The Virtuous Dark Witch

Chapter 24

Rocky Anastas, hiding in the darkness, heard the voice and no longer concealed his bloodthirsty nature. He curved his blood-red lips slightly and whispered. "Go." As soon as he finished speaking, dark figures darted out, attacking the five Witches gathered at the manor gate.

Juna Charlotte was filled with hatred. She roared at the moon. "Ah…" She grabbed empty air with her left hand, and a two-meter-long Withered Bamboo Staff appeared in her grasp. She spread her arms upward and chanted. "Goddess Selena, your daughter Juna Charlotte begs you to grant me power…"

"Goddess Selena," at the same time, Juna's four followers also spread their arms upward, chanting together. "Please grant us power… Goddess Selena, please grant us power…" They repeated it over and over, their voices echoing like water waves.

The approaching Andros suddenly stumbled, clutching their heads. "Ah…" Their teeth ached fiercely, and the hateful chanting continued. The fangs in their mouths extended uncontrollably, as if being forcibly pulled out, piercing their lips. “Ah…”

Meanwhile, the five Charlotte Witches continued to piously chant their prayers to the moon. The moon, which had been covered by dark clouds, seemed to hear their prayers, pushing through the clouds. Gentle moonlight enveloped them. As their chanting grew louder and faster, a faint glow gradually emanated from the Charlotte Witches' eyes.

"High Priestess Sophia," Rocky Anastas, who had not yet moved, watched the turned Andros collapse to the ground, spitting blood and struggling desperately to escape the Charlotte Witches. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Now it's your turn."

Sophia Larissa, standing calmly on the snow stag's antlers, smiled. She pulled a small white cloth the size of a child's palm from her waist and threw it forcefully into the air. She muttered something under her breath, and the small white cloth instantly expanded, covering the moon.

Juna Charlotte's heart tightened when she saw this. She knew she couldn't escape tonight. Merlyn Dessey had been wrong about one thing—Rocky Anastas was not afraid of Alexander Stirling at all, because they were of the same blood.

"I thought the Charlotte Witches were so powerful," Sophia Larissa laughed as if watching a joke, looking up at the moon-blocking white cloth. She finally stopped laughing after a long while. "Turns out you're nothing special."

As soon as she finished speaking, her eyes sharpened. She raised her Light Scepter and smashed it directly into the moonlight barrier surrounding the Charlotte Witches. With a loud bang, the moonlight barrier, which had lost its moonlight support, shattered immediately.

In that split second, Juna Charlotte suddenly stopped chanting, releasing all the Witch Power stored in her Withered Bamboo Staff over the years. She turned around and waved her right hand, sending the four Witches who had followed her for years out of the nearest south gate. A tear rolled down her cheek as she screamed. "Run—don't look back… uh…"

The pain in her neck pierced her soul. Juna Charlotte turned her head slightly to look at the Andros who had ambushed her, smiling bitterly. "Rocky Anastas."

When she caught a glimpse of Sophia Larissa turning around to chase the four Charlotte Witches who had been sent out of the south gate, she loosened her left hand. Her broken Withered Bamboo Staff fell to the ground. Determination filled her light brown eyes. She clenched her hands tightly and stamped her right foot with all her strength.

Witch Power burst outward. Rocky Anastas, who had been biting her neck to drink blood, was knocked flying, tearing off a piece of flesh with him. Ignoring the excruciating pain, Juna Charlotte spread her arms again and chanted. "Great Goddess Selena, I am your daughter, Juna Charlotte."

Sophia Larissa was about to chase the four Charlotte Witches who had escaped through the south gate, but at that moment, Juna Charlotte's tone changed.

"I curse with my long life—may the Light Witch Larissa Clan never pass beyond the west for generations to…"

"You're looking for death," Sophia Larissa urged her snow stag to charge toward Juna Charlotte, who was once again surrounded by a moonlight barrier. She smashed through it in one strike, and her Light Scepter descended.

At the same time, Juna Charlotte collapsed from exhaustion. But even as death approached, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes with a smile, waiting for the Reaper.

Just as the Light Scepter was about to touch Juna Charlotte's hair, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed it. Sophia Larissa was filled with anger and would not tolerate such interference. She turned her head and shouted, "Get out of the way."

Rocky Anastas, with blood still on his lips, smiled. "High Priestess Sophia, you've completed your task tonight." Juna Charlotte was the heir to the Charlotte Tribe—he needed her.

