Chapter 004: Stopping a Palace Mistress for Torment

Now he could fly faster, with greater strength and agility! His ability to survive had soared!

Anyone who’s ever tried swatting mosquitoes and flies knows: when you go after a mosquito, even if you don’t get every one, you’ll catch three out of ten with little trouble. But to catch a fly barehanded? That’s all but wishful thinking.

Lu Wu could keenly sense his own evolution.

He looked again at the Book of Knowledge. There were three paths of evolution, and each was truly attainable! He didn’t know the underlying principles, but the mere fact that he could take any of them was good enough.

Lu Wu pondered for a moment; he didn’t know what the next evolutionary stage after a fly was. Could he skip the fly stage altogether and leap from flower mosquito to the third phase?

As for the demon beast cultivation method, Lu Wu had no idea what that even meant, nor did he intend to cultivate that way.

The female sage spoke: “You’ve grown stronger after feeding on blood?”

Lu Wu traced a pattern in the air, ‘Seems like it.’

The female sage asked, “What does that circle after ‘seems like’ mean?”

Lu Wu replied, “That’s a period. It means the sentence is over.”

“This is an exclamation point—it means surprise. This is a question mark—for shock.” Having just fed, Lu Wu was full of energy, flitting about in a wild dance.

The female sage fell silent.

“You grow stronger every time you feed on blood. You seem faster. Has your strength increased as well?”

Lu Wu answered honestly, “I don’t know.”

The female sage said, “Come here!”

Her soul form drew a map in the air.

Lu Wu asked, “What’s this?”

The Book of Knowledge was also copying the map, on which the sage marked many points.

Finally, she titled it “Complete Map of the Grand Void Palace.”

“This is your training ground. Grow stronger here by feeding on blood. If one day you qualify to drink my blood, I’ll take you as my disciple!”

Lu Wu understood; he was probably no longer in his original universe, but in a world of dazzling wonders.

The fox demon’s blood could trigger his evolution, and this sage could, from who knows how far away, snatch up the demon fox with ease—she was certainly no ordinary human.

Lu Wu rubbed his hands together. “Heh, deal!”

“Oh right, what’s your name?”

The sage hesitated. “Knowing my name would bring you calamity.”

Lu Wu was dumbstruck.

She continued, “Do you have a name? Do you want me to give you one?”

“You look pointy-headed and sly. How about—”

Lu Wu darted madly in the air. “No need! I have a name.”

The sage asked, “What is it?”

Lu Wu replied, “Knowing my name would bring you calamity.”

The sage was speechless.

“Come, have another sip.”

Lu Wu didn’t stand on ceremony.

But the demon fox suffered miserably. Each time Lu Wu bit, a swelling would rise, itching unbearably. Yet bound by the sage’s power, the fox couldn’t move—a wretched plight.

With each sip, the Book of Knowledge gave a warning: “Fly power increased by two. Physical strength increased slightly. Reached feeding limit. Do not feed again within three hours or risk rupturing and death.”

With the sage’s help, Lu Wu continued feeding on the demon fox’s blood.

Yet each time, the effect diminished. The first sip brought an evolution. The second, two fly’s strength. The third, one fly’s strength. The fourth, only 0.6 fly’s strength.

This gluttonous feast lasted a day, and Lu Wu gained the power of six flies. After that, further feeding only filled his belly.

The sage frowned. “There are three possibilities.”

“One: the demon fox’s level is too low, its energy insufficient.”

“Two: its bloodline is weak, offering little benefit to you.”

“Three: you’ve developed resistance.”

Lu Wu luxuriated in the sensation of power—he was thrilled.

Imagine a mosquito with the strength of six flies! It was like a person gaining the strength of six oxen—how could he not be elated?

But now that his evolution had stalled, he was uncomfortable.

“What should I do?”

The sage asked, “Have you memorized the layout of the Grand Void Palace these past days?”

Lu Wu replied, “Roughly seventy or eighty percent.”

The sage said, “Right now, even a young child here could kill you with ease.”

“I can send a portion of my divine will to protect you. Go around the Grand Void Palace and try feeding on those with great talent but little strength.”

This was precisely what Lu Wu wanted. “Alright!”

After all, what was sucking fox blood for a mosquito? Wasn’t human blood the real prize?

