As Lan An approached the exit of the spatial rift, a thick, nauseating metallic scent of blood assaulted his nostrils, making him frown deeply. He stepped out.
What met his eyes was an endless wasteland stretching to the horizon. The sky above was a deep crimson, as though soaked in blood, illuminated only by the dim, eerie glow of a massive Blood Moon hanging overhead. The oppressive atmosphere pressed down like a physical weight.
This particular rift had opened in a desolate corner of the realm. Even with Thousand-Li Insight scanning from afar, Lan An saw no signs of life. He couldn't fathom why the ill-fated Xue Fan had ended up here.
He suppressed his spiritual power to the absolute minimum. In a world like the Blood Realm—where cultivators fought solely with blood—releasing spiritual energy would be as conspicuous as a living creature among the dead. It would invite unnecessary trouble. Though Lan An feared nothing in the Blood Realm, his top priority right now was locating the Transcending Star Blood Formation. Until he found its whereabouts, he would act with caution.
From Xue Fan's memories, Lan An understood the Blood Realm's ambition was vast and insatiable. They constantly expanded, invading and devouring low-grade planets. Besides Yuelong Star, dozens of other low-grade worlds—capped at peak Tribulation Realm cultivation—had already fallen into their grasp.
"Ding! The duration of Destiny Holy Water has expired!"
The System's voice rang out, causing Lan An to sigh with faint regret despite having mentally prepared himself.
Becoming a Child of Destiny even once was something no one wanted to give up—especially after tasting such terrifying benefits. Setting aside the Immortal Tree for now, everything had gone suspiciously smoothly during this period. Lan An had to admit—he had enjoyed it.
He had easily learned the basic situation back on Yuelong Star and even found a path home. The System had summoned exactly what he needed. While Destiny Holy Water hadn't instantly teleported him back to Yuelong Star, it had laid out the perfect route…
All he had to do now was walk it logically.
"I was only a Child of Destiny for a short time and already reaped such insane gains. I can't even imagine what a true, permanent Child of Destiny would be like—or how many heaven-defying opportunities they'd have." He sighed inwardly in awe, yet he didn't feel inferior.
Because he had the System.
And a Child of Destiny… might not.
"Hmph. Want to have a System? A Child of Destiny doesn't even qualify!" Jin'er, reading his thoughts, crossed her arms and huffed proudly.
Lan An chuckled. Activating Speed Gate, he surged forward using pure physical power…
First, find signs of life…
...
Three days passed. Lan An remained in the wasteland. This place seemed to be a desert of the Blood Realm—except instead of golden or white sand, everything here was blood-red.
"The Blood Realm's territory is no smaller than Manhuang Star!" Lan An sighed, increasing his speed…
Buzz… Buzz…
Without warning, a deafening chorus of droning filled the air. Countless black shadows swarmed in, blocking his path and encircling him in an instant. When Lan An saw what they were, goosebumps erupted across his skin. A wave of revulsion made him spit in disgust.
Surrounding him was a swarm of giant tiger mosquitoes—each the size of an eagle with wings spread. Their long legs were covered in sharp barbs; their needle-like proboscises gleamed like drills. Black, hairy bodies striped with white; blood-red eyes stared greedily. The endless flapping of wings created an unbearable buzzing…
A swarm of giant tiger mosquitoes…
"Bloodstripe Mosquitoes—a species of demon beast that always moves in swarms. They develop by sucking the blood essence of their prey and have an extremely acute sensitivity to blood and flesh!" Jin'er said with clear disgust. Even she loathed this repulsive swarm.
"Kh kh kh… Such a handsome little brother. This Queen has found delicious prey this time!"
A voice dripping with lewdness and debauchery rang out. From the center of the swarm flew a figure.
When Lan An saw it, his eyes nearly popped out.
A mosquito-human hybrid—a female mosquito demon. Snow-white skin faintly streaked with blood vessels, a seductive and lascivious face, crimson lips slightly parted as a wet tongue flicked in and out. Her mature, voluptuous body was barely covered in black velvet. A long, razor-sharp proboscis protruded from her head. Her enormous chest was shamelessly exposed under the red moonlight. Blood-red eyes stared hungrily at Lan An, brimming with excitement.
