Chapter 166: Bourbon Secret Vault

A carriage sped swiftly across the wilderness.

Through the carriage window, Yam could clearly see the red soil of the wilds suddenly shift into a field of scorched black.

He knew this place well—this was the greatest forbidden zone in Red Eagle Territory.

Withered Wood Forest.

To ordinary people, or even to First- and Second-Tier Bloodline Users, the reason Withered Wood Forest was considered forbidden was due to its other name: Death Forest. That was because this scorched land harbored many Magical Beasts, their strength increasing progressively deeper into the forest. There were even rumors of Fifth-Tier Magical Beasts roaming its depths—though whether such tales were true or not, no one knew. Regardless, the rumors persisted.

But in the eyes of Bloodline User families with some real strength and heritage, the reason Withered Wood Forest was deemed forbidden had nothing to do with the so-called "high mortality rate" earning it the name Death Forest. Rather, it was because this forest was tied to a family whose name could not even be spoken—not just in Red Eagle Territory, but throughout the entire Southern Region.

The Bourbon Family.

Yam’s family already knew that the Bourbon Family did not originate here. However, outsiders were unaware of this. After all, when the Bourbon Family ruled Red Eagle Territory, they had indeed established their clan grounds within this forest, which had once been filled with Raging Flame Maples. Even the Bourbon Secret Vault had been set up on this land.

Yet Yam had already seen through it—this, too, was merely a concealment strategy of the Bourbon Family. They had used it as a cover to hide the true location of their ancestral land.

Soon, the carriage came to a halt.

Knight Commander Dean Seia of the Antares Knights was the first to disembark, followed by Yam.

Yam glanced around the surroundings, his heart slightly tensing.

Guards from the Kasein Family had already secured a large area, constructing a Military Formation to ensure no one could accidentally intrude. As for any Magical Beasts dwelling within Withered Wood Forest, Bloodline Users would naturally handle them—though their numbers were few, only seven in total including Knight Commander Dean, two among them radiated an aura on par with Dean himself.

From what Yam knew of the Kasein Family, those two must be Marquis Visen Kasein’s eldest son, Tyrot Kasein, and third son, Wade Kasein.

Tyrot Kasein was born when Marquis Visen was still at Fourth-Tier. He was Monica’s father and eldest son—in other words, Monica’s eldest brother. He was now in his forties. The second son, Monica’s third brother, was thirty-seven years old, seven years older than Yam. Monica, the third child, was twenty-eight, two years younger than Yam.

Wade Kasein, on the other hand, was born after Marquis Visen ascended to Sixth-Tier and had inherited the Marquis’s Berserk Ape Bloodline. He had two children—Monica’s fourth brother, Burton Kasein, who had already been killed by Akar; and another, Monica’s younger brother, whose exact age was unknown. All that was known was that he was apparently an ordinary person who had never awakened his bloodline, and thus was not even deemed worthy of remembrance by the Kasein Family.

To a bloodline family like the Kasein Family, a child who could not awaken their bloodline held no right to enjoy the family’s privileges or benefits. They were treated like ordinary people, sent away, with the only advantage being a reputable surname—enough to avoid being bullied by commoners.

But as far as Yam knew, among Monica’s generation of siblings, aside from Burton and Monica herself, none were worth mentioning.

The eldest brother was approaching fifty, with his bloodline power already fading, and had only reached Second-Tier. The second brother was stuck at First-Tier and had already given up. The third brother fared slightly better, still having hope to reach Third-Tier. The fifth brother, Joshua, had already died by Yam’s hand. As for the younger ones—seventh, eighth, and so on—due to age and aptitude, they were all hovering around First- and Second-Tier. Only one or two among them still had a slim hope of reaching Third-Tier.

It could be said that the Kasein Family had completely given up on Monica’s generation and shifted their hopes to the next.

Unfortunately, up to now, three children had reached the age for Aptitude Assessment, but none showed promise of breaking through to Third-Tier. These children were mostly the grandchildren of Monica’s father and second uncle. Since they had not inherited the Berserk Ape Bloodline, the true expectations were placed on the children born ten years from now.

