Chapter 273: Keep it Quiet

The scene had utterly confounded the minds of most present, surpassing their ability to comprehend what had just transpired. Without any energy fluctuations or flashy displays, a vampire elder had vanished into thin air—a puzzle with no solution.

Before anyone could fully grasp the situation, Yang Chen bent down and picked up the dark golden goblet from the ground. Its edge bore ancient patterns from the era of the Roman Empire, appearing worn but otherwise unremarkable.

Yang Chen, however, didn't seem particularly excited to hold what was supposedly the "Holy Grail." To both factions present, the object promising "eternal life" appeared to be nothing more than a worthless relic.

"Did you kill Montmorency?!" Akmonde cautiously inquired. Yang Chen turned around, his lips curling in a cold smile. "I can tell you with certainty, I did not kill him. But how he died is not something I need to explain to you. Now, the Holy Grail that you all have been dreaming of is in my hands."

"What do you intend to do?" Lilith asked, her eyes glinting with desire but her rationality restrained her from stepping forward.

Yang Chen toyed with the goblet in his hand and murmured, "This thing might have been considered the 'Holy Grail' in the past, but unfortunately, now it's just an ancient artifact. The reasons why don't matter to you. Since it's no longer useful and would only serve as a reason for you to continue fighting, let's make it disappear."

Before anyone could react, Yang Chen firmly squeezed the goblet in his right hand. The metallic Holy Grail crumpled as if it were made of cardboard, folded and distorted by Yang Chen's strength into a tangled mass of metal.

Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief as they watched Yang Chen destroy the Holy Grail with ease.

"You dare destroy the Holy Grail?!" Sir Thomas, the knight, roared angrily. "This is an insult to the Lord and a challenge to our Holy See!"

Gabriel, Lilith, and the other vampires felt as if they were dreaming. Both factions had fought tooth and nail for this object, and now it was gone, just like that!

Yang Chen tossed the twisted metal lump to the ground. "Don't you find it strange? If it really were the Holy Grail, why was it so easily destroyed by me?"

"The Holy Grail is special because it contains the divine power of Jesus Christ, not because of its material qualities. What's so strange about that?" Thomas struggled to contain his emotions.

Yang Chen chuckled. "If you insist on thinking that way, then so be it. As you can see, the Holy Grail is no more. Now, you can choose whether to fight me or go your separate ways. But let me make it clear—if you choose to fight, you'll all die. It's not arrogance; it's reality. Of course, I believe you're all eager to fight me for the sake of your faith, aren't you?"

After Yang Chen spoke, silence fell over everyone present.

In fact, Montmorency's mysterious disappearance had dispelled any thoughts of continuing the battle from everyone present. People tend to fear the unknown, and now they were concerned whether they too might suddenly vanish like him.

Thomas and Gabriel exchanged a glance, both seeing a sense of helplessness in each other's eyes. On the side of the Dark Council, losing the Holy Grail didn't overly dismay them. After all, the Grail belonged to the Holy See, and their main objective was simply to prevent the Holy See from obtaining it. Taking it back to Europe could symbolize a victory and possibly yield some research value, but Satan's followers wouldn't expect eternal life from God.

If this expedition was a failure, it was only the inexplicable loss of Montmorency, an elder-level vampire, and the sacrificial servants. Facing this situation, Akmonde, Zobe, and the remaining vampires looked towards their strongest member, Lilith.

Lilith appeared composed. After a slight surprise, her beautiful crimson eyes gradually faded into sapphire blue, restoring the enchanting visage of a blonde bombshell. The brutal-looking cleaver, gleaming with a cruel light, disappeared from sight behind Lilith, concealed by means unknown, clearly indicating a cessation of hostilities.

Lilith approached gracefully, smiling charmingly at Yang Chen. "Sir, I admire your manner of speaking. I believe I have an inkling of who you are. On behalf of the Dark Council, I apologize for any offense caused."

