The wind was still settling within his lungs as he heard her words.

Aurelia stared at Red with a conflicted expression. “Did you do this yourself?”

Red hesitated. “… It was my idea.”

His response avoided the question, and this didn’t go unnoticed by the woman.

Aurelia’s frown only deepened. “And you used your own blood?”

“Yes.” he nodded. “I didn’t expect this kind of change to the wind, though… Was that truly blood magic?”

She snorted. “The smell, the color, the boost in power - if that’s not blood magic, what is?”

“… I was just trying to imitate what Hector did.”

“Let me guess, you thought that because your blood is special, it would work much better with your technique?” she asked.

Red didn’t respond, but his silence was enough confirmation.

Aurelia shook her head. “I don’t blame you, but you need to understand the reason why your blood is special. It’s clearly because of demonic influence, so what do you think will happen when it interacts with rich Spiritual Energy?”

The youth frowned. “Are you saying that all my blood is demonified?”

If that was true, why was the rest of his body, barring his face, still normal? The fluid circulated through his entire frame, after all.

She waved her hand at him in dismissal. “Bah, don’t ask me! If I had to guess, it’s probably the work of that thing in your body!”

This wasn’t the first time he heard this. It was very likely the crimson mist was constantly warding away demonic influence from encroaching Red’s mind and body, but he never guessed his blood was the only thing excluded from its protection.

When he thought about the nature of that being and how it influenced his body, though, it made some sense. Still, the revelation didn’t make him any happier.

“Does that mean others could notice something wrong with my blood?” he asked.

Aurelia shook his head. “Not even I can sense anything wrong with your blood on the surface. This demonic aspect only seems to manifest when in contact with rich Spiritual Energy or other demonic corruption. That being said, if someone took their time to study a sample of your blood, then they would definitely notice something amiss.”

His mood only worsened. “So, that means I can’t use this Spiritual Art?”

Blood magic was the greatest taboo in the cultivation world. It was, above all, a demonic technique that incentivized one to kill to get stronger, assimilating the blood of your victims in the process. Of all the evil arts, blood magic was the most dangerous because it offered the easiest path to great power - one didn’t need to cultivate it patiently, they just needed to murder as much as they could, the more and the stronger their victims the better.

Of course, often practitioners of this art would lose themselves and become full-fledged demons that would rampage without end. In the time of the Demonic Invasions, the fiercest challenge humanity had to face were exactly these blood demons, who, amidst hordes of terrible creatures, stood out due to their savagery and quick rise to power.

Nowadays, so much as a rumour of blood magic could cause a sect to send one of their elders to investigate it. They didn’t forget the danger this art posed to humanity.

Hence why Red knew that if he used this in public, he would definitely not meet a good end.

To his surprise, though, Aurelia shook her head. “You can use it. You just need to make sure to leave no witnesses or clues behind.”

The youth frowned. “That seems difficult.”

She snorted. “Don’t be disingenuous! Did you really think you could cultivate such a useful Spiritual Art in less than a week with no downsides?”

‘Nothing is ever that easy.’

“Is there a way to mask it?” he asked.

Aurelia shrugged. “Maybe you can mask the color with some effort. The smell and the aura emitting from the wind are another matter, though, and anyone with discerning senses could notice something strange.”

Red sighed. “Forget it then. It’s good enough that I have something to rely on if I need to.”

His plan was to cultivate an art with which to defend himself in a foreign environment, and he achieved that. He didn’t intend to look for a fight as soon as he arrived in the capital, and for that matter, he hoped to lie low for as long as he needed to consolidate his new realm.

Aurelia raised her eyebrows at this. “Really? You don’t mind relying on a demonic technique?”

“The only thing I fear is its corruption.” Red shook his head. “Since it doesn’t seem like I need to concern myself with that, I don’t mind whether a Spiritual Art is demonic or orthodox in nature.”

She chuckled. “You know, that’s what a lot of cultivators tell themselves when they dip their toes into the demonic path. ‘It’s not a technique that is evil, it’s how a cultivator uses it that can be evil’. Yet, if that rationale is true, how come so many righteous cultivators ended up falling to corruption in the past? Was it just because they didn’t have enough conviction?”

