Monster Girl Development Master.

But Zhuang Sen never imagined that Count Cross would go so far as to indiscriminately slaughter everyone—his Minister of Justice was unfortunately riddled with arrows! This inhumane massacre would undoubtedly cause Count Cross's legitimacy to plummet, while Zhuang Sen's legitimacy would be infinitely elevated. He would go from a patricide and usurper to a hero who sacrificed his own family to save the people. That's the ultimate move, my friend, the ultimate move.

Although it's unclear whether Count Cross was inherently mentally challenged or if the mutation affected his brain, we should at least be grateful for nature's bounty!

Zhuang Sen spread his wings and flapped them forcefully to gain momentum. He swung his warhammer, which struck the blood shadow that Count Kross had transformed into. The hammer head collided with the sword blade, and the holy fire and black mist intertwined, creating a deafening roar.

Zhuang Sen's eyes widened, the throbbing pain in his hands bewildering him: "Holy crap, the stats are changing so fast, killing people can level up, right?"

This is of course impossible. It was just a little trick by the Blood Order. The magic circle, which was nourished by a large amount of blood, temporarily strengthened Count Kross, thus overpowering Zhuang Sen, whose buffs had already begun to wear off.

Purification!

Zhuang Sen instantly used his most proficient ability, causing Count Kross, who was preparing to press his advantage, to be stunned again. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhuang Sen began to stack buffs on himself again, but after only stacking two, Count Kross transformed back into a blood shadow and appeared behind him. The stench of blood gave away his arrival. Zhuang Sen already knew that he was now at a numerical disadvantage, so he naturally did not think of turning around to fight back as before. Instead, he dove down and landed on the ground.

Count Cross, undeterred by his missed attack, stepped back into the shadows and instantly appeared beside Zhuang Sen. His longsword pierced through Zhuang Sen's exposed wing, leaving a puncture wound. Bright red blood gushed from the wound, and Count Cross, whose figure had been exposed by the attack, clearly swallowed and began licking the blood from his blade.

"That's amazing, Zhuang Sen, your blood...it's incredible!"

Count Cross, who believed he had the victory in his grasp and whose plan had been completely exposed, no longer insisted on calling Johnson a fraudster, although no one cared about it anymore.

The Light of Judgment!

As Zhuang Sen retreated at breakneck speed, he raised his hand and unleashed the most powerful spell he currently possessed. However, Count Kross merely transformed into a blood shadow once more and reappeared beside Zhuang Sen, opening an identical wound on his other wing and beginning to lick the blade like a madman once more.

"Ah, that's amazing! Zhuang Sen, a single drop of your blood is more perfect than all the blood from those trash! I really will devour you the moment I get back!"

Count Cross's words of lament once again shocked everyone in the banquet hall. Even Lady Lydia, who already knew the truth from Johnson, was filled with disbelief and anger when she heard his statement, which was no different from a self-disclosure. Not to mention the others who had originally sympathized with Count Cross.

"Father, Father, you're confused, aren't you? How could you have drained Ron and the others of their blood! That's impossible!"

Count Cross was indeed quite capable and charismatic; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to maintain his position so securely and uphold his rule even when away from the territory for extended periods. Naturally, many of Leon's sons trusted and admired him as their father. Therefore, they were the most devastated upon hearing this self-revealing statement.

Count Cross didn't answer. Having licked the blade clean, he transformed into a blood-red shadow once more, appearing behind Zhuang Sen and thrusting his sword towards Zhuang Sen's neck. He couldn't wait to drink Zhuang Sen's blood; as for the others?

White City spies sent assassins to kill Count Cross, but the brave and fearless nobles perished with them, leaving only the severely wounded and dying Count alive... This is Count Cross's new story.

Although it was regrettable, he didn't intend to spare Zhuang Sen's life. He had already completed three awakenings so quickly; what if he were spared and suddenly awakened a fourth time? If Zhuang Sen could fight him, a fourth-level bloodline cultivator, even at only three awakenings, then his bloodline was definitely not a third-level bloodline; it might actually be a fifth-level one! This would also explain why his blood was so wonderful!

So, although it's a pity we can't keep you in captivity for long-term consumption, please just die, my dear son!

puff!

