The moment Lux stepped foot inside the Necromancer's Ancestral Lands, he felt a slight shiver run down his spine.
It was similar to the feeling he got when he entered Zangrila, which meant that he was in a special Domain that was within and, at the same time, outside the boundaries of Elysium.
To his surprise, he sensed the presence of at least a dozen people inside the Ancestral Land.
"Looks like we're not alone this time," Gaap muttered as he stood beside the Half-Elf. "Remember what I told you earlier. Stay close to me. Understand?"
Lux nodded. "Yes, Master."
After five minutes of walking, the two arrived in front of a giant skull, which had a sword embedded in the top of its head.
"Hundreds of years ago, there were several creatures that tried to trespass this Domain," Gaap explained. "This skull you see here belonged to a giant—a very notorious one that had the rank of Calamity. He thought that he could desecrate our Ancestral Grounds, but the moment he stepped inside, his body started rotting at a rapid pace.
"The Guardian of the Ancestral Ground at that time was enraged, so he embedded this sword into the Giant's head and relocated it here to serve as a reminder that the Sacred Lands of the Necromancers are only for the Necromancers.
"No one can trespass this place without paying the price of their arrogance. Even Supremes and Demigods cannot get inside this place unhindered."
Just as Gaap finished his explanation, a clapping sound was heard from the sky.
"Well said," said a handsome man, who seemed to be in his early thirties, with a smile. "Gaap, it's been ages since the last time I saw you. I thought you'd be spending the rest of your days in Zangrila."
"Dracul, it seems that the years have done nothing to you," Gaap replied with a smile. "It's good to see that you're still alive and well."
The handsome man laughed before descending to the ground, a few meters away from the Halfling.
"Lux, let me introduce to you one of the most infamous Necromancers that ever lived," Gaap said. "This is Dracul. He is a Vampire King and a powerful Necromancer. Don't be deceived by his calm demeanor. This bastard is a Saint, and he's older than us by at least two thousand years."
"Three thousand to be exact," Dracul corrected. "Is this perhaps your Disciple? He looks too peppy to be a Necromancer. Also, I can sense a bit of Holy Aura in his body… interesting."
Dracul circled Lux and looked at him from every angle while rubbing his chin.
"He looks very tasty, Gaap," Dracul said after circling Lux a few more times. "Do you mind if I take a bite of him?"
"Fangs off, man," Gaap snorted. "You should know better than to drink the blood of your fellow Necromancers. Didn't you learn from last time?"
Dracul chuckled after being reminded of the mishap that happened several decades ago. Out of curiosity, he drank the blood of a Necromancer whom he got into an argument with. Not long after that, he endlessly puked blood for several days until he almost turned into a dry husk.
Not wanting to see one of their older members die in a stupid way, one of the Necromancers took him out of the Ancestral Lands to let him feed on the blood of Humans. Only after having his fill of blood did Dracul return to his dashing self, and moving forward, he no longer thought of doing something stupid again.
"For some reason, I feel like drinking your Disciple's blood will give me an experience I have never felt before." Dracul insisted. "How about I give you two Empyrean Ranked Beast Cores for a mouthful of blood? That's a fair trade, right?"
"No," Gaap replied firmly. "Fangs off."
Dracul gave an exaggerated sigh before scratching his head. His eyes still lingered on Lux's neck, as if it was calling out to him to have a drink.
"Ah, before I forget, your best friend is here, Gaap," Dracul said. "He also brought his Disciple. Although she's older than your disciple by a year or two, she's about to make her breakthrough and become a Ranker. Kids these days grow up fast. During my time, it took me thirty years to become a Ranker. How times have changed!"
The Vampire King gave another exaggerated sigh before floating in the air.
"I'll be going now, but I'll be back with some good wine," Dracul said. "Stay for a day or two, Gaap. We have a lot of catching up to do."
Gaap nodded and gave the Vampire King a smile. "Make sure to bring the best one. It's been a while since I've had some good wine."
Dracul laughed before flying into the sky. It seemed that he was in a good mood after seeing an acquaintance after many years of staying inside the Necromancer's Ancestral Grounds.
"Master, I didn't know you had a best friend," Lux said.
"I don't have a best friend," Gaap replied and made a gesture for Lux to follow him. "I only have enemies. But I have an idea who Dracul is talking about."
A scowl appeared on the Halfling's face as if he had eaten a fly. Clearly, this "best friend" of his wasn't really the friendly type, and Gaap seemed to have a bad relationship with them as well.
The Ancestral Grounds was very vast. However, there was one thing that caught Lux's attention.
There were countless skulls that littered the ground, as well as weapons, making the area look like the battleground of a great war that had been fought in the past.
However, since Gaap wasn't saying anything, Lux decided not to pry and simply followed his Master as they walked along the paths that were not covered with bones.
A moment later, they arrived at a Giant Gate that was over ten meters tall, and completely made up of bones.
Gaap then raised his walking stick and gave it a few taps.
Suddenly, the great bone gate opened wide. However, Lux couldn't see anything aside from pitch-black darkness from inside it.
"We are still in the outer area of the Ancestral Grounds," Gaap explained. "This is the inner area and the place where all Necromancers stay whenever they are inside this Sacred Place. This is also where you will undertake your Ranker Trial and receive the world's blessings."
Gaap then motioned for Lux to follow him as he entered the pitch-black darkness.
This act reminded Lux of a popular saying back on earth.
"If I don't go to hell, who will?" Lux muttered as he took a step forward to walk into the darkness.
Although he had already prepared himself for the inevitable, he still couldn't help but feel anxious about whether his breakthrough would be smooth sailing or not.