The youth frowned. “I understand your concerns, but considering what my current state is, I feel like I am beyond the point of no return.”

If Red had the choice, would he have completely avoided any demonic influence in his cultivation? It was hard to say. He knew the advantages such methods could provide him, advantages which he most likely would need if he wanted to achieve his goals. The youth wasn’t a righteous cultivator, and he would consider every path in front of him on his journey.

That being said, if there was ever a world where he was given a choice, he would have most certainly been hesitant and much more careful in how he approached it. Since he didn’t have a choice and was now stuck with an otherwordly demon inside his body for the foreseeable future, he was beyond such considerations.

He still yearned for a day where he could be free of this corruption, but for that day to come, he needed to survive, and for that, he wasn’t beyond using everything at his disposal.

Aurelia stared at him with a pondering expression. “I had some encounters with demonic cultivators in my time. Most of them had their minds compromised to some degree, and while they were powerful, their actions were led by pure emotion. They were evil, cruel, but predictable, and ultimately easy to hunt down. There was one type of demonic cultivator that was different, though…”

Red was confused by her tangent. “… How so?”

“It was the detached type.” She said. “The cold-hearted ones, whose evil manifested in other ways. They kept themselves sane and free of evil emotions simply because there was nothing for demons to corrupt in the first place. They murdered and committed atrocious acts not because they took pleasure in it, but simply because it was the easiest way to achieve what they sought. Every crime, every brutal transgression done without a single sense of attachment, emotion, or regret. These were the type of demonic cultivators I learned to fear - cold, calculating, ruthless, and only interested in one thing: advancing their cultivation at all costs.”

“… Did you fight one of these cultivators?”

“I did.” She nodded. “She led us into an ambush and ended up killing a few of my colleagues before escaping. I got by with some wounds, but to this day, that was one of the closest encounters with death I ever experienced.”

Red frowned. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you remind me of her.”

There was a silence as the woman’s words hung in the air.

The youth shook his head. “I’m not emotionless, nor am I detached.”

“Really? You could have tricked me.”

“Is this what you wanted to tell me?” Red asked. “A lesson in morality? If I remember correctly, you are not exactly a good person either.”

Aurelia smiled. “Maybe so, but there are still some things I wouldn’t stoop down to. Compared to true demons, there is a world of difference between me and them.”

“So, you’re afraid I am someone like that?”

“I know that you aren’t.” She shook her head. “But those demons aren’t made in a day, either. Somewhere along the way, they were enlightened, but not in a good way. They killed their heart and let go of all sense of morality and attachment to the world, concerned only with their pursuit of a higher realm. That is what I’m afraid you could become, Red.”

She approached him, her intangible hand passing through his shoulder as if patting him.

“We are cultivators,” she said. “There is nothing wrong with focusing on our search for ascension, but the way we go about it is what set us apart as humans. Without the sense of propriety, the innate understanding of the value in what human society and its structure provide, what is the difference between us and monsters?”

She circled around him, and Red felt as if she was staring deep into his soul. There was no sense of hostility from her, though.

She twirled her hair. “We can kill, we can struggle, we can betray each other, we can destroy, but at the end of the day, we always want to build. The Empire, for all the destruction it wrought upon the world, is trying to build a new order in its place. Your master, whoever he may have been, left behind something for the future generations to make use of. The companions of your sect sacrificed themselves for you and the hope you represented for their legacy. People hope within their hearts that others would make use of their accomplishments, that they will be remembered as having contributed in some way to the things they believed in after they are gone. To want to add unto the world rather than taking from it when your journey is done. This is what sets us apart from demons, and the one thing you can’t let die in your heart, no matter how strong you may get. Do you understand?”

Red didn’t say anything, instead staring into empty space.

Aurelia saw this and frowned, distancing herself from him again.

“I have said enough. I do not fault you for being ruthless in your actions and doing things out of necessity. After all, surviving is almost always better than death.” She said. “… Almost always. You can cultivate whatever art you want as long as you can keep your mind. The day I see the slightest trace of that woman in you is the day we part ways. I may not be a good person, but I certainly am not a demon!”

With those words, the woman disappeared, leaving behind a silent Red alone with his thoughts.