A tall figure emerged from the pyramid. He wore robes of deep crimson that seemed to absorb light. His skin was pale as bone. Two red gems glowed in place of his eyes. This was Elder Vex, one of the Crimson Brotherhood's inner circle.
"So," Elder Vex said, his voice like whispered death. "Another mortal thinks he can join our ranks by spilling blood on our doorstep."
He gestured to the headless guard. "Killing Raksha demons requires some skill. But Gorath at the gate was worth ten of this one. You defeated him too, I'm told."
Wei Liang nodded. "Strength speaks louder than words in this realm."
Elder Vex circled around him like a predator studying prey. His red gem eyes examined every detail of Wei Liang's appearance. The bloodstained robes. The iron spear. The cold emptiness behind his human features.
"What cultivation method do you practice?" the elder asked.
"The Iron Blood Manual."
Elder Vex stopped circling. His gem eyes flared brighter. "Impossible. That technique was lost centuries ago when the Blood Emperor fell. The only copy was destroyed with his palace."
"I found a fragment in the lower worlds," Wei Liang lied smoothly. "Enough to learn the basic stages."
"Prove it."
Wei Liang drew his spear and cut his own palm. Blood dripped onto the pyramid steps. He began channeling his qi through the crimson drops. The blood began to glow and rise into the air like living smoke.
Elder Vex's gem eyes widened. This was indeed the Iron Blood Manual. No other technique could animate blood with such precision. The elder had studied every blood magic text in existence. This was authentic.
"Follow me," Elder Vex commanded.
They entered the pyramid through doors of polished bone. Inside, corridors twisted in impossible directions. Torches burned with cold blue flames that cast no shadows. Members of the Crimson Brotherhood moved through the halls like red-robed phantoms.
Elder Vex led Wei Liang deeper into the structure. They passed training halls where demons practiced blood magic. Libraries filled with scrolls written in human skin. Laboratories where captured souls were refined into qi crystals.
Finally they reached a circular chamber at the pyramid's heart. Thirteen figures sat around a table carved from a single massive skull. These were the Crimson Brotherhood's inner council. Each one had power that could devastate cities.
"Brothers," Elder Vex announced. "I present a new candidate. He practices the Iron Blood Manual."
Murmurs ran around the table. Several council members leaned forward with interest. The Iron Blood Manual was legendary even in the middle realms. Its techniques could absorb the life force of entire armies.
The figure at the table's head stood up. This was Archon Malachar, supreme leader of the Crimson Brotherhood. His body was covered in ritual scars that leaked constant streams of blood. The crimson drops never hit the floor. They orbited around him in complex patterns.
"Demonstrate your abilities," Archon Malachar commanded.
Wei Liang bowed respectfully. Then he raised his spear and drove it into his own chest. The point pierced his heart completely through. Blood poured from the wound in a red torrent.
The council members watched in fascination. Most mortals would die instantly from such a wound. Instead, Wei Liang began channeling the Iron Blood Manual's healing technique. His spilled blood reversed its flow and returned to his body. The wound sealed itself without leaving a scar.
"Impressive," Archon Malachar nodded. "The Iron Blood Manual's regeneration abilities are unmatched. You will be a valuable addition to our brotherhood."
Wei Liang smiled and bowed again. "I live to serve."
"Your first assignment begins immediately," the Archon continued. "The Iron Claw Sect has been encroaching on our territory. They established a new outpost in the Bone Valley. Destroy it and bring me the heads of their leaders."
"How many enemies?" Wei Liang asked.
"Fifty Iron Claw disciples and three elders. All of them weapon cultivators with centuries of experience. A perfect test of your abilities."
Wei Liang accepted the mission without hesitation. Fifty-three more deaths to fuel his cultivation. The council provided him with a map and identification tokens. Then he left the pyramid to begin his hunt.
Bone Valley lay three days' journey from Bloodfang City. Wei Liang traveled through landscapes that defied nature. Forests of crystallized screams. Rivers of liquid shadow. Mountains that bled from their peaks like wounded giants.