“You…”

Ignoring Sophia Larissa's anger, blood surged in Rocky Anastas' blood-red eyes. He bit his wrist, and blood gushed out, dripping down his arm. He let go of the Light Scepter.

He squatted down, pressing his bleeding wrist to Juna Charlotte's mouth, whispering temptingly. "Good girl—drink this, and you will gain eternal life."

Several sparrows chirped loudly outside the window. The fiery red sun rose, dispelling the darkness. Warm sunlight danced on Elara's thick, curly eyelashes, but none of this disturbed her. The little figure sat upright, with sweat constantly oozing from her forehead and rolling down. Her dress was already soaked through.

After eleven days of hard work, the wisp of Witch Power she had drawn earlier had connected with the Conception Vessel, traveling down the midline of her chest and abdomen to the outside of the Lower Dantian. In those eleven days, that wisp of Witch Power had grown more than four times stronger. Elara checked—it turned out that this "more than four times growth" included both the original Witch Power in her meridians and some newly condensed power.

Simply put, this phenomenon was very similar to compound interest—snowballing growth, which was extremely beneficial for Elara's Witch Power cultivation. Now she was going to open the Lower Dantian to store power.

Following the records in the traditional Chinese medicine classics from her past life, Elara found the correct position, began to visualize a virtual realm, then sank her consciousness to surround this imaginary virtual realm. Once these three steps were completed, she channeled her Witch Power, formed an orchid finger with her right hand, and slowly moved it to the right side of her lower abdomen, delineating the Lower Dantian along the edge of her consciousness.

"Uh," as soon as the Witch Power seeped into her body and delineated two inches along the edge of her consciousness, Elara's qi and blood surged backward. But now that she had come this far, she refused to give up. She used her Witch Power to suppress the qi and blood and continued delineating.

The qi and blood in her body surged, suppressed by the powerful Witch Power. Elara gritted her teeth, determined to succeed or die trying. She was getting closer… closer. She could already see hope. Her fingers moved slowly along the bottom of the Dantian, as if crawling like ants. Blood oozed from the corner of her mouth, but Elara still refused to give up.

Just as the qi and blood were about to break through the suppression of the Witch Power, the head and tail of the Dantian connected. Faintly, Elara seemed to hear a buzzing sound. The imaginary virtual realm gradually became clear, with a faint moonlight glow emanating from its edges, as if it had been given life.

The qi and blood that had been raging wildly in her body just a moment ago slowly calmed down. She had succeeded! Elara relaxed her tightly pursed lips. She wanted to laugh three times, but now was not the time to celebrate. She quickly guided the wisp of Witch Power waiting outside the Lower Dantian into it.

At the moment that wisp of Witch Power entered the Lower Dantian, the soreness and swelling in Elara's meridians disappeared completely. She felt so comfortable that she smiled. She opened her eyes, ending her meditation, and looked up at the scorching sun in the sky—it was already noon, no wonder she was so hungry.

She had a premonition that with the Lower Dantian, the next step of practicing the Large Circulation would be much easier, because the Witch Power now had its own "home."

In an extremely good mood, she hummed a tune and jumped off the windowsill. Now the effect of the Small Circulation had become apparent, confirming her guess. As long as she completed the Large Circulation and successfully opened the remaining Upper and Middle Dantians, her cultivation would be freed from nature and become active.

The culture of Great China was truly amazing! What had that Western historian said in her past life? Great China was clearly a civilization, but it pretended to be a country. Hahaha… That made sense.

All changes stem from the same origin. It was because she had been influenced by Chinese civilization that she deeply understood this principle.

After casting a barrier, Elara shook her head and skipped to the next room, allowing herself a moment of pride. Once all three Dantians were opened and confirmed to be safe, she would teach this method to her beloved family, then record it in oracle bone script and place it in the Dessey Clan's library for future generations to comprehend.

"Is the little one okay?" Thea stood by the window of Merlyn's room, looking down at the next room.

"She should be fine." Merlyn had also been keeping an eye on Elara lately. But seeing her practicing diligently every day, she didn't ask any more questions. After all, as children grew up, they would have their own thoughts and little secrets, and she couldn't interfere too much. Seeing her sister looking curious, she sighed.

"Something happened at the Charlotte Witches' manor in western Anastas City last night."

Thea was stunned when she heard this, turning to look at her sister. "So soon? Alexander hasn't left yet." She frowned, thinking for a moment, then smiled. "So are we Dessey Witches next?"

