Wei Liang's blood-avatar form dissolved into microscopic droplets that seeped through the manor's defensive formations. The barriers were designed to detect and repel solid intrusions, not individual blood cells that carried fragments of consciousness.
Princess Yan's chambers were located in the manor's highest tower, surrounded by additional protection arrays that would have challenged even Saint-level cultivators. But Wei Liang's approach bypassed conventional limitations entirely. He reformed inside her meditation room, materializing from the very air she breathed.
The Princess sat in lotus position on a jade platform, her consciousness deep in cultivation trance. Her Fire Phoenix bloodline manifested as wings of cosmic flame that folded around her form, while the Nine-Transformation Dragon Pill's energy integrated slowly into her spiritual foundation.
Consuming the pill during breakthrough, Wei Liang observed clinically. Clever, but it leaves her temporarily vulnerable.
He moved with surgical precision, the Heavenly Demon Blood Spear materializing silently in his grip. One perfect thrust would pierce her heart before she could react, allowing him to consume both her cultivation and the pill's power simultaneously.
But Princess Yan's eyes snapped open just as his blade began its descent.
"Impossible," she breathed, her cosmic flame wings spreading wide as she rolled away from the killing strike. "No one can penetrate the Undying Phoenix Formation without triggering the alarms."
Wei Liang's expression remained coldly neutral. "Your formations are designed for conventional cultivators. I am not conventional."
The Princess's cultivation base exploded outward as she abandoned her breakthrough attempt, channeling the Dragon Pill's energy into immediate combat readiness. Her flames changed from golden to white-hot, then to a blue-white intensity that made the air itself shimmer with heat.
"Fire Phoenix Secret Art—Cosmic Flame Judgment!" she declared, her voice carrying the authority of imperial bloodlines.
A miniature sun materialized in her palm, condensing stellar fire into a projectile that could burn through dimensions. The attack was beautifully executed—precise, overwhelming, and launched with the timing of a master combatant.
Wei Liang made no attempt to dodge. Instead, he activated one of his most disturbing techniques.
Iron Blood Manual—Ninth Stage: Damage Absorption Reversal!
His blood-avatar form opened like a flower, creating a hollow cavity in his chest where the cosmic flame struck. Instead of burning through him, the stellar fire was absorbed into his blood-essence, its destructive energy converted into nourishment for his cultivation.
Princess Yan's eyes widened in horror as she watched her ultimate technique being consumed like a particularly tasty meal. "What manner of demon are you?"
"I am Wei Liang," he replied, his voice carrying the weight of consumed gods and shattered realities. "And you are about to become my power."
His counterattack came as a tide of crimson spears, each one formed from his own blood and carrying fragments of his consciousness. The Princess found herself fighting not one opponent but hundreds, each spear moving with independent intelligence while coordinating with all the others.
Her Fire Phoenix bloodline blazed with desperate power as she summoned flame barriers, wing-blade techniques, and conceptual burning attacks that could reduce matter to its component atoms. But Wei Liang's blood-spears reformed faster than she could destroy them, each one learning from her defensive patterns and adapting accordingly.
"Fire Phoenix Imperial Technique—Rebirth Through Ashes!" the Princess roared, triggering her bloodline's most powerful ability.
Her form burst into cosmic flames and began to dissolve, entering the rebirth cycle that would restore her to peak condition while granting temporary invincibility. It was the ultimate defensive technique of the Fire Phoenix bloodline, one that had saved countless imperial heirs from certain death.
Wei Liang watched the transformation with analytical interest. Then he did something the technique's creators had never anticipated—he began consuming the flames themselves.
Conceptual Consumption—Advanced Form: Principle Devouring!
His blood-spears pierced into the rebirth flames, not to destroy them but to absorb the underlying concepts. The principles of resurrection, renewal, and phoenix immortality flowed into his essence like water into a sponge.
Princess Yan's reformation process faltered as key elements of her rebirth were stolen away. She found herself half-dissolved, caught between human form and cosmic flame, unable to complete either state.
"This is impossible," she gasped, her voice distorted by her incomplete transformation. "The rebirth process is absolute! Nothing can interfere with phoenix immortality!"