For example, Joshua’s son.

But Yam knew that child was destined to be just an ordinary person.

“I am Wade Kasein.” A middle-aged man stepped forward to face Yam. Beside him, Dean gave a respectful bow and then moved off to take charge of his defense post. “Follow me, Lord Yam. Marquis Visen is already waiting for you at the secret vault.”

Yam nodded slightly and quickly followed.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance of an earthen cave: a hole had been directly excavated from the ground, forming a tunnel downward. This was not a pre-existing entrance but a newly dug one.

Yam could clearly tell that the Kasein Family had already spent considerable time here. Otherwise, they couldn’t have reinforced the entire environment around the tunnel so thoroughly. Although the tunnel’s exact depth was unknown, luminous stones were embedded in the walls at regular intervals to illuminate the underground passage. By this glow, one could clearly see the stepping stones embedded along the tunnel walls.

These stepping stones were spaced roughly twelve to fifteen meters apart and had only small indentations.

To an ordinary person, traversing with these stepping stones would be extremely difficult. But to Bloodline Users, it was effortless.

Wade Kasein leapt down, his whole body plunging directly into the underground tunnel. He didn’t even need to use the stepping stones for support or cushioning. With ease, he landed on the subterranean floor.

Yam knew—this was a show of intimidation.

If one were truly a member of the Bourbon Family, seeing their ancestral land and secret vault treated in such a manner would surely give rise to dissatisfaction and resentment. Thus, without some form of deterrent, it would be easy to provoke unnecessary trouble.

But unfortunately, Yam was not a member of the Bourbon Family at all. So even if the Kasein Family’s actions were tantamount to grave robbing, he wouldn’t so much as frown—even if they blew up the entire ancestral grounds and tombs of the Bourbon Family, he would not blink. In fact, if necessary, he would even help cheer them on and assist in moving the relics. Unfortunately, Yam could not say these things aloud—or rather, even if he did, the Kasein Family likely would not believe him. Because at this moment, whether true or not, in Marquis Visen’s eyes, he was already considered an authentic member of the Bourbon Family.

Soon, Yam used the stepping stones to cushion his descent and landed swiftly at the bottom.

It was only then that he discovered how different the underground environment was compared to the tunnel above.

It was clear that the Bourbon Family had once constructed a hidden underground passage beneath the manor in Withered Wood Forest, a path that led directly to this secret vault—evident from the heavy stone brick flooring and the well-maintained stone walls on either side, rather than raw rocky surfaces. At regular intervals, there were even torch brackets: the Kasein Family had already replaced all the torches along the passage, making it as bright as daylight.

“When the Bourbon Family was destroyed, the entrance and exit to this tunnel were also destroyed,” said Wade upon seeing Yam descend. “We explored both directions. The side behind you should have been the original entrance, but it’s now completely collapsed. We tried digging forward for about fifty meters and still found signs of collapse, so we gave up.”

Yam glanced back. That side had not had its torches replaced, and so the passage appeared particularly dark.

He then turned his gaze forward, toward the brightly lit end.

“Up ahead should be your Bourbon Family’s secret vault. We’re blocked by a stone door.”

“Even Marquis Visen can’t open it?” Yam asked curiously.

“Do you know of the Blood Suppression Potion?”

“I do,” Yam nodded. “A special potion that suppresses the Power of the Bloodline within Bloodline Users.”

“Blood Suppression Potion only works on those at Third-Tier or below. For those at Fourth-Tier and above, its effects are minimal. So, other methods are needed.”

“Needles,” Yam responded.

“Mm. Needles are one method. But it must be used in conjunction with other techniques—bloodletting, dietary restrictions, and the administration of large quantities of Blood Suppression Potions to truly suppress them,” Wade nodded and explained. “But this method is extremely cumbersome. Any slight misstep could easily lead to complications... So for Bloodline Nobles with sufficient resources, they often build a cage specifically for imprisoning Bloodline Users.”

Wade glanced at Yam and said, “The Hall of Spirits calls it the ‘Chamber of Authority’... The main ingredient is the blood of Seventh- or even Eighth-Tier Magical Beasts, because only that can restrain Sixth- or even Seventh-Tier Bloodline Users.”

