The blood moon hung over the shattered peaks of the Azure Sky mountains.
The winds smelled of ash. The rivers glowed faint red from the aftermath of battle.
Xiao Wang stood amidst the ruins of the shrine, Mo Tian's ashes still scattering into the night.
Lian Yue sheathed her crescent blade, her silver hair flowing like liquid moonlight. "That man was already dead," she murmured. "Something dark had taken root inside him."
Xiao Wang nodded, eyes glowing faint gold. "And I devoured it."
The System's cold voice resonated through his mind.
[Essence Integration: 37%]
[New Function Unlocked — Devour Refinement (Allows host to absorb and refine arts, weapons, and essence into personal origin.)]
His body trembled as new energy poured into his veins. Yet even as strength filled him, a deeper unease stirred.
"Ten thousand souls..." he muttered, glancing at his sword. "How many lives will this path demand before the heavens are satisfied?"
Lian Yue looked at him for a long moment before speaking softly.
"Power is the language of this world, Xiao Wang. You either speak it—or die in silence."
She turned, stepping into the moonlight. "Come to the Moonlight Kingdom when you've settled your debts with the Azure Sky Sect. I'll be waiting."
The night wind caught her robes as she leapt into the sky, vanishing like a silver comet.
Xiao Wang watched her go, his gaze lingering in the stars.
Then his expression hardened.
"Azure Sky Sect…" he whispered. "It's time."
The Azure Sky Sect – War of Ancestral Flames
Dawn came like fire.
The gates of the Azure Sky Sect, once glorious and proud, now stood before him like the mouth of an ancient beast. Thousands of disciples lined the mountain steps, their swords gleaming under the rising sun.
At the peak stood Sect Master Yun Fei, his aura vast, accompanied by five Elders and two Ancient Guardians—souls of long-dead founders summoned through ancestral flames.
"Xiao Wang!" Yun Fei's voice boomed like thunder. "You betrayed your sect, slaughtered our elder, and brought calamity upon yourself. Surrender your sword, and I will grant you a painless death!"
Xiao Wang lifted his head slowly. His black hair danced in the wind. His eyes were no longer human—they were twin golden vortices.
"Death?" he murmured. "Sect Master, you raised me from nothing, yet left my family to starve while your disciples mocked us. You took my sword, my honor, and my father's name."
He drew the Celestial Devourer Sword. Its golden core pulsed once—like a heartbeat.
"You wanted obedience," Xiao Wang said coldly. "I'll give you destruction."
[System Protocol: Feast of Ten Thousand Souls — Phase 2 Initiated]
[Target: Azure Sky Sect]
A pulse of divine darkness erupted from him. The sky dimmed. The ground trembled.
The disciples charged.
Xiao Wang moved.
Every step shattered air. Every swing tore reality. The first wave of cultivators vanished in a scream as their Qi and souls were devoured into the sword.
[Souls Devoured: +134]
[Energy Points: +4,120]
Elder Bai roared, summoning a mountain-sized serpent spirit. "You dare massacre your own kin?"
"Kin?" Xiao Wang's laughter echoed like thunder. "You call dogs kin?"
His sword carved through the serpent in a single swing. The beast split apart, raining blood across the courtyard. The energy funneled into his sword like a vortex.
[Parasitic Qi Manipulation Activated]
Black tendrils spread from his blade, wrapping around Elder Bai's body. He screamed as his essence drained away.
[Elder Bai – Essence Devoured.]
[Energy Points: +2,900]
Lightning split the heavens. The remaining four elders joined the fray. Fire, wind, ice, and lightning merged into a cataclysmic storm.
But Xiao Wang's laughter only grew darker. His split personality whispered gleefully:
"Four old men? How generous. Let me handle two!"
Xiao Wang's aura flared red and black as his dual consciousness synchronized. The mischievous voice took over half his body—the other remained cold and precise. Together, they fought as one being of chaos and divinity.
Their sword arcs split the storm apart. The elders fell, one by one, their souls ripped and refined into Xiao Wang's veins.