"Have you made your decision?" Yang Chen didn't attempt to conceal his identity, knowing well that despite the Dark Council not being affiliated with any specific nation, it was an organization larger and deeper-rooted in history than any other, with a global intelligence network.

Lilith nodded. "Indeed. I trust completely that you have the capability to let us safely depart from the land of Yanxia. Now that the Holy Grail no longer exists, we shall set sail back to Europe."

"Safe travels to you," Yang Chen said with a smile.

Lilith smiled mischievously, leaning close to Yang Chen and murmuring a few words only he could hear. Despite her proximity, Yang Chen showed no fear of her sudden challenge. To him, Lilith, though formidable, was merely as fragile as a Holy Grail in his eyes, with no hint of murderous intent.

After Lilith finished speaking, she pulled back and gazed at Yang Chen with a mix of anticipation and nervousness, looking more like an ordinary enchanting Western girl than the formidable sorceress moments ago. Yang Chen awkwardly scratched his chin and chuckled.

This awkward display left everyone present stunned. What were these two up to? As a woman, Huayu felt a surge of disgust seeing the intimacy between this man and a female vampire, their flirtatious banter making her feel inexplicably jealous and agitated.

"Do you really want to do that?" Yang Chen whispered hesitantly.

A faint blush spread across Lilith's fair cheeks, her eyes shimmering. "Can I?"

"In that case, I'll make the sacrifice," Yang Chen declared solemnly. Lilith's face lit up with joy as she suddenly lunged forward, her slender arms wrapping around Yang Chen's neck, planting a kiss on his lips. Soon after, a cool, slippery tongue slipped into the kiss, intertwining with Yang Chen's.

This scene left everyone present dumbfounded. How did these two suddenly end up in a passionate embrace?

Huayu turned her head away, unable to bear watching any longer. She muttered silent curses against Yang Chen, although she had no right to interfere. She vowed to tell Lin Ruoxi about this betrayal—Yang Chen embracing another woman behind her back!

After enjoying the taste of Lilith's unique vampire essence for a moment, Yang Chen gently parted from her and said with a smile, "Alright, it's done. Take your people and leave."

Reluctantly, Lilith glanced at Yang Chen, smiled coquettishly, and then gestured to Akmon and the other vampires. Under the scrutiny of the Vatican and the Inferno Mercenaries, the group of vampires vanished into the woods in the blink of an eye.

Yang Chen turned to Gabriel and the others. "Are you staying to fight me?"

Gabriel's expression darkened. "Though I'm eager for a battle, now is not the time. We will leave Flame Summer, but remember this: today, you have destroyed our Holy Grail."

Gabriel and the others, though harboring deep hatred for Yang Chen, calmly decided to return to the Vatican first, to investigate Yang Chen's identity thoroughly and plan their next steps. After speaking, Gabriel, accompanied by Thomas, Arthur, and the remaining Templar Knights who wore discontented expressions, briskly left the scene.

Only Huayu remained with the members of the Inferno Mercenaries, including Yongye. Yongye, though displeased that Yang Chen had taken charge as the arbiter, dared not confront him. After shooting Yang Chen a resentful glance, Yongye gestured decisively and prepared to depart with his injured team members.

Huayu, however, didn't rush to leave. She stood her ground, watching Yang Chen as if waiting for something.

"Ninger, why aren't you leaving?" Yongye asked anxiously when he noticed Huayu staying behind.

Ignoring him, Huayu replied, "I'll contact someone to clean up and handle the aftermath here. You take your people and go."

"No, I can't leave you with such a dangerous person," Yongye said loudly. "I'll stay with you."

Huayu glanced at him impatiently. "You know he's dangerous, yet you still want to stay. Can't you see he doesn't like you?"

Yongye glanced nervously at Yang Chen, seeing no reaction from him only heightened his unease. Despite feeling aggrieved, he prioritized his safety and reluctantly looked back at Huayu before leaving with his team.