The blade pierced Zhuang Sen's shoulder. At the last second, Zhuang Sen dodged, but it was to no avail. Count Cross grinned maliciously, preparing to deliver the final blow. The next second, before everyone's eyes, his head was severed from his body, and he fell from the sky, crashing onto a pile of corpses.

Kid, [Biology Shorthand]!

Zhuang Sen could have used this method to deal with Count Kross long ago. Even though he's currently in a flesh-mutated state, he's still a Shadow Harpy. Zhuang Sen could have easily defeated him by adding him to his Biological Memory and unlocking a considerable number of Shadow Harpy entries in the encyclopedia. But if he had done that, he obviously wouldn't have achieved such excellent results.

Zhuang Sen spread his wings, blood flowing from his wounds, staining his white feathers and silver armor crimson. The midday sun shone down from the center of the banquet hall ceiling, illuminating Zhuang Sen's resolute face, making him appear as holy as a vengeful angel from mythology! Tragic! Beautiful! Even though Zhuang Sen looked like a seven or eight-year-old child at this moment.

Dantalian and the others couldn't help but squeeze their legs together, but they were more worried about Zhuang Sen. The healing light quickly fell on him, instantly erasing the wound.

"It's alright, everyone, the mutated blood has disappeared." Zhuang Sen said gently. His outstanding appearance and perfectly matching sunshine relaxed everyone's tense mood. The excitement and exhaustion of surviving the disaster surged up like a tide, making them cheer and lose focus at the same time.

Amid cheers, the Bloodline duo, hidden behind a secret door and observing the entire scene through a concealed peephole, were preparing to escape. They felt incredibly excited and joyful, even though one of their powerful allies had just been on the verge of death.

As priests of the Bloodline Order, they were certain that the Casket of Desecration was absolutely effective in suppressing the divine bloodline, and that Zhuang Sen had indeed been affected, though he quickly recovered, appearing as if he had instantly become a non-divine bloodline.

Based on Zhuang Sen's undeniable physical changes, the two concluded that Zhuang Sen was not of the Holy Eagle bloodline at all, but rather a rare bloodline recorded in the Order's records—the Chimera!

Legend has it that this is a synthetic beast bloodline possessing multiple attributes that can be switched at will, and even capable of strengthening its own extremely rare bloodline by devouring other bloodlines! If only they could bring this news back...

Even if Count Cross's soul were to remain floating outside, or even if he were truly dead, they would only receive praise, not punishment!

So, it's time to run away...

As they were thinking this, a sharp roar suddenly rang out: "Blood Priest!! Save me!!!"

The voice came from Count Cross's head, which was detached from his body, but what was truly being consumed was his already deformed soul.

Chapter 122: Who's in favor, and who's against?

With a sharp shriek from Count Kross, Zhuang Sen's gaze precisely landed on the hiding place of the Bloodline Cult duo. There was no way around it; since Zhuang Sen and Count Kross had been fighting in the air, the second and third floors were the most severely damaged areas, with very few intact sections remaining. Coupled with Count Kross's almost tangible gaze guiding him, it was difficult for Zhuang Sen not to spot the two.

Meanwhile, the Bloodline Order duo quickly abandoned their plan to escape silently and unleashed their full power and speed. Vol turned deathly pale, frost rapidly forming beneath his feet, propelling him forward as if skating, even flying through the air. Lizad was even more direct, decisively transforming and revealing his true bloodline form.

His upper body transformed into a giant crocodile with scales like withered wood, while his lower body became a large, tough, and rough-skinned hippopotamus. The two bodies merged at the waist, maintaining an upright human form, appearing bizarre and twisted, yet possessing a strange sense of harmony.

Then Lizad roared, and the space seemed to ripple. Everyone's speed and thinking were affected and slowed down. When Lizad saw that his ability was taking effect, he immediately pushed off with his fat hippo legs and rushed out of the wall!

In the blink of an eye, the Bloodline Cult duo demonstrated their superb escape skills, after all, they were originally a reconnaissance team, not a combat team.

Unfortunately, they were still too slow.

The Light of Judgment!

Holy light cascaded down on the ice path before him. Although Vol, who was covered in deathly aura, tried to dodge, he was too fast to react and could only jump off the "ice path." In mid-air, he was pinned to a crumbling wall by Dantalian's Holy Spear spell. His hastily used [Necromantic Shield] did not even have a moment to slow him down before he ascended to heaven in the purification of holy energy.

