Chapter 165: Chapter 165: The Emperor’s Little Treasures
In one of the hundreds of grand castles within the Eternal City, Kate Dracula, the former Queen of Vampires, now appeared as a five-year-old child.
Once feared as the descendant of the progenitor Vlad Dracula, she was now known by many affectionate names—"Beloved Daughter of the Emperor," "The Emperor's Little Treasure," and "The Emperor's Princess."
Her title had changed, and so had her bloodline.
She was no longer Kate Dracula.
After Sam removed Vlad's influence from her blood and replaced it with his own essence, she became Sam's true daughter, in every sense.
At first, Kate had mixed feelings about being transformed into a child, but those concerns faded quickly.
The prospect of being able to stay with her father as much as she wanted, having endless free time to fool around, and being constantly spoiled by the most powerful being in the universe soon became irresistible.
Today, Princess Kate wandered through the magnificent golden halls of the castle, the glittering structures stretching as far as her eyes could see.
She wasn't alone.
Two little girls, no older than four, followed her around like eager chicks—Lily and Jane, Sam's half-sisters.
But Sam suspected that might soon change.
His entire existence had been altered beyond comprehension since becoming the progenitor of all races and the son of the Universal Tree.
He was even considering doing to Lily and Jane what he had done for Kate—retrace their bloodlines and make them his daughters.
However, there were complications.
Lily and Jane were far more special than they appeared, even more so than Kate, who carried half of the progenitor's blood.
The twins were born with unique innate abilities, a phenomenon that was both rare and mysterious.
Innate abilities are powers one is born with, but unique innate abilities—abilities never seen before—are even rarer.
Sam, for instance, had his Devour ability, a unique power only he possessed.
Just like him, Lily and Jane were also unique innate ability users.
Normally, people wouldn't awaken these abilities until they turned twelve, when they'd begin cultivating energy.
Yet, somehow, the twins were already able to use their powers, even without energy or cultivation, and without any control.
Sam suspected this had something to do with him.
It seemed narcissistic, but Nora had told him the twins had only started manifesting their abilities around the time he arrived in the cultivation world.
It was entirely possible that their premature awakening was linked to his presence.
This concerned Sam.
He worried that changing their bloodline to his could cause their powers to mutate further, growing beyond their already alarming potential.
Lily's ability, Dream Walker, allowed her to manipulate the Dream World to an unknown extent.
She could pull anyone or anything into a dream and control them however she pleased.
Sam even suspected that, given enough time and power, she might be able to pull entire worlds into her dream realm.
Then there was Jane's ability, Mirage Walker, which was similar yet opposite.
While Lily could bring the real world into her dreams, Jane's power allowed her to bring dreams into the real world.
Anything that existed in her dream could be made real.
Both abilities were terrifying, with the potential to warp reality itself.
Their only true limitation was their imaginations.
The idea of such power resting in the hands of two young girls was unsettling enough, but the thought of these abilities growing even stronger if he altered their bloodlines worried Sam deeply.
He wasn't afraid of losing control over them—he had the power to stop them if necessary, without harming them.
But he didn't want to act recklessly without first understanding more about their abilities.
Jane tugged on her big sister's sleeve.
"Big Sister Kate, I want to go to Big Brother," she said with a pout, her eyes wide with innocence.
Kate glanced at the crimson-haired little girl and smiled softly as she patted her head. "I know, Jane. I want to find Father too, but I don't know where he is."
"But we want to see Brother! We haven't seen him in days!" Lily protested, shaking her head in frustration.
Before Kate could say something to lift her spirits, she noticed something strange happening around them.
The golden road they were walking on began to shift, changing direction.
Buildings that had been blocking the newly formed path silently moved aside without making a sound.
Kate stared at the transformed golden walkway, now lined with herbal trees and plants decorating both sides.
'Wait... is the Eternal City responding to their words? Is it leading us to Father?' she quietly thought, her eyes fixed on the newly revealed path.
