Right now, Ryan Ling was in deep trouble. The Blood Empress wasn’t just some random boss—she’d been locked away in the Western Holy Court, leveling up with a top Kunlun League expert. Her power? Off the charts. Rumor had it, a giant blood-red hand would appear above Italy’s Holy Court, growing until it covered all of Europe. God Realm experts saw it and just dropped to their knees. The authorities kept it hush-hush—if word got out, Europe would go nuts.
But now that the Blood Empress was making her move, all those wild stories were spreading through the upper ranks—and blowing up all over Europe’s social media. It was clear: Ryan Ling wasn’t just fighting some random boss, he was up against the continent’s queen herself. And let’s be real, her power was basically sky-high.
But just as the Blood Empress struck and everyone started to breathe a little easier, Ryan Ling made his move—without a hint of hesitation!
He hadn’t tried to bail because he was scared of the Blood Empress—no way. The real reason? If he could get back to Huaxia right now, it’d be a win-win for both his country and himself.
But since the Blood Empress insisted on keeping him here, Ryan wasn’t about to play nice. I mean, her blood-qi was way too tempting—honestly, it was richer than all the Blood Kings put together. If he could drain her dry, he figured half the buds on his Primeval Heavenwood would probably pop open right then and there.
If he could trigger that kind of crazy blooming, his power would skyrocket—maybe even push him straight to peak Nascent Soul, or give him a shot at Nascent Soul perfection.
If he played by the usual grind, getting to that level would take at least a year—no way he could rush it. But with the Kunlun League and their tribulation-stage freaks eyeing him, and the Western Pacifying King being a total psycho, Ryan knew he had to level up ASAP. Every bit of power counted now!
At that moment, all the Nascent Soul power inside Ryan exploded out—BOOM! Every blade circling him shattered, and even the blood-prison looked ready to break!
“Not bad, but you’re still out of your league!” The Blood Empress smirked coldly, spat out a bunch of blood curses, and sent them swirling through the air—locking Ryan down tight!
In a flash, it felt like all of Ryan’s Nascent Soul power had been sealed away!
"Is he really under the Blood Empress's control now?"
"No idea. Seems like it!"
Everyone around gulped hard—after all Ryan Ling's wild antics, nobody dared believe what they were seeing.
"I've basically figured out his strength. There's no way he can break free again!" The Blood Empress stared at Ryan, totally convinced. With her methods, she'd already seen through Ryan's Nascent Soul power. Compared to her, he was clearly outclassed.
But just as she finished talking, Ryan—locked down by the blood prison and countless blood curses—suddenly started to surge with power. His previously middling aura shot sky-high, and in a flash, the Blood Empress's proud blood prison was smashed apart, even the surrounding blood seals instantly shattered.
"No way! He shouldn't be able to break out—what's going on here?" The Blood Empress was totally stunned. Of course, nobody realized Ryan was hiding a colossal Primeval Heavenwood inside him—the Blood Clan's natural nemesis, and the real reason he could pull this off.
"Come on, Blood Empress! I'll make sure you feel real good!" To Ryan, she was basically a buffet spread. He dove straight at her, practically drooling all over the place.
"Bastard! I don't mess with you, but you dare mess with me?" The Blood Empress snorted coldly. Her crimson lips parted—and she yanked out a Western longsword, slashing straight at Ryan.
Ryan didn't hesitate. He swung the God-Slaughter Halberd right back at her.
Clang!
A violent shockwave rang out in midair—the Blood Empress actually staggered back two steps, while everyone watched in disbelief as Ryan stood his ground.
"How is this possible? There's something weird in your power—what kind of shady tricks are you hiding?" The Blood Empress was totally flummoxed, her mind spinning with questions. But seeing Ryan's freaky blood-sucking ability, she started to get the picture.
"Want to know? You gotta sleep with me first!" Ryan didn't hesitate—he went for a bold grab, and with the Blood Empress distracted, he actually managed to grope her butt.
"Ah!" The Blood Empress shrieked. She was used to bullying men, but never had she been bullied like this.
"You little bastard, I'm gonna eat you alive!" The Blood Empress was furious, charging at him with a wild aura that nearly flattened every building nearby.
Peak Nascent Soul is no joke—even if the Blood Empress's power was a bit ordinary compared to some, she was still top-tier. It was like a rampaging elephant against a wolf, and no matter how fierce the wolf, it couldn't beat the elephant.
But Ryan had the ultimate Blood Clan nemesis: Primeval Heavenwood flowers. These blossoms were like giant, blood-sucking mosquitoes—enough to drive an elephant crazy.
"Eat me? More like I eat you!" Ryan grinned, and more flowers burst out overhead—multicolored and dazzling, swarming straight for the Blood Empress and surrounding her instantly.
"Seriously? You think these lame flowers can trap me? Use your brain, dude!" The Blood Empress wasn't fazed at all—she just mocked him.
But the moment she finished her taunt, the Blood Empress suddenly realized she couldn't move!
"What the—what's going on?" The Blood Empress froze, a hint of fear flickering across her face. Ryan didn't wait—he charged in, grabbing and squeezing her body like crazy.
"What are you trying to do, you little bastard? Let me go—I'll suck you dry!" The Blood Empress struggled desperately, but inside her, all her vital blood started boiling, trickling out bit by bit and flowing straight to Ryan.
"Let go? I told you, I'm here to have a blast today!" Ryan didn't hesitate—he had to seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance. Even with Primeval Heavenwood's flowers, he couldn't hold the Blood Empress for long; her base stats were just too high.
Sure enough, after Ryan drained just a few threads of her essence, all the flowers around her scattered. Instantly, the Blood Empress's jade hand shot for Ryan.
"Ryan, dodge!" Inside, the Ghost Elder was glued to this wild fight. Even with the Primeval Heavenwood shield, tangling with the Blood Empress was playing with fire—one wrong move and he'd get burned.
But the Ghost Elder's warning came too late. Ryan didn't dodge in time—she clamped his neck in a death grip, and his face instantly turned purple!
"You little punk, I don't care what freaky thing you're hiding—today, I'm eating you alive!" The Blood Empress was raging. She howled, mouth wide open, and bit straight into Ryan's neck!
With a wet crunch, blood spurted from Ryan's neck—he couldn't fend her off for a moment, and real danger closed in.
"Ryan! Ryan..." The Ghost Elder was panicking for real now.
"Don't freak out. Since I've been caught, it's time for a do-or-die move!" Ryan gritted his teeth, pouring nearly all his power into Primeval Heavenwood. Inside the ancient tree, he began charging up his strongest strike ever—packing all his cultivation and the Blood Clan–nemesis force to the max.
Right now, he and the Blood Empress were practically glued together. She'd totally let her guard down, and at this critical moment—when she was at her cockiest—Ryan was about to unleash his ultimate attack...