The moon was hidden behind thick, bruised clouds, plunging the Vance Estate into darkness. It was the perfect night for murder.
In the secluded courtyard where Kaelen lived, the wind rustled through the overgrown weeds. To the untrained ear, it sounded like nature. To a veteran soldier like Kaelen, it sounded like footsteps.
Five shadows moved across the tiled roof of the dilapidated shack. They were dressed in tight-fitting black leather, their faces covered by masks depicting a hissing viper. They moved with absolute silence, their breathing controlled, their Qi suppressed to be undetectable.
These were the Black Viper Assassins. They weren't cheap thugs; they were professionals hired to erase problems.
On the roof, the leader of the squad signaled with two fingers. Target inside. Kill on sight. Make it look like a cultivation deviation accident.
The assassins nodded. They drew their weapons—short, curved daggers coated in paralytic poison.
They dropped from the roof, landing in the courtyard as softly as falling leaves. They approached the rotting wooden door. The leader reached out, channeling a tiny thread of Qi to melt the lock mechanism silently.
Click.
The door creaked open.
The room inside was dark. The assassins rushed in, moving toward the bed where the target should be sleeping. The leader raised his dagger, ready to plunge it into the heart of the sleeping figure.
Thump.
The dagger pierced the blanket.
But there was no sound of flesh tearing. No gasp of pain.
The leader frowned. He ripped the blanket back.
Underneath lay two pillows arranged to look like a body.
"It's a trap!" the leader hissed. "Retreat!"
"Too late," a voice whispered from the darkest corner of the room.
Before the assassins could turn, the darkness itself seemed to move.
[Skill Activated: Shadow Step]
A blur of motion tore through the room.
SHING.
A sound like tearing silk echoed in the small space.
The assassin standing closest to the door suddenly went rigid. A thin red line appeared on his neck. His eyes widened in shock, and he reached up to touch his throat, but his head slid off his shoulders and hit the floor with a wet thud.
"Number Four!" the leader screamed. "Formation! Back to back!"
The four remaining assassins scrambled into a defensive circle, their daggers held out, their eyes darting around the room.
Kaelen stepped out of the shadows.
He wasn't wearing his armor. He was wearing loose sleeping robes, barefoot, looking completely relaxed. In his right hand, he held the Bloodshade sword.
The black blade was humming. The jagged red line down its center was glowing with a faint, crimson light. It wasn't just reflecting the room; it seemed to be inhaling the blood mist from the decapitated assassin.
"You possess good stealth techniques," Kaelen complimented them coldly. "But your killing intent smells like rotten eggs. I could smell you from a mile away."
"You... you are supposed to be Stage 5!" the assassin leader stammered. "How can you move that fast?"
[Target: Black Viper Assassin Leader][Cultivation: Body Tempering Stage 7][Status: Fearful]
Kaelen tilted his head. "Stage 7? Elder Boran really spent a fortune on me. I'm flattered."
"Kill him!" the leader roared, realizing there was no escape. "Attack together!"
The four assassins lunged. Their coordination was perfect. Two aimed for Kaelen's legs, one for his chest, and the leader aimed for his neck. It was a net of death.
Kaelen didn't retreat. He stepped into the net.
The Ancient Dragon Body flared to life. Golden scales rippled under his skin.
He ignored the attacks aiming for his legs. He let the daggers hit him.
CLANG. CLANG.
The poisoned blades struck his shins but bounced off as if they had hit a steel pillar. The assassins' eyes nearly popped out of their heads. Their weapons couldn't even scratch his skin!
"My turn," Kaelen whispered.
He swung Bloodshade.
The cursed sword didn't just cut; it devoured.
The blade sliced through the arm of the assassin attacking his chest. It didn't stop there. It continued its arc, cleaving through the man's torso.
There was no resistance. Bone, armor, flesh—it all parted like water.
"ARGHHH!"
The assassin screamed as he was cut in half. Blood sprayed onto the sword, but not a single drop hit the floor. The metal absorbed it instantly.
The crimson line on the blade pulsed brighter.
"More..." the sword whispered in Kaelen's mind. "More blood..."
Kaelen felt a surge of energy rush from the hilt into his arm. The sword was feeding him stamina, making him faster, stronger, hungrier.
"Monsters..." the remaining two subordinates dropped their weapons in terror. "He's a demon!"
They turned to run toward the window.
"Leaving so soon?" Kaelen engaged Shadow Step again.
He appeared in front of the window, blocking their exit.
Slash. Slash.
Two swift movements. Two heads rolled on the floor.
Now, only the leader remained.
The Stage 7 assassin was trembling. He had killed dozens of men. He had faced powerful cultivators. But he had never seen a slaughter like this. This wasn't a fight; it was an execution.
"Who... who are you?" the leader gasped, backing away until he hit the wall. "The intel said you were trash! Trash!"
Kaelen walked toward him, the bloody sword dragging on the floor, leaving no trail because it drank everything.
"The intel was outdated," Kaelen said calmly.
He stopped three feet from the leader.
"I have a message for the man who hired you," Kaelen said. "Will you deliver it?"
The leader nodded frantically. "Yes! Yes! I will tell him anything! Just let me go!"
Kaelen smiled. It was a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Good. But words are cheap. I prefer a physical message."
Kaelen raised the sword.
"Wait! No! You promised—"
SWISH.
Kaelen severed the leader's right hand.
"AGHHHHH!" The leader fell to his knees, clutching the stump.
"Take your hand back to Elder Boran," Kaelen said, his voice dropping to a demonic growl. "Tell him this is the only piece of him I will leave intact if he sends anyone else."
Kaelen kicked the leader in the chest, sending him flying through the open door and into the dirt of the courtyard.
"Run," Kaelen commanded.
The assassin didn't need to be told twice. weeping and bleeding, he scrambled to his feet and sprinted into the night, leaving his four dead comrades behind.
Kaelen stood in the doorway, watching him go.
He looked down at Bloodshade. The sword was vibrating with satisfaction. The red line was now blindingly bright.
[Ding!]
[Weapon Upgrade Progress: 4/100 Kills.][Bonus: The sword is satiated. The curse is delayed for 7 days.]
[Quest Generated: The Roots of Corruption.][Elder Boran will not stop. You must cut the head off the snake before leaving for the tournament.]
Kaelen sheathed the sword. The glow faded, but the hunger remained in his own heart.
He looked at the bodies on his floor.
"System," Kaelen said. "Is there a storage function for corpses?"
[Affirmative. The 'Void Storage' can hold non-living organic matter. However, keeping rotting bodies is not recommended for hygiene.]
"I'm not keeping them," Kaelen said, walking over to the nearest body. "I'm going to return them to their owner."
He grabbed the corpse by the ankle.
"Tomorrow morning, the Vance family is going to have a very interesting breakfast."