Merlyn nodded. "Most likely. But I think because of your relationship with Alexander, Rocky Anastas will bide his time and wait until Alexander Stirling leaves before making a move to ensure everything goes smoothly."

"Hmph," Thea sneered sarcastically. "What am I? Although there's discord between Alexander Stirling and Rocky Anastas, they are still blood relatives—blood is thicker than water. So, sister, we must be on guard at all times."

"Have we ever let our guard down?" Merlyn walked to her side and put an arm around her. "Juna Charlotte has been turned by Rocky Anastas."

Thea's eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of silver appeared in her blue eyes. "Juna Charlotte is the heir to the Charlotte Tribe. Rocky Anastas wants to use her to control the Moon Glow of the Charlotte Tribe. Although it's shameless, it's a good plan."

"Whether he can control the Charlotte Tribe's Moon Glow remains to be seen." Merlyn glanced sideways at Thea. "Juna Charlotte's sister Ada escaped to Luohe Plain with our grain caravan. As long as she returns to the tribe safely, it won't be so easy for Rocky Anastas to control the Charlotte Tribe's Moon Glow."

"Do you want to help Ada?" Thea knew her sister wouldn't mention Ada for no reason.

Merlyn shook her head. "Ada doesn't need my help—she can escape on her own. What I'm worried about is that she won't want to go back to the tribe."

When she was young, she often left the West Sea Forest to travel the continent incognito. She had met many people, but few had caught her eye. Ada was one of those few.

"That's true—she has always advocated freedom." Thea rested her head on her sister's shoulder. "I've always been grateful that you're the one leading the West Sea Forest." The ruler of the West Sea Forest had to bear too much, and she was too free-spirited to be suitable for it. "Sister, do you think we'll still be here when Elara inherits the throne one day?"

Upon hearing this question, a scene popped into Merlyn's mind: her chubby little Elara wearing the silver-core black mandala crown symbolizing the ruler of the West Sea Forest, puffing out her fat little belly, and wearing a black and gold cloak. She sighed deeply, then couldn't help but laugh.

Thea stared at her sister—what funny thing had she thought of?

"We might not be, or we might all still be alive." Merlyn looked forward to the future.

She had carefully read all the West Sea Witch Ancestor's journals. Unfortunately, she couldn't witness the former glory of the West Sea Forest. Fortunately, her mother had predicted that the West Sea Forest would usher in a powerful ruler, and she still had the chance to see the West Sea Forest rise to the top of Mal again.

At the Lord's Mansion, Rocky Anastas lay half-reclined on the bed with his eyes closed, gently stroking his left wrist, which had already healed. However, Juna Charlotte's retaliatory blood-sucking last night had caused him to lose too much blood, leaving his face a little pale. But all of this came with a price.

"Are the Dessey Witches still staying behind closed doors?"

The turned Andros standing bowed beside the bed immediately replied. “Yes.”

Although they belonged to the Dark Witches, the Dessey Witches had always been ostracized because of their arrogant behavior. It seemed they really had no intention of getting involved. That was fine. After he rested for a few days and Alexander left Anastas City, he would settle old and new scores together.

As Elara had predicted, since successfully opening the Lower Dantian, it had become much easier for her to guide the wisp of Witch Power stored in it to flow along the path she had set. Moreover, the soreness and swelling in her meridians were gone. She completed a Large Circulation in just three days.

That wisp of Witch Power had grown five times stronger, and the speed of condensing Moonlight Power had increased exponentially. This excited her greatly. She couldn't wait to channel the Witch Power in her Lower Dantian into her meridians again.

While Elara was happily practicing, Thea, who was staying on the third floor, was also enjoying herself. The passion had just ended, and the room was filled with an ambiguous scent. Alexander rolled over and lay beside Thea, pulling her into his arms.

Twirling her hair around his fingers, he let out a long breath and said in a hoarse voice, "Tomorrow at sunset, I'll leave Anastas City. Be careful of Rocky Anastas—don't let him bite you."

"Did the seven from the Annel Clan also fall into his hands?" Thea nuzzled the man with her nose. Seeing him staring at her, she couldn't help but sneer. "Why can't I ask?"

Seeing the woman was about to lose her temper, Alexander quickly shook his head. "No, I'm just curious—you don't go out all day, so how do you know the seven from the Annel Clan had an accident on the Kao Continental Shelf?"

Thea rolled over, turning her back to him, and closed her eyes, preparing to sleep.

