When predators circle, act like prey—or a poisoned blade waiting to strike.
The Warden's hand hovered midair, fingers subtly curled. It wasn't a threat—it was command.
Mo Yuan's grin faded.
Five Foundation Establishment cultivators. One of them in the intermediate stage. The other four, fresh but focused. All of them moved with clan training—refined and coordinated. Not arrogant enough to underestimate a lone servant standing in a swamp surrounded by corpses.
Interesting.
The red mist churned, curling tighter around Mo Yuan's frame like a cloak of unseen blades.
"Are you the one who killed them?," the Warden said. His voice was low, firm. "How did you do it?."
The man stepped closer. Just a little. Just enough to test Mo Yuan's reaction.
"I am Warden Tie, in service to Elder Dio Vein. I don't care about your reasons. I don't care if they deserved it. You killed two servants while still facing punishment yourself. You will surrender now."
Mo Yuan's fingers curled and relaxed at his sides.
Elder Dio Vien is one of the low ranking elder of Blood Vien clan along with three others. The blood Vien clan have 4 low ranking elder. 2 high ranking elder. 1 grand elder. Elder Dio Vien along with Elder Zui Vien are under Elder Kira Vien, A high ranking elder.
He lowered his gaze, allowing a flicker of uncertainty to play across his face.
A calculated mask.
Tie watched him closely. "You didn't answer my question, how did you kill them?"
Mo Yuan tilted his head, then gave a soft chuckle. "They're just demons without a shred of cultivation, while I am in the first stage of Foundation Establishment. Tell me—how could I not kill them?"
Tie's expression didn't change."You've been here for a year. By now, you shouldn't have the strength to kill anyone. You should be half-dead—or already rotting in the swamp. And yet, here you are… standing like nothing ever happened, Just a slightly pale face."
The half-formed second chain in Mo Yuan's dantian pulsed.
He needed time. But time wouldn't come by waiting.
So he played his next card.
"I am a registered servant, and you know that. My punishment for disobedience ended a month ago. By that time, I was already on the verge of death. Then these two appeared. They fed me just enough healing pills to keep me barely alive—just enough for me to regain consciousness. That's when the real torture began.
A week ago, they came to kill me but as mere demons with no cultivation, how can they kill me so easily? I was barely alive when they left in a hurry and forgot to take the pouch of healing pills with them. I don't know how or where they got so many, but there were enough for me to recover. Since they didn't return for an entire week, I used that time to heal completely. The result... is in front of you."
He let the words hang in the air. The truth was twisted with lies that flowed through his lips like flowing water, but close enough to pierce doubt.
Tie's fingers twitched.
It was true—demons didn't need a reason to kill. That was especially true for Young Master Varkis. The only reason he hadn't killed this servant with his own hands was simple: he found it beneath him.
He didn't want others to end the servant's life quickly, either. When they offered to kill him, Varkis refused. Instead, he had him sent here—to suffer, to be slowly tortured.
Since he disdained doing it himself, he must have allowed those servants to carry it out in his place—never expecting they'd make such a mess of it.
That would also explain how they got their hands on so many healing pills, Tie thought grimly.
But now… how was he supposed to explain this failure?
He had no desire to bear the full weight of Young Master Varkis's wrath.
One of the cultivators stepped forward, visibly agitated. "Warden Tie, Let's kill him ourselves and be done with it." They also somewhat understood the gist of the matter.
Tie didn't move. His brows knit together. That's right. Since he said that they came to kill him, They must have been ordered to do so. Then, doesn't killing him would solve all of the problem? Tie didn't even care about the two servants who had died anymore. But there is something amiss. He's too calm for a mere servant who had been gone through this hell.
Mo yuan could sense the unease growing. Not just in the cultivators, but in Tie himself.
This wasn't how servants behaved. This wasn't how victims reacted. The man before them radiated calmness. Too calm, perhaps
"Kill him." Tie ordered.
Mo Yuan smiled. "Do you think you can?"
A heartbeat passed.
Then suddenly a red mist exploded just as it appeared.
It wasn't an attack—not yet—but a display. A burst of suppressed blood qi, rich and feral. It surged from Mo Yuan's pores in a sudden flood, dyeing the air crimson, drawing a line between him and the five enforcers.
The cultivators flinched. Tie stepped back half a pace, eyes narrowing.
One of the subordinates hissed. "He's absorbing from residual blood qi from the swamp!"
That much was true. Mo yuan was devouring the residual blood qi since he noticed their arrival.
Tie noticed that the swamp had thinned since his arrival. And Mo Yuan had deliberately stirred it up again now—to bluff, to buy time, to warn.
"Don't force my hand" he said, voice like iron under velvet. "if you don't want to die."
He is currently exploiting a weakness of blood demon race. Their cautious nature.
Tie's eyes were unreadable behind the mask. "You think you can take five of us?"
Mo Yuan's grin returned—this time not mocking, but cold.
"No. But I only need to kill one of you before I die."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Mo Yuan stepped forward once. The red mist followed, curling like living fire.
The half-formed second chain in his dantian trembled, begging for release.
But not yet.
Then—something shifted in Tie's posture.
He raised a hand again. "Withdraw," he ordered.
The four behind him stiffened.
"Warden—"
"I said withdraw. Back ten paces."
Reluctantly, they obeyed. Tie alone remained where he stood, facing Mo Yuan across a thin strip of bloodied swamp.
"You'll not take a step outside from here" he said. "If you do then even if we have to risk it, we will kill you."
Mo Yuan nodded. "Agreed."
Tie gave one last look at the corpses behind him. That's good. As long as Mo Yuan stayed here, he will eventually be weaken and then it won't be too late to kill him.
Then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, the five figures retreated into the mist, swallowed by fog and distance.
Mo Yuan exhaled.
His knees buckled slightly, and he sat hard on the damp earth. His entire body trembled—not from fear, but from restraint.
His second chain was still unstable.
Another moment passed before he dared to close his eyes again.
The crimson light within his dantian flickered. The first chain was solid, refined. The second—shimmering, erratic, half-formed—now pulsed with a new heartbeat.
Carefully, slowly, Mo Yuan fed it the rest of the stolen vitality.
A silent detonation echoed inside his soul.
The second chain locked into place.
And with it—his blood qi stirred with a deeper rhythm. His control expanded. His senses sharpened. His foundation grew.
Mo Yuan smiled faintly.
The Blood Root Sutra had accepted the offering. And with the Heaven Devouring Forbidden Scripture, every kill was another step forward.
But it wasn't enough.
That Warden… Tie… he was a danger because of his weak cultivation right now.
Humans were complex creatures—full of conflicting emotions and unpredictable choices. But demons were far easier to read. Some were blunt and straightforward. Others, wild and barbaric.
Blood Demons, however, were different. They are cautious by nature.
And he had taken full advantage of that flaw.
Mo Yuan opened his eyes. The swamp felt smaller now. Like a pond barely able to contain a dragon's scale.
He stood up.
Warden Tie had told him not to move—but was he supposed to listen? What a joke.
Blood Demons might be cautious by nature, but that only made them easier to fool. Caution without wit… was just another form of stupidity.
Even the Heavens couldn't command him in his past life. What did a mere Warden Tie amount to?