Rivers of the Night

Theron's eyes turned toward the third and final podium. The first podium was empty, having once held the lotus he had unfortunately missed out on. The second held the jade that he had just looked through, gaining a great deal of background information from it, as well as a cultivation technique.

As powerful as Theron's Mana utilization was now, if he could master this method to a high enough degree, then he would likely touch a new level entirely, and his combat power would reach a new tier.

But somehow, what was on the third podium was likely the most valuable thing here.

Theron looked calmly at the perfectly smooth crystal ball before him. Inside of it, there was just a single drop of blood, hovering in silence and sparkling like ruby. It was hard to tell if it even truly was blood in the first place. If one told him that it was a carved gem, polished and prepped to have this sort of appearance, he wouldn't outright dismiss them.

Slowly, Theron reached forward, his expression a hint cautious.

Whatever legacy this was, it was something that a Treading Cloud Resonance Realm expert hadn't been able to completely unearth the potential of.

Then, whether it was the Howling Shadow Blade or the Entangling Blood Vein, both seemed to be heavily related and tied into sinister things. As "kind" as this unknown cultivator seemed, that didn't mean he actually was—and that went even more so for the legacy he hadn't been able to comprehend all the secrets of.

However, nothing happened when Theron finally touched the crystal.

It was oddly slightly warm to the touch, but other than that—

Theron suddenly felt his blood churn. His heart stopped beating as though something else had taken up center stage, replacing his heart and churning his blood itself.

Despite the sudden feeling, Theron didn't pull back immediately, his focus on the legacy before him and what it was doing. He paid attention to the circulation patterns, feeling it far more sharply and acutely than maybe any other Silver Mancer in history.

The process must have continued for hours, or maybe it had bled into days—it was hard for Theron to tell while he was so completely focused.

However, what he was sure of as his blood finally chilled and his heart began to beat properly again was one thing…

This wasn't a Dark Mancer inheritance.

It also wasn't a Water Mancer inheritance.

It was a Blood Mancer inheritance.

Theron's eyes narrowed.

He had only been able to pick up on tidbits of things here and there, but what was clear and obvious was that every Spell and technique in here was similar to [Blood Escape]. They used the soul as a medium to force change in the body to influence the surroundings.

On a rudimentary level, it was all about taking control of the Life Mana in one's body and using it to influence the world on the outside.

Theron had gone from a continent where he seemed like the only one capable of using the Life Mana in his body to begin with, to stumbling into a legacy where that was the entire point the instant he stepped out of that hell trap.

However, this was nothing more than an illusion.

Even in this world, such abilities were incredibly rare. And at best, these methods mimicked utilizing Life Mana freely—they didn't actually do so.

The truth of it didn't matter to Theron right now, though. What did matter to him was the fact there was a bigger picture here.

Sure, there were a handful of powerful techniques in this vessel, only one of which was the Entangling Blood Vein Pupils. However, there was a larger, overall legacy here that these powerful techniques almost seemed to shroud, as though they were trying to hide away from Theron…

Or waiting for someone capable of sensing it.

'Blood Demon…' Theron whispered the words in his mind and he felt as though something had exploded within him, a churning violence slicing through.

Theron frowned, his mind snapping out of that state instantly.

He didn't like what was about to happen. It felt like he was on the Dagger Call Platform again and something was about to cultivate for him.

This was probably the reward for seeing the larger picture, but it wasn't something he wanted—especially since he didn't even know what a Blood Demon was.

The name meant nothing to Theron. Even if it had been Holy Angel, he still wouldn't have allowed it to do anything. The problem he had wasn't the fact it sounded sinister, but instead that he wanted to be in control of himself, whatever that meant.

If anything, he was far more aligned with a Demon now than he would ever be with any Angel.

There was a flicker in Theron's eyes for a moment.

It was a shame. If only he still had the Alpha, he could use it as a test subject. It, too, was a Blood Mancer, and it seemed like this sort of inheritance was perfect for it.

Unfortunately… Theron had lost everything from that world. All of the people he had ever known were gone.

Theron looked at the bracelet the Alpha should have been in, his gaze a bit dull until he frowned.

'Hm?'

With a sudden thought, there was a flash and the Alpha appeared. It looked prepared for battle as though knowing that this was the only reason Theron would ever call it out.

Theron stood there in silent shock for a moment, not understanding.

'Could it be…?'

As much as Theron wanted to hope that this meant that Malaya was still alive in some way, his mind went to the actual explanation much too quickly to allow such hope to thrive.

His blood.

The Alpha had been mutated by Theron's blood, and if he was considered to be the only existence truly independent from Sadie, then maybe the day the Alpha became his companion, it too had broken free from that shackle.

'Then we can try it…'