The Sword and The Shadow - Chapter 623 Sacrifice

Notice: This story contains R18+ themes, including violence, sensual and sexual content, blood-related addiction, and dark psychological elements. Reader discretion advised.I died in a library, crushed under centuries of forgotten knowledge. Fitting.Now I’ve woken up in a coffin, starving, undead, and very much not human.They call me a Fledgling—a bottom-feeder vampire barely above a ghoul. I’m weak, hunted, and tethered to a world straight out of a cursed tabletop campaign. It’s a classic fantasy realm—elves, knights, guilds, and dungeons—but twisted by a dark, rotting magic. The moon shines red, the gods are silent, and every town smells like fear.To make matters worse, I’ve been bound to a LitRPG system called the Blood Codex.Level up by draining blood.Unlock skills by embracing your monstrous nature.Resist Corruption... or don’t.There's no prophecy. No chosen one nonsense. No noble title. Just fangs, rot, and whatever I can steal, trick, or kill to survive.But the deeper I sink into this world’s underbelly, the more I realize something is watching me through the system. The rules are breaking. Dungeon bosses are going mad. Entire towns are disappearing.And I think I’m supposed to fix it… or maybe finish the job.

In her previous life, Gu Ying gave up her dignity as the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Dongping’s manor for Jiang Yin. She pestered him relentlessly until she finally married him.

Later, Jiang Yin rose to great power and status. He schemed against the state first, then killed her father and exterminated her clan.

She was betrayed by her scumbag husband and sister-in-law. They broke her legs and threw her in a dilapidated temple, subjecting her to all kinds of humiliations for ten long years.

After being reborn, Gu Ying returned, ready to take revenge.

The first step was to cling onto the “fiancé, Young Marquis Yong’an”, kick away the scumbag, fight the scumbag sister-in-law, and play the prestigious families of Bianjing for fools!

The second step of revenge was to cancel the engagement with the “fiancé” and flee to the borderlands, taking her younger brother to find their father!

The third step of revenge was to find a meek, submissive man to marry, staying far away from the scumbag husband, and live a happy life!

Yet she never expected that the leg she clung onto by accident did not belong to the Young Marquis, but the legendary, sinister and ruthless Crown Prince Zhao Changdu!

Everyone said the Little Prince was hard to handle. This time she would certainly lose her life.

Yet unexpectedly, she could not only handle the Little Prince, but also arrogantly ride on top of him. “Husband, you have cultivated excellent masculine virtues, your wife cannot run away!”

The subordinate was shocked: “Little Prince, you stay up all night reading, you wouldn’t be looking through the Dongli Punishment Illustrations Manual to torture your wife, would you?”

Zhao Changdu remained expressionless: “Thank you for your concern, but this Crown Prince is cultivating masculine virtues to please his wife.”

In a world where strength determines one’s future, William, an orphan with no extraordinary talents, faces a grim destiny—until a brutal attack leaves him clinging to life. Instead of death, he awakens to a mysterious and powerful entity lurking within his mind: the Shadow System, a game-like interface that promises him unimaginable power. But this power comes with dark secrets, and refusing it would mean his death. Forced into a pact with a voice that can hear his every thought, William must navigate a dangerous new reality where shadow abilities and celestial power collide. As he enters the prestigious military academy, his newfound abilities draw both allies and enemies, all while a deadly conspiracy brews in the shadows. With the odds stacked against him, William must unravel the mystery of the Shadow System and decide whether to embrace the darkness within—or be consumed by it. His journey from a bullied outcast to a potential god will challenge not just his survival, but his very humanity. Power always comes at a cost—will William be able to pay the price? “What am I?” William asked the system. The system’s voice echoed in his head, cold and indifferent. “You are nothing.”

Raelis Varekan was born into royalty but treated like trash. With 0% bloodline purity, he was branded a failure, framed for treason, and executed without a second thought.But despite his expectations, he had come back to the time he was twelve years old, standing in front of the same bloodline testing orb. But this time, something changed.His former 0% bloodline purity was gone, replaced by a 1% result.And with it came something no one else could see: a system that let him grow stronger.[Ding!][+1% Bloodline Purity][Total Bloodline Purity: 2% (Ash)][Next Bloodline Rank at 10% Purity: Ember]With the future burned into his memory and a strange system tracking his growth, Raelis wouldn't make the same mistakes twice. He would become strong and he would use every tool he had to survive the academy and outmaneuver his siblings and the nobles who once betrayed him.And most importantly...Raelis would rise through the ranks and become the one who rewrites the Varekan Empire’s history.