"Nothing you've encountered before," Wei Liang corrected, his spears beginning to pierce her unstable form. "But I have consumed gods and survived cosmic erasure. Your bloodline tricks are merely appetizers before the main course."
The Princess's cultivation began draining away as Wei Liang's consumption techniques activated. Her Fire Phoenix bloodline, the Dragon Pill's power, centuries of accumulated cultivation—all of it flowed into his essence like tributary streams joining a mighty river.
Through her fading consciousness, Wei Liang absorbed her memories and knowledge. The Fire Phoenix Empire controlled dozens of worlds, commanded millions of cultivators
Princess Yan's consciousness flickered like a dying candle as Wei Liang's consumption techniques drained the last remnants of her cultivation base. Her Fire Phoenix bloodline, once capable of resurrection from complete annihilation, proved helpless against his conceptual devouring abilities.
"Please," she whispered, her imperial arrogance finally cracking under the weight of impending oblivion. "My father will pay any ransom you demand. The Fire Phoenix Empire has treasures beyond imagination—"
"I am already taking everything of value," Wei Liang replied coldly, his blood-spears piercing deeper into her spiritual essence. "Your treasures, your bloodline, your cultivation, your memories. Death is simply a convenient method of collection."
Through her fading consciousness, he absorbed centuries of imperial knowledge. The Fire Phoenix Empire's secret vaults, hidden cultivation sites, the locations of other young prodigies, political alliances and enmities—all of it flowed into his mind like an ocean of strategic intelligence.
Most intriguingly, he discovered knowledge of the Heavenly Dao Sect's current Chosen One—a youth named Lin Feng who possessed a mysterious system that granted him incredible growth rates and lucky encounters. Princess Yan had been planning to either recruit or eliminate this potential rival before he could threaten the established powers.
A Chosen One with systematic advantages, Wei Liang mused as the Princess's form crumbled to ash. How fascinating. I wonder what his abilities taste like.
He collected her spatial ring and began searching her chambers for additional treasures. The manor contained a fortune in pills, weapons, and cultivation manuals, but more importantly, it held detailed maps of the Crimson Void Realm's various regions.
The realm was far more complex than he had initially realized. Azure Dragon World was merely one continent among hundreds, each with its own unique cultivation environments and resource distributions. The Sword Saint Region specialized in blade techniques, the Pill Master Valleys contained ancient alchemy secrets, the Demon Beast Territories housed creatures powerful enough to challenge Saint-level cultivators.
So many hunting grounds, Wei Liang thought, studying a map that showed teleportation arrays connecting distant regions. And in each one, young masters and prodigies waiting to be consumed.
But first, he needed to establish his reputation more firmly. Two mysterious deaths might be coincidence, but a pattern would draw the attention of truly powerful investigators. He needed to be more strategic about his hunts.
The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted his planning. Princess Yan's bodyguards had finally noticed something amiss and were ascending toward her chambers. Wei Liang could sense their Soul Formation cultivation bases—not particularly threatening individually, but potentially problematic if they escaped to spread word of his presence.
He dissolved into blood mist just as they burst through the chamber doors.
"Princess!" one guard shouted, seeing the scattered ash that had once been their charge. "Assassins! Sound the alarm!"
Wei Liang reformed behind them, the Heavenly Demon Blood Spear materializing in his grip. Two precise thrusts ended their lives before they could activate their communication talismans. Their cultivation bases were modest compared to recent meals, but every bit of power was useful.
As he consumed their essence, Wei Liang made his decision about the next phase of his plans. The Heavenly Dao Sect's territory lay three regions away, accessible through the teleportation arrays. If this Lin Feng truly possessed systematic advantages, studying his abilities could provide valuable insights into the realm's deeper power structures.
More importantly, Chosen Ones invariably attracted other powerful individuals—friends, enemies, and rivals who would make excellent targets for consumption. Following the protagonist would lead him to a banquet of opportunities.
Time to hunt a hero, Wei Liang thought as he prepared to leave the blood-soaked manor. Let's see if destiny tastes as sweet as they say.