"Mosquito Queen—peak Seventh Stage!" Jin'er said with a hint of amusement as she glanced at Lan An. "Young Master's tastes may be heavy, but surely not this heavy?"
Lan An truly looked sick—especially when the mosquito demon stared at him with such depraved lust. He nearly unleashed Emperor Flame to incinerate the entire swarm on the spot…
"Kh kh kh… Capture him and bring him back… This Queen will savor him slowly!" The Mosquito Queen licked her lips, swaying her waist, thrusting out her chest, and pointing a barbed finger at Lan An with an evil grin…
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ!
In an instant, thousands of mosquitoes flapped their wings. Their needle-sharp proboscises extended as they swarmed toward Lan An in a frenzy.
"You all deserve to die!" Lan An's face twitched. He unleashed every ounce of physical power without reservation. Killing intent surged. Muscle Gate activated… Wild Beast Fist roared toward the heavens. A brutal, earth-shattering punch exploded outward…
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Space trembled violently. Spiderweb cracks spread across the sky…
Under the Mosquito Queen's horrified gaze, thousands of her Bloodstripe Mosquitoes—thousands of her children and kin—were completely pulverized. They turned into a sky full of blood rain, pattering down to the ground…
"How… how is this possible?" The Mosquito Queen's heart went cold. Her eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as she stared at the carnage.
This brat had looked completely harmless. Her swarm contained several late Seventh Stage members—they should have easily captured fresh prey. So why… why were they all dead? Why was she the only one left?
"DAMN YOU! Give me back my clan!" The Mosquito Queen threw her head back and roared like a madwoman. Hatred surged to its peak…
The prey had become the hunter—and in an instant, slaughtered her entire swarm. How could she not hate him to the bone?
"Die!"
Her blood-red eyes blazed. The needle on her head rapidly condensed endless blood essence, forming a razor-sharp spear that shot toward Lan An at a speed that tore through space. Clearly, she had unleashed a powerful martial technique.
Unfortunately, her opponent was Lan An—the same man who had slain True Immortals. A mere peak Seventh Stage was nothing before him. Wild Beast Fist remained brutal and overbearing. Lan An erupted with ferocious physical power, crushing forward with a punch. Ten thousand beasts roared across the sky. His skin glowed with explosive energy; every muscle gleamed under the red moonlight—perfect and terrifying.
A colossal shockwave blasted outward. The Mosquito Queen's attack shattered like paper under the overwhelming force…
PUFF…
Before the empowered Wild Beast Fist, the Mosquito Queen didn't even have time to scream. She exploded completely—joining her kin in death…
Lan An's expression remained calm. The number of lives he had taken was far from few. His enmities were clear-cut; there was no need to show emotion.
"Aiya, Young Master is so ruthless—no tender mercy for flowers at all. She was still a beauty mosquito, you know!" Jin'er giggled from his shoulder, her bell-like voice teasing and adorable.
Lan An ignored her. Just as he was about to continue moving, two figures shot toward him from the distance…
A young man and woman, both pale-skinned but reasonably attractive. The man was handsome, the woman beautiful. Both had blood-red lips and carried an intimate air.
"Brother, you're quite strong. Care to join us for the Blood Child assessment?" The young man licked his lips, looking at Lan An with great enthusiasm.
"Who are you?" Lan An frowned. He didn't recognize these two.
"How rude of us. This humble concubine is Xue Qian, and this is my husband Xue Shang… We're on our way to participate in the Blood Child assessment. Seeing your impressive strength, we'd like to travel together!" The woman smiled charmingly, arm linked with her husband's as she addressed Lan An.
"Blood Child assessment?" Lan An thought silently. From Xue Fan's memories, Blood Children were the title given to the most outstanding geniuses of the Blood Realm. There was even a ranked list. To become a Blood Child, one had to pass an assessment organized by the Blood Royal Clan.
Though the Blood Realm had many factions, the Blood Royal Clan stood supreme—issuing commands to all. It was quite similar to the former Manhuang Sacred Land on Manhuang Star.
