Legacy of Hatred

The storm of dirt subsided. The timely interruption of the Primal Urge also prevented any damaging disarray from unfolding. Liam’s foundation had barely begun to go wild, so it instantly retrieved healthy stability.

Yet, all that paled in comparison to the voice that reached Liam’s ears. He didn’t even lower his arms as he looked up, blinking at the sight of his Master standing in front of him.

"Master?" Liam called, incredulous as he straightened himself. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that how you greet your Master?!" The Alchemy Elder angrily scolded, whipping Liam’s head with his sleeve.

Liam was honestly too perplexed to make any sense of that development, so the scolding took priority, prompting a polite gesture.

"Disciple greets Master," Liam said, bowing and cupping his fist.

The Alchemy Elder scoffed, finally taking the time to inspect his surroundings. He noticed the five hooded corpses, as well as the maimed, unrecognizable face wearing the Pale Moon Sect’s robe.

The dead brown-haired woman didn’t escape Horace’s inspection, either, but he had gained a vague understanding of the situation by then. His disciple had succeeded in killing Simon. The arrows sticking from his corpse were proof enough, so it was time to focus on the bigger problem.

"You are ...," The Alchemy Elder announced, peeking behind his shoulder, "Elder Basil from the Swallowing Forest Sect."

"I’m honored Master Horace remembers my name," Elder Basil confirmed, politely cupping his fist. "We only met once, but we didn’t have the chance to introduce ourselves. I’m glad I could finally make the acquaintance of such a peerless expert."

Horace disregarded that polite introduction. The situation, his disciple’s stance, and his expression already told him all he needed to know. Whatever was happening, Elder Basil was behind it.

"Though, if I may ask," Elder Basil exclaimed, breaking his salute. "Master Horace, how did you know that the Evergreen Canyon was under attack?"

With Elder Sherman taken care of, Elder Basil had full control over that invasion, confident that no reinforcements capable of defeating him would come.

However, since Master Horace was there, the Sects might have learned about the crisis and responded accordingly. Branching experts might be converging on the Evergreen Canyon at that very moment, meaning that the Divine Cult’s forces had to retreat immediately.

The Alchemy Elder didn’t immediately reply. Instead, a solemnity Liam had never seen from him took over his expression. For some reason, Liam even believed that he had spotted a spark of sadness there.

"Junior, you can rest assured," The Alchemy Elder declared, finally turning to face Elder Basil. "No one knows that I’m here. I set off alone as soon as reports of suspicious movements arrived."

Elder Basil knew about those reports. They were exactly what he had suppressed and covered for. However, the math didn’t add up too much, since the event had happened only a little over a day ago.

"Master Horace, you didn’t strike me for the protective type," Elder Basil commented, understanding dawning upon his mind. "Or paranoid, for that matter."

"It’s only paranoia if I’m wrong," The Alchemy Elder snorted.

"Indeed," Elder Basil agreed. "However, that also means you are the only one who can stop me."

"Junior, don’t think too highly of yourself," The Alchemy Elder said dismissively. "I’ve only come to retrieve my disciple. You can carry on with whatever you are doing for all I care."

Liam frowned, looking at his Master’s back, only for his arm to snap backward, swiftly whipping him with his sleeve again.

Elder Basil didn’t miss that suspicious interaction, his chilling brown eyes darting between Horace and Liam before stopping again at the former.

"You either aren’t confident in this battle," Elder Basil deduced, "Or you are hiding something."

Liam failed to understand some of those exchanges, but even he realized that something deeper was going on. Moreover, it seemed to stem from his Master.

"What is your disciple hiding beyond his nine spiritual roots?" Elder Basil guessed. "What did you teach him that warrants such overzealous protection?"

Before Liam’s expression could reveal anything, the Alchemy Elder shifted to his left, hiding him from Elder Basil’s inspection.

"Juniors these days have such gall," Horace sighed. "Mere branching experts actually have the audacity to underestimate the great Horace Rauret."

"No one is underestimating your greatness," Elder Basil stated. "But, Master Horace, you are a shadow of your past self. Your peerless alchemical expertise might be intact, but you aren’t the powerhouse you once were."

"This is what not destroying anything every few years does to your reputation," Horace cursed to himself. "These young upstaters think they can take you just because you avoid stepping on them while they crawl at your feet."

"Are we done?" Elder Basil asked, smiling. "Master Horace, as much as I respect you, I must accelerate my plans in case someone followed you."

"When you die," The Alchemy Elder claimed, "Don’t forget I gave you the chance to leave."

Elder Basil’s smile broadened, but his hand stealthily disappeared under his sleeve, and a shattering noise followed.

The blinding blackness Liam had faced earlier returned, albeit in a deeper fashion. The entirety of his perception went dark, trapping him in an empty world that applied a debilitating pull on his senses.

Liam felt as if he was about to lose the ability to sense anything forever, but cracks spread through the darkness. Spiderwebs of fissures expanded everywhere, as if a hammer had slammed on a piece of glass, its shards vanishing to reveal the real world.

Liam’s senses recovered, showing him that he was still behind his Master. Nothing seemed to have changed about the area, but peeking beyond the Alchemy Elder revealed a slight difference.

Elder Basil had moved, or rather, he had started to move. His right leg had slid forward to prepare something, but the abrupt dispersion of the blinding darkness had stopped him, even adding a tinge of surprise to his smiling face.

"These tricks were outdated when I was still a child," The Alchemy Elder insulted. "Have Demonic Sects made so little progress?"

"To dismantle a rank 2 item with Qi alone," Elder Basil muttered. "But, how much of it do you even have? How many branches did you lose in your incident?"

To the Alchemy Elder’s disappointment, that display of power wasn’t enough to resolve the matter relatively peacefully. Of course, his solemn expression didn’t show any of that, instead focusing on what was clearly unavoidable.

"Disciple, pay utmost attention," The Alchemy Elder ordered. "It’s time you learned about the battle applications of the flexibility alchemy is teaching you."