"Let's go find Father then," Kate said, reaching for the small pendant hanging around her neck.
As if responding to her thoughts, it glowed with a black and neon-blue light.
Suddenly, a figure made of pure darkness, with glowing blue eyes, appeared kneeling before the three princesses.
"You summoned us, Princess Kate?" the shadow soldier asked respectfully.
These were Sam's shadow soldiers, specially assigned to protect Kate.
The pendant around her neck was enchanted—if it ever sensed danger, it would summon millions of shadow soldiers and beasts to defend her.
Sam had gifted each member of his family a similar pendant with the same protective function, ensuring that if they were ever in danger, a legion of shadow soldiers and beasts would come to their aid.
Lily and Jane's pendants, however, had an additional feature.
They helped suppress their unique innate abilities, preventing them from manifesting uncontrollably, and would alert Sam if they ever did.
Kate glanced at the shadow soldier she had summoned. "Hmm, choose a good four-legged beast to carry us."
She could have flown there herself, but she couldn't leave the twins behind.
As their elder sister, she was responsible for looking after them—and definitely not because she was hoping for a reward from her father for doing so... definitely not.
"I understand," the shadow soldier replied.
Another dark figure detached itself from his form, taking shape as a large, wolf-like beast.
The creature stood seven feet tall, its fur shadowy and dense.
To an ordinary person, the sight of such a dangerous beast would have been terrifying, but to the girls, it was nothing more than a friendly, familiar pet.
The wolf let out a soft, almost endearing howl, as if trying to catch her attention, before lowering its body for the three princesses to climb onto its back.
Lily and Jane followed their elder sister, hopping on with Kate sitting between them, holding her tightly.
"Let's go, Kitty," Kate murmured, gently stroking the shadow beast's fur. In response, it gave a soft bark before dashing forward along the golden path laid out by the Eternal City.
...
In another part of the Eternal City.
Sam's wives—Lenora Fenrir and her sister Annora Fenrir, Mia Hasegawa and her elder sisters Nia and Sia Hasegawa, Helena, Nora, along with the three vampire countesses Lucia Frostine, Akira Kaminari, and Diana Telluris, and Sumire—were leisurely strolling through the Eternal City.
Initially, they had planned to visit the city's famous gardens, but when Sumire mentioned she was heading to the Altar of Nature, their curiosity was piqued, and they decided to accompany her.
They knew exactly who Sumire was.
On the Black Tortoise Continent, the spirits revered her as the Saintess.
Sumire, herself a powerful spirit, commanded immense respect from other spirits, nearly on par with Sam, the Great Emperor.
Her place in the spiritual hierarchy was clearly among the highest.
Sumire didn't object to them following her; after all, they were her husband's wives.
If it had been anyone else, they would never have been allowed near the sacred altar.
But for these women, they were, in essence, part of the same family, making them more than welcome.
Sumire thought of the Altar of Nature, and as if in response, a golden path appeared before her, leading to the sacred altar.
The path was adorned with lush gardens filled with spiritual and herbal plants, their vibrant greenery flourishing on either side.
Alongside the golden path, a small river flowed with spiritual energy, carrying colorful koi fish.
Above the water, a family of small, duck-like beasts gracefully floated, adding to the serene atmosphere.
As she took in the peaceful scene, Sumire felt a deep sense of tranquility, reluctant to ever leave this place.
The women accompanying her began to understand why their husband, Sam, had sealed off the Yin-Yang Continent.
The Eternal City was nothing short of a paradise—a heaven, a dreamland for any cultivator.
No one in their right mind would ever pass up such a precious treasure.
Had Sam left it open, countless cultivators would have flocked here, leading to endless wars, and in their pursuit of the Eternal City, they might have destroyed the entire continent.
The other reason for its isolation was clear: Sam had built the Eternal City exclusively for his family.
No one else was allowed to enter.
.
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