Upon hearing this, Yam immediately understood: “It utilizes the pressure effect of the Bloodline User’s aura?”

“Yes,” Wade nodded. “The exact construction formula is known only to the Hall of Spirits. But what you need to understand is that once the ‘Chamber of Authority’ is completed, the entire room forms an aura comparable to that of a Seventh- or even Eighth-Tier Magical Beast. Not only will those who enter be temporarily and entirely stripped of their bloodline power, but even Bloodline Users attacking from outside will have no effect on it...”

There was no need for Wade to elaborate—Yam already understood.

It was as if attacking a room that was itself a Seventh- or even Eighth-Tier Magical Beast.

And since Magical Beasts were generally half a tier to a full tier stronger than Bloodline Users, only an Eighth-Tier Bloodline User could possibly break through a ‘Chamber of Authority’.

As Marquis Visen was only a Sixth-Tier Bloodline User, it was naturally impossible for him to destroy such a cage.

Now, it seemed the true origin land of the Bourbon Family was likely also a “Chamber of Authority”.

The two continued forward and soon arrived at a broader space.

Yam glanced around and guessed this clearing might once have been a kind of Assembly Square—but likely one that only core members could attend, as it was not particularly large.

However, the most eye-catching thing was a large blaze burning in one corner of the room.

“That’s the corpse of a Raging Flame Lion.”

“Raging Flame Lion?” Upon hearing Marquis Visen’s voice, Yam glanced again at the blazing fire.

“A Sixth-Tier Magical Beast. But it had grown very weak from being imprisoned here for so long, which is why I was able to deal with it easily,” said Marquis Visen as he approached Yam. “But unfortunately, I wasn’t prepared with special preservation equipment, so all its materials were wasted.”

Staring at the large blaze, Yam cautiously asked, “Magical Beast corpses above Sixth-Tier require special preservation?”

“Even Fifth-Tier requires it,” explained Marquis Visen. “Sixth-Tier requires even better preservation. Normally, Sixth-Tier Magical Beasts are terrifying. Even I wouldn’t be able to handle that Raging Flame Lion alone—it would require at least one or two other Sixth-Tier Bloodline Users.”

Yam didn’t reply, but quietly committed all this information to memory.

“Father,” Wade finally spoke again, “Everything is ready.”

“Good. Go back up and keep watch. Things might get noisy. Be careful of a Magical Beast surge,” said Marquis Visen.

“Yes,” Wade replied and quickly departed.

“Marquis, is that giant door up ahead the secret vault you want me to open?”

Yam’s gaze settled on the five-meter-tall door at the far end of the clearing.

It was a massive gate engraved with golden patterns. Just a glance caused Yam to feel a jolt in his soul. It wasn’t fear or anxiety—rather, something about that door seemed to call out to him, igniting a deep desire to step forward.

“You felt it, didn’t you?” Marquis Visen had been observing Yam, and upon seeing his expression, he finally relaxed. “That feeling of being summoned.”

“Yes,” Yam hesitated, then nodded.

“That is the power of the ‘Bloodline Proof’,” said Marquis Visen as he turned to face the giant door and explained, “It’s a special technology of the People of the Abyss. Only those who possess the corresponding bloodline can open this kind of door. Hence, it is also called the ‘Bloodline Proof’... I can’t break a ‘Chamber of Authority’, but this kind of door—I can destroy. However, if the door isn’t opened through its corresponding bloodline, everything behind it will be destroyed.”

“So... these are two different techniques?” Yam was stunned.

“Yes,” Marquis Visen nodded. “Or strictly speaking, they are one and the same... because the Hall of Spirits’ ‘Chamber of Authority’ was actually a technique learned from the People of the Abyss. And because of that, the ‘Chamber of Authority’ can actually be opened with a key—it’s not hard at all. It’s just indestructible. But the Bourbon Family, to ensure their legacy remained in the hands of their descendants, chose to use the ‘Bloodline Proof’ as the method to unlock their secret vault.”

“Then, everything depends on you now.”

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