Alexander laughed, hugging her from behind. "I get it—I shouldn't ask that." He kissed her temple, gently brushing her messy hair aside. "The seven from the Annel Clan were attacked by Sophia Larissa leading the Light Witches. Four died, and the remaining three were all turned."

"As for the Charlotte Tribe, they're quite capable. Ada Charlotte should have left long ago." Although Juna Charlotte was turned, before that, she struggled to send four Charlotte Witches away and managed to hold Sophia back. So only Juna Charlotte from the Charlotte Witches is trapped."

She was satisfied with his performance. Thea lay on her back, facing him. "You just said Rocky Anastas wants to bite me—does he want me to end up like Juna Charlotte?"

"His goal isn't to destroy the Dark Witches." Alexander kissed her beautiful eyes. "I'll tell you another thing. Perhaps because of all the commotion in Anastas City lately, my sister is already on her way here."

"What about you?" Thea rubbed the stubble that had grown on Alexander's jaw. "You seem to dislike Rocky Anastas very much. Why do you still let him cause trouble?"

Alexander couldn't resist her teasing. Flames ignited again in his blood-red eyes, and his voice became even deeper. "Before I came to Anastas City, Ana went to see father. He told me I could teach him a lesson, but I couldn't kill him."

It was dawn. Elara reluctantly ended her practice, rubbing her empty stomach with her chubby little hands—she was so hungry. She jumped off the windowsill, picked up the dry bread she had brought upstairs last night to feed Cinderaven, took a bite without hesitation, then broke off a small piece, crushed it, and put it into the birdcage. She added some water for Cinderaven, then opened the door.

Tap… tap…

Those footsteps didn't sound right? Elara, who was about to go downstairs, took two steps back and looked up. When she saw someone who shouldn't be there, she was so shocked that her mouth hung open. "Y-you… why are you at my house?"

"I… I'm your aunt's friend." Anyway, he was going to stay here today. Alexander didn't mind getting along with them harmoniously at all.

Friend? More like an old flame. Elara took another bite of the dry bread, ignoring him, and went downstairs to prepare breakfast. Alexander followed.

Elara took out beef and bread from the cabinet. "Why did you come downstairs? Looking for food?"

"Watching you cook." When Elara moved, Alexander stepped forward, squatted down, and opened the cabinet door. Glancing at the glowing orbs inside, he couldn't help but smile and tease. "Do you need to cover such a small amount of food with Witch Power? Is your family afraid of being robbed?"

Elara snorted. "My mother is too foresighted. She probably saw long ago that my aunt is an 'inside man,' so she kept a backup plan." She walked toward the kitchen. "If you're hungry, I'll cut you a piece of raw beef—you can just hold it and chew."

What did the little one mean by that? Alexander closed the cabinet door. "Do I look like a thief?" And what was raw beef—was she treating him like a dog? He followed her to the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "You sold two Blood Rose glazed cards for ten thousand gold coins, so please be polite to me."

Elara turned around, grinned at him with a fake smile. "Is this okay?" He had run out of his unmarried aunt's room early in the morning to scare people, and he still wanted her to be polite—was he still dreaming?

"Yes," Alexander said, indicating he only accepted smiling faces. "Your aunt is hungry. Is there any food at home?"

"Here you go." Elara threw a piece of dry bread at him. Alexander didn't want to catch it, but considering the cold words that would follow if he didn't, he still reached out. "Just this?" Hadn't she just gotten ten thousand gold coins?

Elara pouted. "You can also call my aunt downstairs to eat—there's pan-fried beef."

"Alright." Alexander handed the dry bread back to Elara. "I'll go upstairs to wake her up." At least there would be meat for breakfast downstairs.

So this was the scene at the dinner table: Elara and the other two ate human food, while Alexander held a glazed wine bottle filled with human blood, savoring the blood enjoyably.

"Bringing your own rations—you're quite sensible." Elara chewed her beef, staring at Alexander. She needed to get used to the sight of "drinking blood."

Alexander laughed. "Because I love your aunt deeply, and I want to spend every moment with her."

Upon hearing this, Elara rolled her eyes and swallowed hard—she was choked. Merlyn quickly put down her knife and fork, patted her back gently, and brought a bowl of water to her mouth. "Eat properly—why so many words?"

After drinking two sips of water and swallowing the beef stuck in her throat, Elara looked at Alexander with tears in her eyes, accusing him. "You must be a spy sent by the Andros to our house." Your goal is to strangle me, a promising little Witch of the future."

