Three months passed in the Crimson Brotherhood's pyramid. Wei Liang completed assignment after assignment for Archon Malachar. He destroyed rival outposts. Assassinated troublesome demons. Collected rare blood specimens from captured enemies.
Each mission added to his kill count and cultivation level. But he was careful never to reveal his true strength. The council members still saw him as a useful mortal with some talent. They had no idea death itself walked among them.
Wei Liang used the time to study the pyramid's defenses. He mapped every corridor and secret passage. He learned the routines of guards and elders. Most importantly, he identified where the Brotherhood stored their greatest treasures.
The Blood Vault lay deep beneath the pyramid's foundation. It contained centuries of accumulated wealth. Qi crystals formed from refined souls. Weapons forged in the blood of gods. Cultivation manuals written on human skin.
Among these treasures was the complete Iron Blood Manual. Not just fragments like Wei Liang claimed to possess, but the original text written by the Blood Emperor himself. It contained techniques that could drain entire worlds of life.
Getting access to the vault required reaching inner circle status. Only thirteen council members could enter freely. Wei Liang needed to eliminate one of them and take their place.
Elder Vex was the perfect target. He had sponsored Wei Liang's membership and often worked alone on secret projects. His disappearance could be blamed on enemies or failed experiments.
Wei Liang followed Elder Vex to his private laboratory one evening. The chamber was filled with bubbling cauldrons and dissection tables. Captured mortals hung from hooks like slabs of meat.
"Ah, my promising student," Elder Vex greeted him. "Come to observe my latest research?"
"Something like that," Wei Liang replied.
His spear emerged from concealment like a striking snake. The point pierced Elder Vex's heart before the elder could react. Black blood poured from the wound in thick streams.
Elder Vex looked down at the weapon protruding from his chest. His gem eyes flickered with confusion and pain.
"Why?" he gasped.
"Because I need your position," Wei Liang said simply.
He twisted the spear and yanked it free. Elder Vex collapsed onto his laboratory floor. His blood mixed with chemical spills to create noxious fumes.
Wei Liang quickly disposed of the body in one of the acid vats. Then he activated the chamber's self-destruct runes. The explosion would destroy all evidence while making it look like an experimental accident.
The blast shook the entire pyramid. Brotherhood members came running to investigate. They found Elder Vex's laboratory in ruins. No body remained to examine. Just scattered equipment and scorch marks on the walls.
"Another failed experiment," Archon Malachar concluded. "Vex was always too reckless with his research. This was bound to happen eventually."
A formal funeral was held three days later. The council voted to promote Wei Liang to fill the empty position. His service record was exemplary. His loyalty seemed absolute. He was the obvious choice.
Wei Liang accepted the promotion with feigned humility. Now he had access to the Blood Vault. More importantly, he could attend the secret council meetings where the Brotherhood's true plans were discussed.
At the next gathering, Archon Malachar revealed his grand strategy. The Crimson Brotherhood would unite all three factions under their banner. Not through negotiation or alliance, but through conquest and absorption.
"The Shadow Court has grown complacent," the Archon explained. "Their assassins are skilled but few in number. We will overwhelm them with superior forces."
"What about the Iron Claw Sect?" asked Elder Bloodfang.
"They are already weakened from our recent campaigns. Once the Shadow Court falls, we can finish them easily."
The plan called for a massive assault on the Shadow Court's stronghold. Every Brotherhood member would participate. Over two thousand demons and corrupted beings attacking as one unified force.
Wei Liang listened with growing excitement. This was exactly what he needed. The fourth stage of the Iron Blood Manual required one thousand deaths in a single battle. The upcoming war would provide far more than that.
But he would not fight for the Brotherhood's victory. Instead, he would ensure all three factions destroyed each other. Then he could collect the qi from their combined corpses.
The assault began at dawn one week later. The Crimson Brotherhood marched through Bloodfang City's streets in perfect formation. Their red robes fluttered like blood in the desert wind. Weapons gleamed with murderous intent.