Back when mosquitoes tormented him, now the tables were turned—time to torment others! Now he had a fly’s agility and six times a fly’s strength. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to deal with him, but anyone armed would still be dangerous.

This world allowed cultivation—those cultivators must be formidable.

Lu Wu said, “Why not target the most gifted—the children of elders and masters?”

“Are there any targets under five… or even three years old?”

The sage replied, “The Grand Void Palace master’s youngest son is only three months old.”

Lu Wu’s compound eyes gleamed. “He’s the one!”

…

On a bamboo rocking chair, Lu Wu carefully searched for a spot. This little fellow had skin as tender as cream, but he was as chubby as a Michelin tire. If Lu Wu wasn’t careful, he might get stuck between the baby’s rolls.

After much consideration, Lu Wu chose his plump cheek.

Rubbing his hands, he whispered, “Dinner time!”

At first, the baby barely reacted.

After one bite, Lu Wu buzzed away at full speed. If this little guy started wailing, things would get tricky!

Just as he flew off, the sage’s voice echoed in his ear, “Don’t move!”

Lu Wu instantly stopped on a pillar.

The next moment, he vanished from sight.

“Waaaaaaah!” The baby’s cry shook the heavens.

A middle-aged man in Daoist robes appeared instantly at the cradle. “Don’t cry, Tianning, don’t cry.”

“What happened here?” He looked at his son’s face, aghast at the swollen lump. “What’s this? Go fetch Elder Chen to examine him!”

Lu Wu didn’t dare breathe. This was outrageous—did this man just teleport?

What on earth! So this was a cultivator?

But with the sage’s protection, Lu Wu checked the Book of Knowledge for prompts.

“Evolutionary Path.”

“One: Evolve into the form of a fly.”

“Two: Acquire bee mimicry abilities.”

“Three: Accumulate demon essence to break through to the Energy Gathering Realm.”

Lu Wu was stunned.

He couldn’t skip the fly stage?

And if he evolved by feeding on blood, after becoming a fly… damn it…

Without hesitation, Lu Wu chose the second option.

The Book of Knowledge updated immediately.

Host: Lu Wu

Species: Mosquito

Lifespan: 120 days (Bee-mimic lifespan)

Realm: Non-classified demon, mortal grade

Physical strength: minus seventeen

Strength: Six flies

Skill: Self-Sacrifice (Attack at the cost of your own life, can sting and kill any creature up to eighteen levels stronger; if difference is less than four levels, instantly kills target)

“If I’m right, negative levels are weak animals; level one is probably a human.”

Such a weak attack…

As for this skill—if a sage used it, it would be terrifying. But a mosquito? That’s trading your life to wound your enemy—a pyrrhic victory.

Even poisoning someone would be more reliable than this “Self-Sacrifice” move.

Never mind, better keep it for emergencies—it might come in handy.

Lu Wu checked his senses. He now had four perspectives: Book of Knowledge view, mosquito view, fly view, and bee view. The bee’s vision was farther than a fly’s, but still not as clear as a human’s.

In the great hall, the Grand Void Palace Master Li Daoyun was anxious.

Soon, Elder Chen strode in and picked up the young master Tianning for examination.

“This swelling on the young master’s face… I can’t determine the cause.”

In this world, there were no mosquitoes. As a master of medicine, Elder Chen couldn’t identify the injury.

The palace master frowned. “How could that be? You can’t tell either?”

Elder Chen pondered and said, “As the saying goes, a full and rounded forehead and broad jaw are auspicious. Look, the young master’s jaw is especially prominent—a sign of great fortune!”

“He has the bearing of a martial sage—truly one in a million!”

Li Daoyun was overjoyed. “Oh?!”

After a long while, when they finally left, Lu Wu emerged again.

This time, he chose the other cheek.

He gained the strength of two bees!

The young master burst into tears yet again.

Li Daoyun had to come and soothe him once more.

All night long, the palace master was run ragged.

But word soon spread throughout the Grand Void Palace: Ancestral spirits had descended, and overnight, the young master Tianning’s jaw had doubled in size, opening a broad path to heaven’s favor!

Some whispered it might be an insect bite, but Elder Chen insisted—no insect in the world could cause such a wound.