Chapter 63: Shadow of the Blood Beast
"Mr. Xia, His Highness awaits you in Hall 3."
The guard pushed open a door and bowed, gesturing ahead. "Proceed to the end and turn left."
The corridor stretched long, its walls adorned with carved dragons and painted murals flickering under sparse candlelight.
"Thank you." Xia Feng nodded amiably and walked forward.
He sensed it immediately—a dense, oppressive aura of demonic power, nearly rivaling the Evil Dragon Princess's own presence. Yet this energy lay dormant, not from a living demonic beast but concentrated demonic essence, sealed and contained.
Interesting.
At the corridor's end, he turned left. A towering dark-red door loomed ahead, its gilded numeral [3] gleaming faintly.
The demonic power emanated from within, suppressed so thoroughly that even a Spirit Master below Venerable rank would miss it. But Xia Feng was no ordinary Spirit Master. Standing before the door, he could visualize the energy inside—a swirling mass trapped in a small orb, suspended midair.
Someone wanted him dead.
Though summoned by the prince, the prince himself had no motive. This reeked of Li Siwen's handiwork. The guard leading him was likely Li Siwen's pawn, too.
The plan wasn't flawless, but on the prince's turf, once the deed was done, the prince would have no choice but to shield his son. With the Demon Beast Forest nearby, a low-rank Spirit Master's "accidental" death from demonic energy would raise no eyebrows.
Xia Feng glanced around. No surveillance.
The door was slightly ajar. Playing oblivious, he knocked. Hearing no response, he pushed it open—
A conference room. At its center hovered a dark-red orb, smaller than a palm. The moment he stepped in, it shot toward him.
Expression unchanging, Xia Feng shut the door behind him. The orb faltered midair, as if realizing its mistake, but too late—his hand snapped shut around it.
The orb vibrated violently. A surge of demonic essence tore through his palm, flooding his heart.
Crack.
The orb shattered, scattering glass shards. A thin metal wire inside dulled and vanished.
"A spirit weapon?" Xia Feng picked up the wire. On a glass fragment, the words "Pingshan Tech" were etched.
Then—
Boom.
Boom.
The influx of demonic essence sent his heart pounding. A numbing current erupted, searing through his limbs and soul.
[Demonic Heart repair progress: 0.01%]
[Unlocked base ability: Shadow of the Blood Beast]
[Effect 1: Impurities from Blood Beasts can be filtered into the user's shadow. When shadows overlap with a target's, a Shadow Pathway forms, allowing the target's shadow to store Blood Beasts.]
[Effect 2: All shadows linked via Shadow Pathways become conduits for soul erosion. Blood Beasts can be controlled to invade the target's soul along the shadow. Erosion potency scales with the target's mental resistance.]
Xia Feng's eyes widened. "This is broken."
The ability was formidable—invisible assassination—but required mastery of light manipulation.
Experimenting, he tossed a wisp of Blood Beast mist onto the floor. It devoured the glass shards before sinking into his shadow, vanishing.
His shadow darkened, thickening unnaturally. Xia Feng sighed. "I'm leaning harder into villainy by the minute."
Copying, stealing, and mental corruption? Outrageous.
Glancing at the ajar door, he shrugged. "Might as well pretend I was never here."
Hands in pockets, he strolled back the way he came.
...
After watching Xia Feng disappear down the corridor, Li Siwen turned to Mu Qingtong with a smile. "Miss Qingtong, a word in private?"
Mu Qingtong didn't spare him a glance. "Say what you must here."
"Some things demand darkness." Li Siwen's grin sharpened. "Are you certain you'd prefer this audience?"
Her mask of civility dissolved. "Ants revel in their petty schemes, mistaking mediocrity for cunning."
Li Siwen stiffened—then laughed. "You know what I've done?"
She didn't. But Prince Wang's second son's memories had revealed plenty: like the Double Tranquility Orb, their favorite tool for murder, leaving no trace but demonic energy.
Mushroom blinked between them, lost.
"You're as sharp as they say." Li Siwen tilted his phone toward Mu Qingtong.
On its screen:
[I know you killed my brother. Keep it quiet—meet me in Room 404.]
"I trust you'll choose wisely." His gaze raked over her black gown, predatory, before he turned away—
—and froze mid-stride.
His smirk slackened. His eyes glazed over, vacant.
Mu Qingtong remained seated, legs crossed elegantly beneath her skirt. She lifted a wineglass, its crimson contents catching the dim light as she sipped, her golden eyes veiling icy lethality.
Not yet.
Too many witnesses. Li Siwen's sudden death would complicate retrieving his phone's data.
She'd deal with this ant after the banquet.
Nearby, a man approached Li Siwen, all smiles. "Your Highness, regarding Count Louis's project—?"
Li Siwen's head lolled left, then right. He accepted the offered wine mechanically. "Proceed."
The man launched into his pitch, drawing a crowd.
"You—" The guard started as Xia Feng reappeared.
"Me?" Xia Feng raised a brow.
"His Highness summoned you! Why—?"
"Hall 3 was empty." Xia Feng rolled his eyes.
"Impossible!" The guard's gaze darted toward the banquet's center—
Xia Feng also looked in the direction of his gaze. He saw Li Siwen surrounded by a group of people with crisscrossing shadows under their feet.
(End of Chapter)