Legacy of Hatred

The Sky-Splitting Bolt was Liam’s true killing blow. It couldn’t reach the Seven Hellish Steps’ max power, but its range and piercing properties made it a far safer and viable tool.

Of course, there were flaws. Perfect attacks didn’t exist in the world. In the Sky-Splitting Bolt’s case, its size and casting time were weaknesses that had become more relevant as the quality of Liam’s opponents increased.

Branching experts wouldn’t give Liam the time to cast the weapon art. Taking them by surprise also wasn’t always feasible since their superior stage awarded them with greater perception and survival instincts.

Those powerful cultivators wouldn’t even die easily. Blowing up their heads seemed to do the trick, but that was the hardest spot to hit when it came to a moving target.

Also, that wouldn’t work forever. Liam had seen as much with Crazy Uncle.

Still, the strategy that the couple hadn’t needed words to plan had come to fruition. Grace had bought Liam time to cast his weapon art, and his aim had done the rest. At least, it should have.

’He dodged,’ Liam realized that truth before everyone else on the scene, already throwing a Qi-Storage pill in his mouth as the Black Bow disappeared.

Grace caught up with the event right afterward. She was still ducking near her opponent, and his presence hadn’t disappeared.

The golden movement technique came to an end. Priest Fred regained a physical shape, only to show his horrid state. The black trail still scarred the world, passing through his face, having completely removed his cheekbones and jaw.

Priest Fred’s head had gained a gory cavity, but its important parts were intact. As maimed as he was, his body functioned. When performed by a branching expert, that golden movement technique had been barely enough to dodge the instantaneous Sky-Splitting Bolt.

Of course, Priest Fred hadn’t really dodged. He had just managed to preserve his life, leaving himself exposed afterward, but Liam didn’t care for such technicalities.

Liam’s killing blow hadn’t killed. The strategy had failed despite how much Grace had pushed herself, and he was already moving to fix that mess.

The blinding sword was still there, but Priest Fred looked temporarily stunned after the forceful interruption of his martial art. Liam didn’t hesitate to unleash the Defying Stomp as soon as Qi returned to his meridians, but that didn’t grant him the initiative.

While Liam had acted first, branching experts would always be faster than him. He reached the Priest instantly, his greatsword back in his grasp and swinging at him, only for his survival instincts to scream.

Physically moving to intercept Liam was hard on the Priest, but his Qi was an exception. His blinding sword released a humming noise that Liam recognized, forcing him to switch strategy.

The Church’s defensive shockwave that had sent Liam flying away multiple times was coming, and its caster was a branching expert. After seeing how the golden movement technique had dodged the Sky-Splitting Bolt, Liam was inevitably wary of what was about to unfold.

Yet, Liam didn’t stop or retreat. He slammed his foot on the ground, and a deep but short thudding noise resounded through the area. A tide of black Qi instantly erupted from his figure, making his skin writhe in struggle.

Then, the clash happened.

The world split in two. Black and golden tides rose into the sky, pushing against each other, apocalyptic gales blowing in their surroundings. The immense power generated by two rank 3 martial arts was destroying the world and continued to do so even after a winner emerged.

Liam flew backward, crashing onto the quaking ground, destroying it with each roll. He tried to use his greatsword to halt his momentum, but the soil was too brittle to offer any help.

One step of the Seven Hellish Steps had failed to match the humming shockwave’s power, even when performed through ninety-six minor roots. However, another drum-like noise followed.

The fearsome clash had distracted the Priest, prolonging his stillness, preventing him from realizing that the assault had been two-faced.

Grace was right before the Priest, her long hair fluttering wildly, blood leaking from her eyes and nose. Her skin seemed on the verge of tearing, bloating and tensing nonstop, but it barely held.

Unbeknownst to the Priest, Grace had performed the Seven Hellish Steps’ first step at the same time as Liam did. That was her second already, fueled by her superior Qi, hence generating more power.

Priest Fred’s figure tried to turn into a golden blur as fear assaulted him, but Grace had already lifted her palm, and touching his chest unleashed all her built-up energy.

A colorless gale blew through Priest Fred, carving through everything behind him. The ground blew open as shockwaves spread, creating a crater with a massive groove cutting through it, starting from its center.

There was also blood and stains that came from torn flesh. After all, while Priest Fred remained on his feet, half of his figure was no more. The palm strike had blown apart the back of his body.

Mangled organs and tissues fell from that open body before Priest Fred joined them. Of his head, only the front of his skull was left, like a gory mask that could do nothing but leak blood.

The initial strategy might have failed, but Priest Fred now lay dead for everyone to see.

Grace fell to her knees, her right arm, the one that had unleashed the Seven Hellish Steps’ built-up energy, covered in blood. Nothing was missing, but the limb still hung limply from her shoulder.

The sweat covering Grace’s face washed away the blood that had leaked from her orifices, but she was too tired to wipe it. Her complexion had paled, and her breath was ragged. She was completely spent, but not alone.

A hulking piece of dark metal stabbed the ground next to Grace as someone knelt toward her. Liam lifted Grace’s face from her chin to place a rank 2 healing pill in her mouth before going for her chest.

Three steps of that dangerous martial art had pierced Liam’s meridians, on top of blowing off his arm. The danger was greater with Grace since she had used her superior Qi and lacked his resilience, but hearing her Qi circulation told him that nothing serious was broken.

Sadly, the rank 2 healing pill was unsuitable for Grace, but Liam had plenty of those. The issue mainly involved her Qi reserves, which wouldn’t recover quickly, and that was a problem due to the multiple suffocating auras that reached the area.

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