The Iron Claw outpost sat in the valley's center. It was built like a fortress with high walls and watchtowers. Guards patrolled the perimeter carrying weapons that glowed with qi energy. These were no ordinary soldiers.
Wei Liang studied the defenses from a nearby ridge. The three elders had auras like burning suns. Their cultivation levels approached the peak of middle realm standards. The fifty disciples were weaker but still formidable opponents.
A direct assault would be difficult even for him. Better to use stealth and divide their forces. Wei Liang circled around to the fortress's blind side. He scaled the wall during the changing of the guard.
Inside, he found barracks and training grounds. Weapon racks held swords that could cut through mountains. Spears that could pierce the heavens themselves. The Iron Claw Sect's obsession with weapons was evident everywhere.
Wei Liang began his infiltration. He killed guards silently and hid their bodies. His enhanced speed let him move like a shadow through the fortress. One by one, disciples died without raising an alarm.
By midnight, he had eliminated twenty disciples. Their blood was stored in hidden containers throughout the outpost. But the elders were starting to notice their missing students.
"Something is wrong," Elder Ironwill announced. "Too many disciples have vanished from their posts."
The three elders gathered in the central courtyard. They began expanding their spiritual senses to scan the entire fortress. Wei Liang knew his stealth approach was finished.
Time for direct confrontation.
He emerged from the shadows with his spear blazing with dark qi. The weapon moved like black lightning in the crimson moonlight. Elder Ironwill barely had time to draw his massive sword before Wei Liang's attack arrived.
The spear point struck the sword's crossguard. Sparks showered across the courtyard as the two weapons locked together. Elder Ironwill's eyes widened at the force behind that thrust.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"Death," Wei Liang replied.
He twisted his spear and yanked it free. The motion sent Elder Ironwill stumbling backward. Wei Liang's follow-up strike opened the elder's throat in a spray of arterial blood.
The other two elders attacked simultaneously. Elder Swordbreaker wielded twin dao that moved like silver serpents. Elder Blademaster carried a qi-formed weapon that shifted between different shapes. Sword to spear to axe to whip.
Wei Liang fought both elders at once. His spear wove between their attacks with supernatural grace. The Iron Blood Manual's techniques adapted to counter their weapon mastery. Every strike was perfectly timed and placed.
Elder Swordbreaker overextended on a thrust. Wei Liang's spear caught him in the ribs and pierced clean through his body. The elder coughed up blood and collapsed.
Elder Blademaster shaped his qi weapon into a massive hammer. He brought it down with enough force to crater the ground. Wei Liang sidestepped and drove his spear up through the elder's jaw. The iron point emerged from the top of his skull.
All three elders lay dead. The remaining disciples had heard the battle and come running. They found their leaders' corpses and their killer standing among them without a scratch.
"Surrender and I will grant quick deaths," Wei Liang offered.
The disciples chose to fight instead. Their loyalty was admirable but pointless. Wei Liang cut through them like wheat before the scythe. His spear found every weakness in their defenses. Soon all fifty lay dead in pools of spreading blood.
Wei Liang collected the elders' heads as proof of his success. Then he gathered blood from all fifty-three corpses. This much life force would fuel significant advancement in his cultivation.
The journey back to Bloodfang City took two days. Wei Liang used the time to absorb the stolen qi. His body grew stronger with each drop of processed blood. His spear techniques became more refined and deadly.
He presented the three heads to Archon Malachar as requested. The Crimson Brotherhood's leader examined them with satisfaction.
"Excellent work," the Archon said. "The Iron Claw Sect will think twice before challenging us again."
Wei Liang bowed. "What is my next assignment?"
"Rest and cultivate for now. We have larger plans developing. Plans that will require your unique talents."
Wei Liang was given quarters in the pyramid's middle levels. A small chamber with stone walls and a meditation mat. Perfect for his needs. He sat cross-legged and began processing the accumulated blood qi.
The Iron Blood Manual's fourth stage was within reach. It required the deaths of one thousand beings within a single battle. Wei Liang smiled as he meditated. Soon the Crimson Brotherhood itself would provide those deaths.
They thought they had recruited a useful tool. Instead, they had invited their own destruction into their stronghold.