Azreal, with his new sword, Calista, shining brightly in his hand, stares down the Crimson Fang Orpald. There is a deep seething hatred, flowing from the depths of Azreal's heart, an anger, not unwarranted, but far beyond his expectations. 

"I do not know what you have become, Orpald, but I do know that you will die here!" Azreal screams. Azreal begins to activate his abilities, 'Stormblade Surge & Poisonous Sword Stance' the combination of the two, previously draining his Qi at a rapid rate, now feel as if they are in perfect harmony within the blade empowering each other.

<Ding!>

<Combination Skill Learnt: Tempest Venom Blade>

<Rank: Sovereign>

<Comprehension: Low>

<Description: a lethal combination of the Stormblade Surge and Poisonous Sword Stance. By channelling both the ferocity of the storm and the insidious nature of poison into the sword Calista, The blade crackles with electric fury, each lightning arc infused with deadly toxins. This technique not only enhances the destructive capability of the sword strikes but also corrupts the Qi of its victims>

Azreal's eyes go wide reading the message, his confidence and pride soaring, an unknown power flows from within Calista, and assisting his control over his new skill. Closing this distance in a blink, causing flashes of light to appear where his feet meet the ground, Azreal raises his sword, ready to strike towards Crimson Fang Orpald's skull.

The pulsating head, an inviting target, as the bone once covering where his brain should be, has clearly deformed and cracked open under his skin. Azreal, confident with strike, has his hopes dashed as Orpald raises his hand in an attempt to catch the blade. A screech of pain echoes throughout the village square, melding with the roaring inferno that has started to bring the buildings in the village square down upon themselves. Azreal's blade, much sharper than he anticipated, slices its way through his palm, splitting the hand and up to his elbow in two.

A thunderous laugh overtakes the screech of pain, "You should have learnt your lesson, this kind of injury is nothing to me!" blood and spittle shooting out of Crimson Fang's mouth. Azreal, uncaring of his words, focusing solely on his enemies movement, disregarding his words of provocation. A memory comes to the forefront of his mind, a wise old man, sitting atop a royal red pillow, "Those who are lost in their enemies' provocation, will become lost to the annals of time".

Rearing his sword for another strike, Azreal, increases his speed once again, the stone flooring of the village cracking and groaning against his new power. The sword carves through the Crimson Fang's knee cap and cleanly sunders his lower leg from the rest of his body. "Argh!" gargled sounds of pain rise and Crimson Fang tumbles to the ground. "What have you done?!?" Crimson Fang's words mirroring a pain that he delivered unto every last disciple he has faced, true fear, could be seen starting to form.

"Why is my blood revitalisation not activating!" screams Crimson Fang, bringing his arm to his face, the blood soaked half wolf half man, begins to scream unintelligible words. Azreal, who is still solely focused on the Crimson Fangs movements, drowns out the words of the panicked monster who lays in front of him.

"I'll kill you!" Orpald screams as he flails his arm towards Azreal with his open hand. Azreal, easily avoiding his movements, surprising even himself, steps out of the strike range and slashes towards Crimson Fang Orpald's stomach area, just underneath his ribcage. Azreal, landing his sword directly onto the mid region, slicing clean through, increases the amount of Venomous Qi on his blade.

Orpald, dragging his body along the floor to face Azreal, who has managed to move out of his range of vision during the strike. Smiles with a twisted mouth full of blood and small chunks of flesh. His face shows confusion, as he lunges from the ground, in an attempt to tackle Azreal. Only to find himself much slower than anticipated and his Qi beginning to fluctuate rapidly.

"What kind of fucked up trick is this?" he screams, unable to catch Azreal, who is stepping back in time with his attempted attacks. "Your overconfidence in your body will be your downfall, you allowed me to strike at you, with venomous Qi imbued into my sword, you're nothing but an evil fool," sneers Azreal.

Azreal, swiftly dodging Orpald's leap contacting his final surge of power, stabs his sword into the lower back of Orpald as he passes by. A sorrowful scream comes from Orpald, his defeat imminent.

Azreal, happy with the fight and finding his confidence in wielding his new blade Calista, cries out in frustration as he reads a notification from the system.

<Master! You must act quick! I sense a surge of power, the flowing streams of blood have begun to take form, you must stop the orb from fully forming>

Azreal, glances towards the blood orb, a deep sense of hatred filling his heart, the form of an unborn demonic child that was beginning to take place. A small and frail body, that would be used to host the Crimson Fang's soul and become one of the greatest weapons the first heavens have ever bore witness. Azreal, unsure of how he has learnt this knowledge, knows the body forming within the blood orb is only the weakest of weak within its race, yet if allowed to birth and raised it could easily destroy cities with a single attack. These hideous creatures, born from a deluge of blood, bone and ambient fear, are known as the Sanguine Harbinger, demonic bodies, its power determined by the unwilling sacrifices made to create such a body.

