she saw an irregularly shaped, entirely silver crystal resting in her palm, refracting dazzling light under the sun.

  Gently rubbing the crystal, Gwendolyn could feel the pure and massive soul energy contained within it.

  This was one of the energies closest to the origin of the world.

  Jorik took a few glances and nodded slightly. "It is indeed a Soul Crystal."

  Jocelyn and the other Wizard looked on with slight envy.

  A Purified Soul Crystal was an equally rare and precious resource for them.

  Just this small Purified Soul Crystal could easily increase their mental energy by one or two levels.

  Crucially, it had absolutely no side effects, and it would even make condensing their mental power much easier when they broke through in the future.

  It was a pity this Vampire Wizard didn't fancy their blood, otherwise, they would have happily made a trade as well.

  Gwendolyn joyfully put away the Soul Crystal and smiled at the woman. "Thank you."

  "You are welcome. It was merely a transaction," the woman smiled. "You are heading forward, correct? Be careful. The mountain paths ahead are treacherous and difficult to navigate."

  The words seemed to carry a hidden meaning. Jorik and the others wanted to ask more, but the woman had already lowered her eyelids.

  Seeing this, they knew better than to disturb her further. They bypassed the woman and continued their journey.

  It wasn't until they had walked quite a distance that Jocelyn suddenly spoke up. "That person back there... she should be a denizen of another plane."

  Jorik nodded slightly. "Most likely."

  The Turin Plane might have indigenous Vampires, but it was absolutely impossible for a Vampire Wizard to appear here.

  The woman just now could only have come from another plane.

  A powerful Planar Traveler!

  The same thought popped into everyone's mind simultaneously.

  Any individual capable of traveling alone between planes was, without exception, an entity possessing immensely terrifying power.

  Jocelyn looked at Gwendolyn and sighed, "You really lucked out this time."

  Gwendolyn touched the spatial ring on her finger and smiled, nodding.

  Her luck today had indeed been phenomenal.

  Who could have imagined that she would obtain a Purified Soul Crystal just by coming out to execute a routine mission?

  With this Purified Soul Crystal, she was confident she could advance and become a formal Wizard within three months.

  The rest of the journey proceeded in silence.

  Although they could tell the Vampire Wizard harbored no malice, out of caution, the group still traveled a considerable distance further before finding a clearing to rest for a short while.

  Jorik and the other Wizard set up warning traps in the surroundings.

  Jocelyn summoned an Unseen Servant and began building a campfire to cook food.

  Gwendolyn took out the magic map from her spatial ring to calculate the remaining distance.

  A short while later, Jorik's trio sat down, and Gwendolyn finally spoke, "According to the map, we are still about thirty kilometers away from our destination. There is no tree cover around the target area; it will be quite difficult to approach silently."

  "It doesn't matter," Jorik said dismissively. "It's just a supply point. At most, there will be one or two Rank 1 Priests. With our strength, we can just push through head-on."

  Jocelyn and the other Wizard nodded in agreement.

  Gwendolyn had no objections either.

  Among the three Wizards in the squad, Jorik was at the Rank 1 Crystalline Phase, and the other two were both at the Rank 1 Liquid Phase Limit.

  To be honest, if it weren't for taking her safety into consideration, this lineup would be more than enough to assault a weaker Turin fortification. They didn't even need to be assigned a minor mission like destroying a supply point.

  Having finalized their operational plan, the group's conversation shifted back to White Ice City.

  "House Monroe's actions are becoming more and more brazen. These days, they don't even bother hiding it anymore. They're openly using the banner of 'strategic necessity' to force everyone to search for the whereabouts of the Silver Frost Dire Wolf."

  "Since it concerns their family bloodline, House Monroe will definitely exert their full strength. Right now, more than half of the Wizards in White Ice City are either from House Monroe or their vassals. Even the Councilor belongs to the Bloodline Faction. White Ice City has practically fallen entirely under House Monroe's control."

  "If we had known it would be like this, we wouldn't have come to White Ice City."