Wei Liang marched with the inner council at the army's head. Archon Malachar rode a skeletal horse that breathed poison gas. The other council members carried their most powerful artifacts and weapons.
The Shadow Court's fortress stood in the city center. Black towers twisted toward the sky like grasping claws. No guards were visible on the walls. Everything seemed eerily quiet.
"Too easy," Elder Bloodfang muttered. "They should have scouts and patrols watching our approach."
"The Shadow Court relies on stealth and misdirection," Archon Malachar replied. "They will strike when we least expect it."
He was right. The attack came as the Brotherhood army reached the fortress gates. Shadows erupted from every corner and crevice. Assassins materialized out of thin air with poisoned blades gleaming.
The battle was joined with savage intensity. Brotherhood blood mages hurled crimson lightning. Shadow Court assassins moved like smoke between the attacks. Steel rang against steel as hundreds of warriors fought and died.
Wei Liang hung back during the initial clash. He needed to let both sides weaken each other before making his move. The Iron Blood Manual's fourth stage required precise timing and positioning.
The Shadow Court's leader emerged from the fortress depths. Lord Nightfall was an ancient vampire whose power rivaled gods. His presence alone made reality bend and warp around him.
"You dare attack my domain?" Lord Nightfall's voice echoed from everywhere at once. "I have ruled this city for ten thousand years. I will not be displaced by upstart blood cultists."
Archon Malachar met the vampire lord in single combat. Their clash sent shockwaves through the surrounding buildings. Windows shattered. Walls cracked. Lesser demons were blown away by the force of their exchanges.
Meanwhile, the Iron Claw Sect had arrived on the battlefield. Elder Hammerfall led three thousand weapon cultivators into the fray. They attacked both other factions indiscriminately.
"While you fools tear each other apart, we will claim this city for ourselves!" Elder Hammerfall roared.
Now all three factions fought in a massive three-way battle. Blood flowed in rivers through the streets. Bodies piled high around the Shadow Court fortress. The death toll climbed toward Wei Liang's target number.
Eight hundred deaths. Nine hundred. The count approached one thousand as the battle reached its climax. Wei Liang judged the moment was right. He activated the Iron Blood Manual's fourth stage technique.
Dark red energy erupted from his body like a tsunami. It swept across the entire battlefield in seconds. Every dying warrior felt their life force being drained away. Their blood rose into the air in crimson streams.
"What is this?" Archon Malachar gasped. He looked around in horror as his followers withered like flowers in frost.
"The Iron Blood Manual's true power," Wei Liang replied. His voice carried clearly across the chaos.
The technique continued draining life from everyone within its range. Brotherhood members. Shadow Court assassins. Iron Claw warriors. All of them fed Wei Liang's advancement to the fourth stage.
Lord Nightfall tried to escape by transforming into mist. But the blood-draining energy followed him even in that form. The ancient vampire's screams echoed through dimensions as his essence was consumed.
Elder Hammerfall raised a qi barrier around himself. The shield held for perhaps ten seconds before cracking like an eggshell. His life force joined the flowing crimson stream.
Archon Malachar was the last to fall. His ritual scars blazed with desperate power as he fought against the drain. But even his centuries of accumulated blood magic could not resist the technique's pull.
"You planned this from the beginning," he realized. "Everything was manipulation to reach this moment."
"Of course," Wei Liang confirmed. "Did you really think I came here to serve you?"
Archon Malachar's final scream was cut short as his life force was consumed. His body crumbled to dust and blew away on the desert wind.
Silence fell over the battlefield. Over five thousand warriors had entered this fight. Now only Wei Liang remained standing among the corpses. The Iron Blood Manual's fourth stage was complete.
Power beyond imagination flooded through his body. His qi pathways expanded to contain oceanic levels of energy. His physical form transcended mortal limitations entirely. He could sense the barriers between realms growing thin around him.
But this was still only a middle world. Greater challenges awaited in the upper realms. Wei Liang looked up at the crimson sky and smiled. His reign of terror was just beginning.