Legacy of Hatred

The heatwave was no random ignition of Qi. It was a proper martial art, or a spell, launched with complete disregard for potential friendly fire.

Liam felt unbearably hot. The tips of his long black hair sizzled as the scorching pressure sent him flying away, hurling him into a trunk behind him.

As Liam’s back slammed heavily on the tree, the heat became bearable enough for him to open his eyes, almost triggering an internal gasp at the scene that unfolded in his vision.

The ground under Anastasia’s feet had caved in, pushed down by the heatwave. The same went for her immediate surroundings, while the areas even further featured burnt, bent grass.

The environment itself marked Anastasia as the explosion’s epicenter, and the same went for the hooded figures. The heatwave had blown everyone away, with only the rooting expert remaining somewhat nearby, his half-bent figure standing at the end of two grooves dug by his feet.

Simon was also an exception, seemingly having reacted in time to jump away and use a tree for cover. Still, his face remained grim, and Liam knew why.

Liam didn’t need to follow Simon’s gaze to find the cause of his still-screaming surviving instincts. Tongues of flames hovered around Anastasia, dancing around her figure, containing enough Qi to frighten Liam.

Clearly, Anastasia wasn’t done, and nothing about the situation hinted at the fact that she would concern herself with her companions’ safety.

So, Liam kicked the trunk before his feet could touch the ground, turning to get away from the area. Whatever Anastasia had in mind, it was simply too dangerous to remain close.

Of course, Liam wouldn’t leave Anastasia behind. He wanted to look for a safer spot from where he could support her, but Simon’s arrival at his side changed his plans.

"Let’s retreat," Simon ordered, easily stepping ahead of Liam to lead the way.

"But Senior Sister!" Liam cried, accelerating.

"She’ll be fine," Simon scoffed. "It’s impossible to stay close to her once she snaps anyway."

Liam wanted to keep arguing, only for even more unbearable heat to reach his back. He didn’t turn, but red and yellow lights shone past his figure, illuminating the path ahead, telling him that Anastasia was truly going wild.

Besides, Liam and Simon weren’t the only ones running. Some hooded cultivators had remained by Anastasia, but Liam heard two sets of footsteps following him.

That wasn’t even the end because Liam heard the distant, alleged footsteps multiplying. They were all coming from the Evergreen Canyon’s edge, which could only mean one thing.

’Reinforcements,’ Liam cursed in his mind, but didn’t voice that information.

Despite disliking leaving Anastasia on her own, Liam found a silver lining. He probably couldn’t help her anyway since her fire would burn any arrow he fired, and that development could be progress in his personal hunt.

A chilling calm invaded Liam as he stored the Black Bow and retrieved a rectangular container from his pouch. He was still bleeding, but his injuries weren’t deep enough to warrant the use of healing pills.

’They must have used ordinary knives,’ Liam concluded as he applied the yellow ointment without slowing down, enjoying the cold sensations that replaced his hurting side and chest.

Simon saw everything, even witnessing Liam draw his rank 1 knife, but only a sneer escaped his mouth as he led him deeper into the Evergreen Canyon.

The pursuing hooded foundation experts couldn’t catch up with Liam and Simon, but that didn’t stop them from trying. Simon also didn’t address them, prioritizing getting to the forest’s center since that was the most likely gathering point against a foreign invasion, only for something else to arrive.

Liam and Simon noticed the event simultaneously. A scorching mass of Qi had appeared above them, acting as a miniature sun that came crashing down on their position.

Both cultivators dodged away, and the fireball hit empty ground, splashing flames everywhere that set the flourishing grass aflame. The crash even created a fuming hole, but the damage was done, and it had nothing to do with the environment.

The dodge allowed the pursuing hooded foundation experts to catch up, and they weren’t alone. A third presence appeared in Liam’s perception, jumping off a tree ahead.

"Fellow Daoists, I apologize," A rooting expert, a young woman with long brown hair, said while landing in front of the charred hole she had created, even wearing a simple smile. "I mistook you for those hooded invaders."

Even without relying on the stench Liam’s nose could capture, he saw the trick behind that polite facade.

The woman donned the Scorching Sun Sect’s yellow robe, but her stance spoke louder than any apparent allegiance. She stood in Liam and Simon’s way, blocking their advance while creating a partial encirclement with the two hooded cultivators who had joined the scene.

"What’s with today and fiery whores," Simon scoffed. "So, the Scorching Sun Sect was behind this mess."

"Fellow Daoist, I’m afraid I don’t understand," The woman said, still smiling. "Mine was merely a misfire."

Liam kept his eyes glued to the woman, but his ears captured the movement behind him. The two hooded cultivators were quietly adjusting their positions to improve that partial encirclement.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Simon sighed. "I won’t let you buy time."

As soon as Simon finished speaking, his figure vanished, reappearing behind the woman, his elbow ready to connect with the center of her back.

Nevertheless, flames lit up under the woman’s feet and slid her away, leaving fiery trails on the ground. The elbow attack landed on empty air, releasing a Qi-induced booming noise.

The exchange happened almost instantly, barely taking a full second, but that was the limit of what Liam could inspect since the two hooded foundation experts charged at him, their simple knives already lifted.

Still, as the knives were about to converge on Liam’s back, he turned sharply, waving his own blade, wielded sideways, to intercept the incoming weapons.

And the difference between ordinary knives and a rank 1 weapon became evident since Liam’s dull blade cut through that sharp metal without releasing a single clinking noise.