Alright, she lost. A face that had been around for four thousand years was indeed indestructible.

"Cough… cough…" Alexander, who had been teased all morning, was too complacent. He took a sip of blood to celebrate, but didn't expect to hear such shameless words. He choked, and blood poured back into his nose. To avoid embarrassment, he immediately grabbed Thea's napkin and pressed it to his mouth, coughing softly.

Thea and Merlyn exchanged glances, ignoring the old and the young. They ate their breakfast elegantly, letting them hurt each other to their hearts' content.

After sunset, although reluctant, Alexander left. Elara stood by the window of her room, watching him. When he disappeared at the end of the main street, she whispered. "Thank you." Thank him for letting her see the Andros in a new light, and thank him for his friendship.

She turned to the bed, picked up a Crow Spirit Star-Moon Dart scattered on it, and held it high. There was nothing unusual on the surface of the dart, but Elara knew that even Andros, with his strong physical bodies and self-healing abilities, would be immobilized by this dart as long as it drew blood.

Alexander was gone, and danger was rapidly approaching the Dessey Witches. Although she was still young, she couldn't hide behind her mother and aunt.

Channeling her Witch Power, the eighty-seven Crow Spirit Star-Moon Darts spread out on the bed floated up at the same time. She clenched her chubby little hand around the dart, and the darts quickly and neatly disappeared into her wide skirt.

After leaving Anastas City, Alexander was in an extremely low mood. He roared in anger, then ran as fast as lightning across the mountains and fields.

"Mother." Roxane Mullin pulled her mother's hand hard, pointing to a pet shop not far away. "Can we go there and take a look?" Since Peter Rabbit was killed by the British and Germans, she had never dared to keep a pet again. But every time she passed a pet shop, she couldn't help but want to go in and have a look.

Haina Mullin smiled gently. "Sure." Because of the nightmares plaguing her, Roxane had been choosing to sleep during the day lately. Tonight, she was probably really bored and finally asked to go out to play—she would never refuse.

Entering the pet shop, Roxane Mullin let go of her mother's hand and walked to the row of cages against the wall. She leaned down and greeted the little white rabbit in the cage. "Hi, I'm Roxane. Nice to meet you."

The little white rabbit huddled in the corner of the cage, motionless. Roxane Mullin smiled and said goodbye to it, moving to the next one. Unexpectedly, she bumped into someone. She quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

A woman with bangs covering half her face smiled, her voice eerie. "It's okay."

The cold voice made Roxane Mullin shiver. She looked up at the woman slightly, and was so shocked she almost forgot to breathe. She moved stiffly to make way. "Noble Lady, please."

The woman seemed to enjoy her attitude. "What a good child." She picked up a cage with a pet and walked away, twisting her waist.

After this incident, Roxane Mullin didn't dare to wander around anymore. "Mother, can we go back?"

Haina hugged her and kissed the top of her head affectionately. "Okay, we'll go back." But when she reached the door, Haina hesitated again. "Roxane, wait for mother here—I'll be right back."

Before Roxane Mullin could speak, Haina turned around and quickly walked back into the pet shop. She wanted to buy a little white rabbit for her poor Roxane.

"Mother." Roxane Mullin turned around. She knew what her mother was going to do, and her eyes grew warm. But before the tears could fall, a piercing coldness hit her. Her eyes widened as a figure flashed in front of her. Before she could scream, she had been taken out of Anastas City by the woman from just now.

"Little one, don't be afraid." The woman's cold voice sounded. "I'll be gentle—I won't make you suffer too much." It had been too long… she had waited too long. Finally, Alexander had left Anastas City. "Hahaha…"

A drop of coldness fell on her forehead. Roxane Mullin actually smiled and reached out. "It's raining." It would be better to die—if she died, she could be free from that terrible nightmare.

To be safe, the woman carried Roxane Mullin straight south, entering Rodrik Valley. There was no moon tonight, and light rain was drizzling down. Rodrik Valley was pitch black—no insects chirping, no birds singing. The woman was still running, and Roxane Mullin had already begun to look forward to the arrival of death.

But unexpectedly, the woman stumbled, falling downward with her. Roxane Mullin screamed. "Ah…" With a bang, she landed on top of the woman. The blood amber hidden in the hidden pocket of her skirt rolled out.

At that moment, the handsome man lying in the center of the mercury stone pond suddenly opened his eyes. A pair of blood-coagulated, glaze-like eyes were extremely beautiful.