The Blood Royal Clan even maintained a ranking list of top young geniuses called the Blood Child Ranking. Those who made the list earned the title Blood Royal Child, regardless of origin.
Lan An knew the quality of this Blood Child Ranking far surpassed Yuelong Star's Golden Ranking. But he had zero interest. Getting his name on some list meant nothing to him.
He had slain True Immortals. Did a mere young genius ranking board of the Blood Realm deserve his attention? It was child's play.
Seeing Lan An's lack of enthusiasm, Xue Shang realized he wasn't interested. Still, he spoke eagerly:
"This time, the Blood Child Ranking has a new privilege. Those who successfully become Blood Children will be allowed to pass through the Transcending Star Blood Formation to participate in wars on other planets. It's the perfect opportunity for young geniuses like us to establish merit, grow stronger, and make a name for ourselves!"
"My husband is right!" Xue Qian's eyes flashed with greed. The thought of hunting lives and absorbing blood essence made her tremble with excitement.
"I heard that as long as we capture enough prey on other planets, we'll even be rewarded with the purest royal blood essence—a one-step ascension to the heavens!" Xue Shang swallowed hard.
On the surface, Lan An nodded as though he understood. Inside, however, his heart turned as cold as ice.
These damned Blood Realm bastards were war-mad to the extreme. The "prey" they spoke of… weren't those the living beings of Yuelong Star? Among them were his wives and family.
But unexpectedly, the chance to locate the Transcending Star Blood Formation had presented itself. Suppressing the surging killing intent in his chest, Lan An pretended to hesitate:
"I've lived in the wilderness since childhood. I finally escaped my master for a bit of fun. Also… I can't cultivate blood power… I'm afraid I won't be able to become a Blood Child."
"You can't cultivate blood power?" A flash of contempt appeared in Xue Qian and Xue Shang's eyes, quickly hidden.
In the Blood Realm, those who could comprehend and cultivate blood essence held supreme status. Those who couldn't were trash.
"If you can't cultivate blood power, how did you kill them?" Xue Shang pointed at the scattered mosquito corpses in confusion.
The couple had been flying from afar and heard the commotion. They came to investigate and saw this man had slaughtered the entire swarm—hence why they assumed he was powerful.
"My master said I was born with an unusually strong physique!" Lan An rubbed his head innocently.
"Ah… so you're a Body Cultivator!" The couple suddenly understood. No wonder he was so strong without cultivating blood power.
"Perfect! Then you should definitely come with us for the assessment. As long as you work hard, once you earn royal blood essence as a reward, you'll be able to cultivate blood power!" Xue Shang said seriously.
Having finally found someone strong yet seemingly naive, he naturally wanted to make use of him.
"Really?" Lan An pretended to be overjoyed. "I can actually cultivate blood power?"
"Of course!" Xue Qian nodded firmly. Inwardly, she sneered: Did he think royal blood essence was cabbage? He might struggle his whole life and never obtain it—or die on some alien battlefield.
"Then I'll go with you two! My name is Xue Mie. Pleased to meet you!" Lan An acted thrilled and eager.
He knew his inability to cultivate blood power would eventually be exposed. Better to openly admit he had never been able to cultivate it since childhood and had focused solely on Body Cultivation.
Body Cultivators weren't rare in the Blood Realm. The most famous and widespread branch was Bone Cultivation—a subset of Body Cultivation.
"Xue Mie? Nice name!" Xue Qian smiled.
"The assessment takes place in Blood Heart City. This time, there are only ten slots for the Blood Child Ranking. I hope all three of us succeed!" Xue Shang stirred up the mood, giving Lan An a determined look.
"Let's do our best!" Lan An said with mock solemnity.
"Set off!" Xue Qian laughed heartily. She transformed into a streak of blood light and vanished toward the horizon.
Xue Shang shrugged at Lan An and followed his wife in a blood escape…
Lan An's eyes gleamed with meaning. Activating Speed Gate, he followed at a leisurely pace—not too fast, not too slow.
As for this so-called Blood Child Ranking… he wanted to see how many punches the people on it could withstand from him…
"Xue Mie—time to make your debut!"