The ground cracked. Mountains shattered.
The ancestral guardians descended at last—two massive, spectral figures wielding ancient weapons.
"Blasphemer!" they thundered. "The heavens shall judge you!"
"The heavens?" Xiao Wang's laughter became mad, defiant. "Then I'll devour the heavens too!"
The Sword of Devouring roared, its golden edge bleeding black.
He leapt into the air, clashing against the ancestral spirits in a storm of cosmic force.
Each impact tore through the sky, raining fire upon the sect below. Disciples fled, screaming.
The final clash shook the heavens—then silence.
When the dust cleared, Xiao Wang stood upon the sect's altar, surrounded by the ashes of gods. His robes were tattered. Blood trickled from his lips.
[Feast Progress: 1,823 Souls / 10,000]
[New Trait Unlocked: Soul Refinement Flames]
Yun Fei, the sect master, crawled across the broken tiles, his arm severed, his eyes wild."You… you're a demon..."
Xiao Wang looked down at him. "No," he said softly. "I'm what you created."
His blade fell. The sect master's head rolled down the crimson steps.
[Azure Sky Sect: Destroyed.]
[Soul Record Updated.]
For the first time in a decade, Xiao Wang closed his eyes and breathed.
"Father," he whispered. "It's done."
The Refining Chamber — The Alchemy Duel
Days later, within the mountains of the southern borderlands, Xiao Wang stood inside a vast hall filled with celestial cauldrons and glowing ores.
Before him was Grandmaster Shen Wu, the famed refiner who once served the Imperial Pill Pavilion.
"So," the old man said, stroking his beard. "You wish to challenge me—in pill refinement, talisman forging, and weapon crafting? Boy, do you even understand what that means?"
Xiao Wang's eyes burned like molten stars. "It means I'll show you the difference between skill... and destiny."
The contest began.
Flames roared. Spiritual metals sang.
While Shen Wu relied on years of perfection, Xiao Wang's Devour Refinement merged ancient arts, forging flames that devoured impurities themselves.
Each pill glowed brighter. Each talisman radiated power. His final weapon—a black-gold sword embryo—hummed with divine authority.
When it ended, the silence was deafening.
Shen Wu looked at the results—and bowed deeply.
"I have lived three hundred years... yet never have I seen such mastery," he said solemnly. "From this day, I, Shen Wu, swear my loyalty to you, Lord Xiao."
Xiao Wang nodded. "Then protect them."
He turned. Behind him stood his mother, pale but smiling softly, and his younger sister, eyes shining with pride.
"Until I return," he said, placing his sword in Shen Wu's hand. "No one touches them."
The old master's expression turned resolute. "By my soul flame, I vow."
Departure — The Path Beyond Nations
Under a crimson sky, Xiao Wang stood alone on a mountain ridge overlooking the lands of the Azure Sky.
The ruins of his enemies burned behind him.
Ahead lay the endless horizon—and beyond it, Lian Yue's kingdom, the Moonlight Empire.
The System's cold voice broke the silence.
[Feast of Ten Thousand Souls Progress: 1,823 / 10,000.]
[Next Directive: The Moonlight Empire — Unknown Threat Detected.]
He grinned faintly. "Guess she wasn't lying about waiting for me."
A flicker of lightning crossed the horizon. Dark clouds gathered.
And somewhere, in the depths of the void, an ancient, slumbering will awakened.
[Warning: Celestial Protocol Detected.]
[New Enemy Registered: "The Heaven Devouring Monarch."]
Xiao Wang froze.
"The… Heaven Devouring Monarch?"
[Error. Data Corrupted. Estimated Relation: 87% genetic match.]
His heartbeat stopped.
The wind howled louder. The system's interface flickered violently before stabilizing.
[Quest Unlocked: Bloodline War — Begin the Devourer's Ascent.]
Lightning split the heavens as Xiao Wang sheathed his sword.
He looked toward the distant moonlit realm, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Brother or ancestor… whoever you are," he said quietly, "wait for me."
He stepped forward—and vanished into a swirl of divine energy.