Meanwhile, Lizad was even more unlucky. He charged through the stone walls of the secret chamber, looking incredibly imposing. Moreover, Johnson and Dantalian were focused on Voll and had no time to pay attention to him, so his chances of escaping were very high—and then he ran into a pile of mud.

Fossils turned into mud.

Turning mud into stone

Nia casually unleashed two abilities, transforming the stone wall she had previously created into a mud trap. Once Lizard charged in, it solidified back into rock, easily trapping the monstrous bloodline user who charged like a behemoth. Well, not exactly easy, the rock was already starting to crack; this guy's really strong.

Nia raised her battle axe and slammed it down on Lizard's head. With the added strength of the dwarf woman, Lizard was instantly dizzy and his head was bleeding profusely. If it weren't for the hard scales on the crocodile's head, he would have been ready to fight to the next life—although that's pretty much the case now.

In the blink of an eye, another bloodline user, at least three times awakened, was taken down, and another, whose level was unclear, was on the verge of death. The numb onlookers found themselves completely unmoved, finding it utterly normal. And, surely this was finally over, right? They…

Snapped--

Wait, what's that sound?

The onlookers all turned their attention to Lady Lydia, who was being protected by Lydia. The sound came from nearby, and then they saw a crimson light pierce through Lydia's chest, becoming thinner, and rushing towards Lady Lydia behind her.

The light burst forth from Count Kross's corpse; the "crack" sound was the sound of his body exploding. The crimson light was extremely fast, and by the time they heard the sound, it had already pierced through Lydia's defenses.

"Go to hell!!"

Count Kross's head roared, his soul burning fiercely, sustaining him to unleash a final attack—a technique from the Bloodline Order, a crimson light that could only be released by burning blood and soul, almost exclusively for a last-ditch sneak attack. This was because the power of this move was tied to the amount of blood and soul burned, and generally, those who fought to the death had very little blood left to burn.

Therefore, Count Cross chose to attack Lady Lydia instead of Johnson, not because he hated Lady Lydia so much, but simply because Lady Lydia, as an ordinary person, was the easiest to bully, and the chances of success were higher.

Count Cross also chose an excellent time. Zhuang Sen, Dantalian, and Nia were all dealing with the Bloodline Order duo and couldn't stop them in time. As for the others, if they were as strong as Zhuang Sen, Count Cross couldn't do anything about it. But if they weren't, he could at least take one of them with him!

The crimson light reached Lady Leah in the blink of an eye. Gazing at the deathly light filled with rage and hatred, Lady Leah felt a strange calm. She had already avenged herself; death didn't matter to her. Her only regret was not having had a genuine heart-to-heart talk with Zhuang Sen. If only she hadn't been so secretive a few days ago…

puff.

The crimson light pierced the flesh, then stopped. The splattered blood landed on Lady Lia's face, blurring her vision and making the youthful figure before her appear immensely large. It was the one who had used the powerful [Light of Judgment] as a propulsion device to "rush" to Lady Lia's side, using dense divine energy and flesh to absorb the attack.

"Jonson!"

A piercing scream tore through the sky. Lady Lia clung tightly to the falling Zhuang Sen, her face pale as she searched for his injuries. A series of wicked thoughts played on her mind, making her wish she could tear Count Cross to pieces and grind his bones to dust.

"I'm fine, Mother." Zhuang Sen raised his hand to cast a healing spell on himself, and then muttered, "Seriously, even in death they can't stay still. Shadow Harpies aren't exactly immortal either..."

"How could he be alright—" Lady Leah shouted without any decorum, the still-warm blood on her face bringing her to the brink of madness, even though she really couldn't find any dangerous wounds on Zhuang Sen.

It has been cured by treatment.

Dantalian immediately healed Zhuang Sen with full healing, and his wounds were healed as soon as they appeared. Now Zhuang Sen felt so healthy that he could fight another big battle, but this time there were truly no enemies left.

Everyone looked at Zhuang Sen with respect as he stood up again. Even though he was small and being held affectionately in Lady Liya's arms, no one thought there was anything wrong with it. The strength and character that Zhuang Sen displayed left the survivors with no room for doubt. Even the sons of Leon did not jump out to say anything at this moment.

