Legacy of Hatred

The strategy took shape in no time, mostly because time was of the essence. The Church knew that Whispering Wind had joined the fray, so Liam’s team had to prepare before countermeasures came to be.

Luckily, the representatives were no pushovers. Keeping secrets from each other was a staple of the cultivation world, but the predicament called for exceptions. Teamwork demanded as much.

Grace and Colleen worked on the audience since it needed convincing to join a clash against the Church of the Man. Liam didn’t know nor care for the details, but he believed rewards and whatever revolutionary urge his feats had awakened were at play.

Honestly, at most, Liam felt bad for the audience. With those two merchants working together, they would have no chance.

Felix and Red Boar would be the main fighting force, the frontline, with the Mercenary Guild’s troops serving a similar role in the army. Master Vermillion would offer support from there, too.

As for Liam, his archery enabled preemptive strikes, which would go a long way in disrupting the encirclement, and he had gained an unlikely ally there.

Liam and Whispering Wind were alone a bit further away from the solitary peak, her hand on his back, his eyes closed, his Qi empowering his ears, the Black Bow in his grasp.

The air spoke to Liam, carrying echoes he would have never been able to hear on his own. They would have normally been too distant even for his superhuman perception, but Whispering Wind took care of that.

The technique felt similar to what Jessica had once used to find Liam, except Whispering Wind’s version was far fainter. She didn’t mix her Qi with the air, instead becoming a heightened receptor, absorbing information otherwise unreachable.

That left no track at all, which was why Liam hadn’t caught Whispering Wind in the act. The perception technique was extremely suitable for her job, making him consider whether it was self-made.

It truly seemed that the superior stage was the beginning of a starker individuality in the cultivation journey, and Liam couldn’t wait to get there. He was gathering as much information as possible, but a barrier would exist as long as he remained shackled to his inferior Qi.

Of course, Liam couldn’t waste time brainstorming. His role in the attack was too crucial for that. He had to draw first blood, and he had to make it matter, which demanded his utmost concentration.

"Master Black Qi, can you hear them?" Whispering Wind eventually asked, knowing that Liam was sharing her perception.

"I hear them," Liam confirmed. "Don’t cut me off from your technique. I need to hear the Priest speak first."

The issue with sounds alone was that Liam couldn’t identify his priority target. However, chances were that the Priest in that specific direction would shout orders once something unusual happened, which was what Liam was betting on to locate him.

"You’ll only have one shot at this," Whispering Wind warned. "If you miss, we’ll be at a great disadvantage."

"Why would I miss?" Liam wondered, not understanding how that outcome could be possible, but not arguing any further. It was time to start after all.

"Warn the others," Liam ordered, spreading his arms, chanting the required ritual in his mind. ’One to the Earth.’

Encirclements could take many shapes, especially in the cultivation world, but Priest Blake couldn’t help but feel some pride inspecting his surroundings. He was a tall, burly man in his prime, but his satisfaction kept him as straight as possible, making him look even bigger.

A structure Liam would recognize rose beside the branching expert. A black pillar with intricate carvings glowing with an ominous light acted as the node of an enormous array of dark symbols that covered the barren surface.

The symbols twisted and turned, but still formed a circle around the area, connecting them to other black pillars. Moreover, the dark lines on the ground created additional, minor nodes, which squads with specific roles occupied.

Some squads only dealt with defense, others with bullets, and many with perception. Also, they were flexible, being able to change martial arts on the spot, the symbols under them conveying orders and harnessing energy from distant parts of the encirclement.

Like that, squads of foundation experts could summon power close to branching experts. The formation even had more direct uses, and that wasn’t all the Church had prepared.

Many of the rooting and foundation experts around Priest Blake wore white hoods, mantles, or other clothes that hid parts of their bodies. They weren’t mere cultivators after all. The Church had experimented on them, evolving their species, leading to physical mutations.

That special force was powerful but also a secret. The sole fact that the Church had deployed such twisted cultivators meant that no witnesses were allowed. No one had to escape, either by death or capture.

And Priest Blake believed no one could. That arrangement was just too perfect. Almost no other force in the Kingdom could set up something like that on such short notice, hence his pride.

Of course, mishaps had happened. Priest Fred had chased one of the new hybrids, only for him not to return, suggesting the worst. An outsider had also entered the encirclement, probably alerting everyone about the trap.

Yet, even that couldn’t affect Priest Blake’s pride. Reinforcements were still coming, and the encirclement was mere hours away from being completely set. No matter what happened, the Church would fulfill the purge.

The inquisitor was also among the Priests. His presence alone ensured the purge’s success.

Nevertheless, something odd took shape in Priest Blake’s side of the encirclement before the Church’s teams were ready to collapse on the criminals.

The night’s darkness deepened in the distance, as if a patch of air had lost all color, only leaving behind a vague green hue.

"Report!" Priest Blake cried, showing no panic. It was only normal for those caged cultivators to attempt something.

Information flowed in Priest Blake’s mind without the need for direct answers. The scouting teams were reporting a massive gathering of energy, but its source was too distant to obtain additional details.

Still, that alone was enough to warrant a response. A show of overwhelming force always was the best answer to defiance.

"Raise the dome and barrier!" Priest Blake ordered, and the night turned golden.

The formation still wasn’t complete, but that only when it came to its ability to collapse on the prisoners. All the other functions were in place. The Church wouldn’t have shown itself otherwise.

Heptagonal mirrors materialized over and inside the gargantuan circle of symbols, creating an enormous compound shield that protected the deployed troops while erecting a proper perimeter.

Moreover, golden light rose from the encirclement’s inner edge, curving as it reached into the sky. A golden dome soon formed over the surrounded area, isolating it completely, even cutting off aerial escapes.

Priest Blake smirked at that immediate deployment. He could almost hear the criminals’ hopes of taking the Church by surprise shattering. He would fall prey to despair, too, if he were on the other side of the formation.

With the dome blocking the way and the compound shield protecting the team, most rank 3 martial arts wouldn’t even make the Church’s defenses flicker, let alone pierce them, especially from a distance. It was truly checkmate.

So, it truly came as a surprise to Priest Blake when his Qi went into overdrive, dealing with whatever damage the dark trail that had filled his view had caused.

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