"How do I destroy this?" questions Azreal.

<Master! You will need to imbue your blade with everything you have left, kill the Crimson Fang Orpald, then expand your Qi to the last drop in one swift attack of the orb. If the Sanguine Harbinger is born here, I fear for the heavens if an evil soul inhabits it>

Azreal, moving on top of the Crimson Fang Orpald, is disgusted by the sight he looks down upon. A once confident and determined, albeit extremely evil man, sobbing, weeping and speaking in incomprehensible tongues. The venom from Azreal's blades has crippled his movements, the Lightning Qi still crackling inside his open wounds, causing burn marks and searing his flesh. Azreal can see Orpald's Qi begin to twist and enter a state of Qi deviation.

Qi deviation is a dangerous condition that occurs when a cultivator's Qi becomes unstable and starts to flow in an uncontrolled manner within their body. This instability can cause the Qi to damage the cultivator's meridians, internal organs, and even lead to the destruction of their cultivation base, resulting in severe injuries or death if left unchecked.

'I do not know what will happen if his Qi runs wild, but it cannot be good,' Azreal's thoughts guiding his action, as he swiftly strikes at Crimson Fang Orpald's neck with his sword, still crackling and dripping with power from his new skill Tempest Venom Blade.

"P-please st–" the last words from Crimson Fang Orpald, before his head is removed from his shoulders. 'Thankfully, I made him transform early, if he had waited and completed his transformation, I would have easily died by his hands,' Azreal, thanking himself and the system for reaching here so quickly.

Moving his attention to the now glowing orb of blood, the small foetus has now begun to grow and contort. Black horns growing out of his skull, similar to Orpald's, his feet transforming into goat-like hoofs, on his chest a black tattoo begins to take shape, looking similar to chains circling a drain.

<Master! Hurry!>

"Fuck!" shouts Azreal, before moving towards the blood orb at full sprint. Having to move his Qi away from his body, with what little he has left, Azreal begins to increase the stream of Qi from himself to the tip of the blade. The white metal blade begins to change colours, an ethereal meld of blue lightning and deep dark green, begins to merge until the blade is left an earthy dark cyan colour.

The sound of Azreal screaming, as he pushes himself to the absolute limit, breaks through the sounds of the still raging inferno. If there is anyone left in the village, they can hear the angry and frenzied screaming of a young man, before a thunderous sound eclipses both. 

A violent red Qi, erupting from the village square, this Qi so abundant and powerful that it becomes a physical manifestation as it surges into the sky. Creating a similar dome to Orpald's ability earlier, the dome of blood red Qi, does not slow as it approaches over fifty metres tall, this Qi, immediately quashes the flames that are consuming the town. Soaking the remaining structures in blood.

Every person, who is travelling in the lower plains, turns and looks in horror, as the dome of blood red Qi expands before reaching a critical point of one hundred metres high. Before, similar to a balloon pushed to the utmost limit, a resounding pop can be heard all the way from the Heavenly Root Sect, to the southernmost borders of the Lower Plains.

Elder Juhee and an aged, venerable cultivator, whose physique defies the very essence of his age, sit together at the mountain's peak, surrounded by the tranquillity of nature and the subtle aroma of jasmine tea. This peak, the highest point of the Heavenly Root Sect, offers a breathtaking panorama of the First Heaven and a sight that few eyes have the fortune to behold.

The venerable and wise cultivator, dressed modestly in dark trousers, exudes an aura of ancient power. His long grey hair flows freely, echoing the unbound spirit of cultivation itself. Around his wrists, two mystical bracelets—one as dark as the night sky, the other as radiant as the morning sun—signify his profound mastery over the elements. Despite the passage of countless years, his visage retains a captivating allure, his smile a silent testament to a youth filled with adventure and allure.

Below them, the vast expanse of the First Heaven stretches out in all its wonder and glory. From this mountaintop, they can oversee the most critical points of their realm. Rivers carving their way across the continents, lush forests breaking apart the expanse of plains that dance with the changing seasons and the hidden valleys where secrets of the cultivation world lie buried.

The peak they inhabit is not just a physical high point but a nexus of cosmic energy, making it a perfect backdrop for their meeting. As they partake in the tea, infused with the mountain's natural Qi, heavily doused in earth and wind Qi, empowering the pair as their discussion begins.