Zhuang Sen, supporting Lady Liya's shoulder, glanced around at the wounded survivors and calmly said, "From now on, I am the next Earl of Leon. Who agrees, who disagrees?"

Clearly, no one was looking for death; only people were genuinely praising him: "Lord Zhuang Sen was originally the next heir designated by Earl Cross, we all heard that just now!"

"Earl Zhuangsen!!"

"Earl Johnson! Earl Johnson!!"

The fervent shouts gradually became more unified, and the surging sound waves overturned the crumbling ceiling. Brilliant sunlight poured down from the sky, and the banquet hall, littered with corpses, suddenly seemed sacred, leaving some people with complex expressions.

Chapter 123: Going Home (4126 words, with illustration of Liya)

With Johnson's "coronation," the riot, which lasted only a short time but was incredibly brutal, finally came to a complete end. The servants and guards who had survived began to clear away the bodies of the dead. The sorrow of loss replaced the joy of the survivors, and cries gradually spread. Meanwhile, people outside noticed that something was wrong with the manor and began to approach.

Dantalian's serpentine tail swayed as she approached Lady Lydia: "Madam, please take Zhuang Sen back first. We can handle the rest."

Lady Leah, holding Zhuang Sen, was somewhat taken aback and subconsciously said, "Let me help too, I'm more familiar with these things..."

Before she could finish speaking, Anjie jumped over and said with a grin, "Mom, you should go back first. Your brother needs you more right now, and besides, there are some things that are better when you and your brother aren't around."

Lady Lia understood the implied meaning in Ange's words. Now was the time for reckoning. Although these survivors had just agreed to Zhuang Sen's succession, they had also launched attacks against Zhuang Sen and his group before. It was just that interests led to the change, but not everyone can switch sides without paying a price. The mechanism of changing sides without losing points is not something everyone has.

But this counterattack and blackmail cannot be allowed to involve the new Earl. It would be best if he knew nothing about it, so that if problems arise, she or Dantelion can easily pin the blame on them. Anyway, she's not afraid that Zhuang Sen will really kill her, hehe.

Having understood this, Lady Lydia no longer hesitated, turned and left with Johnson in her arms. Lydia had already pulled out the arrows from her body and followed despite the penetrating wounds. However, when she passed Dantalian, the gentle and lovely lady quickly gave her a word of advice.

The loyal female knight paused, her eyes widening beneath her helmet, but she nodded vigorously and quickly followed.

……

Before long, Lydia drove back to Glorious Manor.

The female knight, having parked the carriage, opened the door and helped Lady Liya alight. Her gaze swept over her as she spoke, "Madam, please leave the young master to me first, you..."

A clear look replaced any words. Lady Lydia, covered in blood, nodded slightly, handed Zhuang Sen to Lydia, and hurried towards her room. Before she had gone far, Lydia looked down at Zhuang Sen, who was already fully recovered, her cold gaze softening: "Young Master, do you prefer white or black?"

Why do you ask that?

Zhuang Sen blinked and retracted his wings. Although it was his own monster girl, the influence of holy energy on the undead had not disappeared. This was why Zhuang Sen did not heal Lydia. If he did, it would turn a non-issue into an issue.

Lydia strode forward: "Didn't you hear what Lady Dantalian said to me?"

Zhuang Sen jumped down from Lydia's arms with an innocent look on his face: "I didn't hear it, I don't know, I'm going back to rest."

"So which color do you actually like?" Lydia asked, catching up with her.

Zhuang Sen tilted his head and looked up at the sky: "I think white suits Nia very well."

Lydia understood, but couldn't help being curious: "What about me?"

Zhuang Sen pinched his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. His slightly chubby face made him look like this, which really stirred Lydia's heart. However, today was the lady's day.

"Anything is fine, because Lydia's legs are absolutely perfect!"

Zhuang Sen stopped and patted Lydia's thigh. His small hand tapped on the leg armor, making a slapping sound. Lydia felt a warmth on her thigh, which distorted her walking movements, making her feel a little shy.

Fortunately, they had arrived at the door of Zhuang Sen's room.

"Young Master, please get some rest. I'll head back to Madam's place now."