Legacy of Hatred

Liam was no newbie in the cultivation world at that point, far from it. His total time inside it only amounted to three years, which wasn’t much considering that he was nineteen, but his many experiences had forced him to learn a lot.

Moreover, being with Grace was a constant crash course on the cultivation world. She was a native of that environment, so even the simplest talks always taught Liam something.

Nevertheless, a leafing expert remained beyond Liam’s wildest imagination. His only real clue about that realm came from his Master’s inheritance and his warning about the destruction that beings at that level could unleash, of which he now had physical proof.

A single swing from the Demoness had changed the world. A canyon that could host several mountains had manifested on the border, forever altering its topography.

That power was earth-shattering down to the very definition of the world. In comparison, the apocalypses branching experts could unleash looked puny.

To make things worse, it was obvious how the Demoness hadn’t even tried. There had to be even broader power gaps within the leafing stage, but Liam couldn’t find them worth considering in front of such effortless display of catastrophic might.

Still, awe aside, reviewing the gargantuan canyon revealed other details that matched the Demoness’ previous words. There was no order to that enormous cavity, no smooth surfaces or leveled ground. It had come to be from pure destructive force.

Liam was no expert in Sword Qi, but seeing Maxwell, Lucas, Troy, and even Smiling Blade suggested that the canyon had nothing to do with sharp energies.

’What did she use?’ Liam gasped internally. ’What else exists beyond flexibility and Sword Qi?’

With how diverse the cultivation world was, there were specialized applications outside the three noble arts. It was even sort of obvious.

The Qi mastery was one such application, probably the most mainstream. Yet, Liam had still come up with the three-layer division, which was no general knowledge, especially when it came to its third layer.

Julian seemed to have done something similar with his unique inscriptions, so it only stood to reason that other sub-fields could exist.

However, despite all of Liam’s recent improvements, the catastrophe had been too immediate and widespread for him to capture anything. Obviously, the Demoness’ immense superiority had played a huge role in his inability to understand, too.

"So, boy," The Demoness called, letting go of Liam’s head and storing the wrapped greatsword on her back. "Are you done?"

Liam knew what the Demoness was asking, but that wasn’t the only thing he heard.

’Swallow her, my son,’ An ancient hiss resounded from the depths of Liam’s mind. ’Swallow her Might.’

Truth be told, Liam had already understood. He just hadn’t stopped to think about it, but he couldn’t miss such an obvious clue, not after the dream during his breakthrough.

The lineage’s level was unclear, but the Demoness was of the Ape of Fury and Might, the Ancestral Beast that had been the Ancestral Snake’s greatest ally in the battle against the Ancestral Dragon.

After meeting two Phoenixes and a Qilin, Liam had found someone belonging to his ancestor’s side.

The discovery forced Liam to stop and think, albeit not out of hesitation. He knew where he stood in life now. The issue was simply complicated enough to demand a deeper review.

Liam didn’t care about that ancient feud. He wouldn’t be sleeping with a Qilin in his arms every time he got the chance otherwise. His personal goals might align with the Ancestral Snake’s, but that was his revenge and his life.

Instead, the issue Liam was reviewing was of more mathematical nature. He was viewing himself like an alchemical product, tackling life and his journey like a concoction, each piece of his arsenal no different than an ingredient.

As for the recipe, it already had a name. The concoction was meant to create the most dreadful fiend in the world, a product that could surpass Perfection.

And Liam knew Hatred alone wouldn’t suffice as an ingredient. Perfection had already defeated it after all.

’Maybe the Church had the right idea,’ Liam thought. ’Even Archbishop Ignatius said something similar.’

Liam didn’t know the specifics of the Church’s experiments on the eighth ancestral bloodline, but he could tackle the idea in his own way, one he had already started in hindsight.

Lancelot had touched Liam with his Passion, expanding the drive his great Master had lit up inside him, something that he had started to experience. Everything had begun with his bold declaration against Dominic, leading to him managing to have fun even in the middle of huge problems.

Greed was something Liam had experienced ever since his time in the Pale Moon Sect, being quite a surprising discovery. Being with Grace had taught him new faces of that feeling, many of which had resonated with him.

To be fair, Perfection had also affected Liam, at least its idea. His whole training in the battle cages had started because of that. He had wanted to fix his last weakness so that he could be as complete as possible.

That idea had even come from Horace Rauret. After all, he had demanded nothing but Perfection when it came to alchemy.

By stretching that reasoning a bit, Liam could even see the Ancestral Turtle’s influence. The warning not to become one of the Ancestral Beasts’ pawns had come from Crazy Uncle, and Liam was still abiding by it.

Those weren’t necessarily power boosts, but they had still shaped Liam’s character. They were part of the mindset that had ultimately brought him to his current level. While not directly, there was indirect, tangible proof of that influence.

And now, Liam had stumbled upon the Ancestral Ape’s lineage. Adding the Demoness’ teachings might create an even better mindset, allowing him to perfect the recipe of the fiend even further.

After that, Liam would only have the Ancestral Wolf to learn from left, which might not even be necessary. Its titles were Bonds, Hunt, and Hunger, which Liam knew quite well.

If it weren’t for the monkey-boy nickname, Liam would have actually found that lineage more suitable for him. He was a hunter after all. He had even seen dogs in the dream-like experience during his dantian’s awakening.

With Lancelot as a sworn brother, Grace, and the talk about having children, the bond part also sounded settled. Liam had his pack, sort of. He wasn’t sure how Hunger differed from Greed, but he believed life would teach him that soon enough.

Liam had even reached a suitable conclusion during his introspection. Snakes swallowed prey and turned them into their strength. Like that, he could succeed at what the Church was attempting.

Liam wouldn’t create the ancestral bloodline of the Man. He would transcend his Hatred, surpassing even his ancestor.

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