Huayu sighed softly. "What a coward."

Yang Chen watched silently, smiling as he said, "Though a coward, he's quite an interesting fellow. Aren't you leaving too?"

"I will, but before that, I have many questions for you," Huayu replied.

"What questions?"

"You mentioned earlier about us not understanding the Dark Council. Are they vampires who pose a threat to humans? Is that wrong?" Huayu asked.

Yang Chen recalled his promise to explain and organized his thoughts. "This starts with the history of the vampires. Their history is extensive, and my knowledge is limited, but I can give you a general overview about the Dark Council. Before the Middle Ages, vampires were rulers in Europe and indeed a brutal race. However, humans began to resist under the influence of the Roman Vatican. Despite their power, vampires couldn't withstand the collective resistance of thousands of civilians. To preserve their bloodlines, vampires chose to retreat. They formed a secret organization called the Camarilla, a key part of the Dark Council. The Camarilla has six major tenets, with 'hiding from the world' being paramount—they conceal themselves among humans and renounce their former dominance. Since then, the term 'vampire' became more of a legend, and people no longer consider them a reality."

Huayu furrowed her brows. She recalled Lilith mentioning the Camarilla earlier, implying her family's association with the organization, while the others belonged to a different group. "What about this organization called Sabbat?"

"Sabbat, known among vampires as the 'War Party,' consists of extremists. They dislike hiding and accept any vampire or heretic. However, due to their weaker position within the Dark Council, they lack the influence of the Camarilla. Today, Akmond and his group's seizure of the Holy Grail was to enhance their influence and compete with the Camarilla for resources and status within the vampire community. Lilith and the others were here to restrain them."

Flower Rain was taken aback. "So, if the Holy Grail falls into the hands of the blood clans, it won't harm humans in any way?"

"That's right. So your Flame Dragon Iron Brigade was manipulated by the Vatican this time, acting as their enforcers," Yang Chen shook his head with a smile. "Actually, despite appearing as a righteous organization on the surface, the Vatican is just another group opposing the Dark Council. They're all just fighting their own battles and won't involve themselves in national interests. That's why I advise you not to get involved."

Flower Rain nodded. "I'll report this to the general. Damn the Vatican, we trusted them wrongly."

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave," Yang Chen glanced at the time; he needed to head back or he'd really have to take a taxi later.

Flower Rain quickly stopped Yang Chen. "What about the Holy Grail? Is it real? Can it grant immortality?"

At the mention of the Holy Grail, Yang Chen's expression turned grim. He sighed. "I don't know. This is a very complicated issue. Anyway, Mobius disappearing just now is a much bigger problem than you imagine. But it's not something you should concern yourselves with. Just go back and give a brief report to your general."

Flower Rain felt a bit disappointed. She had a hunch that Yang Chen was reluctant to disclose the full truth to her.

"What about Lily just now? How could you do that?" Flower Rain hesitated for a moment but finally brought it up, enduring the awkwardness. "Aren't you afraid I'll tell Ruoxi? We just made up, and now you're acting up again?"

Yang Chen quickly turned around, trying to appease her with a smile. "Please don't tell her. Lily just wanted to experience what it's like for fans to kiss their idol with a pure heart. I've never kissed a vampire in my life, you know I'm not immune to beautiful women, and it's not a big deal to kiss a Westerner. I couldn't help but want to try it out, but there's really nothing else to it."

That was the honest truth. Yang Chen really wasn't interested in Lily, who knows how many years old, the blood clan. He was simply curious about the experience.

Flower Rain was speechless for a moment. This man was truly incomprehensible. Was kissing a vampire really that interesting? That mouth had probably consumed plenty of filthy blood!

"Disgusting," Flower Rain muttered angrily, tossing out three words before using lightness technique to leave the scene.

Leaving Yang Chen standing there dumbfounded, scratching his head in confusion, muttering to himself, "Didn't she just say she wanted to clean up here? Why did she leave on her own?"