"I am truly happy that you listened to my request little Juhee, that young boy reminds me of another I came across before I was tasked with protecting the first heavens." The venerable cultivator, glancing behind himself, chains flickering in and out of reality as they lead into the mountainside. Elder Juhee, or little Juhee as the venerable cultivator calls her, winces as she sees the chains which are constantly draining the man seated beside her.

"I would've acted even if you did not instruct me to do so, he clearly possesses an incredible physique and cultivation technique. I believe he has the ability to become a key member of the heavens, if protected and given time to bloom," Elder Juhee's voice, soft and kind.

"That's a big if, little Juhee, do not let your mind cloud because of a handsome boy. I've raised you for the last fifty years, you have been one of the most talented disciples I have ever had the pleasure of training. But your talents are nothing compared to his, I can feel his fate, his destiny to rise above and stand atop the world, blood and bodies left in his wake," says the venerable cultivator. He moves his hand and places it onto hers, tenderly, like a Father caring for his distraught daughter, "How we grow while he is in the lower heavens will define the pathway he may take. Raise him well, and he may save more lives than either of us could comprehend."

"I will, thank you for your guidance, Ancestor Eranta," replies Elder Juhee, both of their gazes fixed on the horizon. Another minute of peace passes by as the heavy Qi streams into Elder Juhee's body, improving her cultivation base and giving her a more youthful appearance.

The peace broken by Ancestor Eranta, his face quickly turning from peaceful to a deep frown, "Little Juhee, that young boy is already fighting an evil that should never exist in the lowest heaven." Elder Juhee's face, one of surprise, follows the Sect Ancestor's gaze and as her eyes witness this massive dome of blood Qi appears. Her heart sinks, "Azreal... He is there right now," struggling to get her words out.

Elder Juhee and Ancestor Eranta, silently stare at the expanding dome, before it pops and panic crosses Elder Juhee's face. "Why didn't he activate the token I gave him!" her scream ricocheting down the mountainside. Ancestor Eranta gives a sideways glance to Elder Juhee, "You'll owe me one, little Juhee." As she turns to face the ancestor, her vision becomes blurry and fades to black.

Suddenly her vision returns and she is standing at the bottom of a crater, her eyes darting around trying to figure out what just happened. Her breathing stops as she notices a figure covered in blood. His back facing her, the robes that he once wore have been torn apart and left in small blood soaked patches on the ground beneath him. 

She walks with slow and cautious steps, her eyes never leaving his well defined back, his muscles have become larger than she once remembered. She stops once the man before her is only a few feet in front, both of them now standing at the bottom of the crater, the man's breath shallow and weak.

She takes another step forward, her eyes clouding as the deep wounds covering the man's body do not stop leaking blood endlessly. She raises her hand and places it on top of the largest wound on his back, and begins channelling a bright blue Qi. Slowly the wound closes and the bleeding stops, Elder Juhee breathing a sigh of relief, moves to stand in front of the damaged man.

Elder Juhee, still holding her breath, gasps at the vision before her. Her newest disciple, Azreal, has more wounds on his body than she could fathom, her only guess, the blood red Qi attacked any who were alive within the dome it formed. Her eyes trail down to ground, noticing a deformed demonic foetus, causing her to jump and move to the side of Azreal. A breath from Azreal's nose, the only reaction that she could gauge as his vision never leaves the dead and split in half foetus. "That can't be a Sanguine Harbinger, they are only myths, legends!" Elder Juhee cries out, However, the evidence is right in front of her.

She shakes her head, blaming herself for sending her newest untrained disciple on a mission that would take a team of inner disciples and an Elder to handle. 'This was reckless, I do not know what else happened here, but I can feel the ambient Qi brimming with fear, carnage and an ounce of hope,' Elder Juhee thinks inwardly, scanning the environment before taking the body of the Sanguine Harbinger into her spatial ring, and placing her arms around Azreal and carrying him.

Her eyes flicker with a vibrant white colour, "Elder Tulia, I want you to form a team with an Elder from each of the other Pavilions and head to Lihan village, a Sanguine Harbinger ritual has been broken and Azreal is gravely wounded. I will tend to him, ensure Great Elder Lu is told of the situation and ask him to come personally," her words cold and tone commanding, ensuring her subordinate would follow her instructions closely.

Carrying Azreal, out of the deep crater, she walks for a few minutes out of town, before finding the first piece of grass, untouched by blood, placing him onto the green grass, she proceeds to infuse her Qi into him and assist with his recovery. 'This is all I can do Azreal, I am no healer, but you will not die under my watch'.