  "Actually, it's not that bad. At least House Monroe doesn't force people to work for free; they're willing to pay Merit Points out of their own pockets. Furthermore, the war against the Turins here is going very smoothly; we hold the complete upper hand. Compared to Red Maple City, White Ice City is actually much safer."

  The four chatted casually until they had their fill. After resting for a little longer, they set off once again.

  Ten kilometers passed in the blink of an eye.

  When the silhouette of the encampment appeared in their line of sight, the four unanimously lightened their footsteps.

  "Are you ready?" Jorik turned his head and asked.

  Seeing the three nod, he immediately made a hand signal.

  Instantly, the four dropped their invisibility. Spell halos swirled around their bodies as they cast enhancement buffs on themselves in a flash, then charged toward the camp like loosed arrows.

  "Enemy attack!"

  Almost the exact moment they burst out of the tree line, the Turin sentries spotted them and immediately sounded the alarm.

  Sizzle!

  Amidst a piercing shriek tearing through the air, a scorching red ray punctured a sentry's forehead, instantly reducing his entire head to a charred husk.

  The curtain on the battle was thus drawn. In the very next second, overwhelming flames and frost crashed down upon the camp like a tidal wave.

  The entire camp was instantly plunged into chaos.

  Under the fierce assault of the three Wizards, the Turin garrison troops were quickly routed.

  Gwendolyn followed closely behind the trio, her lips pressed tightly together. Spotting clusters of Turin soldiers, she flicked her wrist and unleashed Gemstone Magic, blasting them off their feet.

  Under her bombardment, the Turin soldiers were entirely unable to organize an effective defense.

  Whoosh!

  A freezing current of air suddenly surged out, suppressing the flames ravaging the camp.

  "It's a Winter Frost Priest!"

  Jorik's gaze hardened as he looked at a figure walking out of a stone house not far away.

  To his surprise, there was only one Winter Frost Priest there.

  But when his eyes landed on the Priest's sleeve, Jorik's face drastically changed color.

  Four snowflake patterns!

  A Rank 4 Priest!

  Gwendolyn and the other two quickly noticed it as well, all of them paling simultaneously.

  Why would a Rank 4 Priest be at a mere supply point?!

  This was a powerhouse capable of fighting a Rank 2 Wizard to a standstill!

  Recovering his wits, Jorik roared without a second's hesitation:

  "RUN!"

  The moment the word left his lips, a blinding arc of electricity shot out from his palm, flying straight at the Rank 4 Priest.

  Lightning Bolt!

  A mocking sneer surfaced on the Rank 4 Priest's face. He slightly raised his hand, and a speck of ice crystal shot out, colliding with the lightning bolt mid-air and neutralizing it completely.

  But when he looked back at where Jorik had been standing, he found the area already shrouded in thick, billowing fog.

  "A bunch of cunning rats."

  The Rank 4 Priest let out a mocking chuckle.

  "You cannot escape the palm of my hand."

  Sprinting wildly along the mountain path through the forest, the expressions on the faces of Jorik's squad were as ugly as could be.

  Under normal circumstances, let alone a mere supply point, even a standard Turin fortification would be garrisoned by a Rank 3 Priest at most.

  Only an extremely small number of vital fortifications had Rank 4 Priests guarding them.

  Powerhouses of this caliber rarely appeared in the battlefield buffer zone anymore.

  Just how unlucky did they have to be to run straight into a Rank 4 Priest while assaulting a supply point?!

  For a moment, all four felt nothing but intense bitterness.

  Right at that moment, a whistling sound came from behind them.

  Simultaneously, a bone-chilling cold descended abruptly, instantly enveloping their entire bodies.

  Jorik and the others' expressions changed, and they looked back, only to see a massive storm of ice and snow sweeping toward them at breakneck speed.

  Wherever it passed, trees along the path were violently uprooted and sent flying. Dust and debris filled the air, the momentum absolutely terrifying.

  And right in the dead center of the storm was the Rank 4 Priest they had just encountered.