Legacy of Hatred

Liam wasn’t really sure of anything anymore.

It went without saying that the Church’s formation had shaken Liam deeply. He had always known that the cultivation world had all kinds of incredible and unfathomable methods, but fighting them directly had broadened his mindset.

Truth was, Liam should have lost that battle. If it weren’t for Master Vermillion saving the day, Liam would have had to pay a steep price to escape, one that risked ruining his cultivation journey forever, and that in the best-case scenario.

That was due to the enemies’ greater quality. All those Liam had fought were generally lower in the Kingdom’s hierarchy. Even the Guild’s branch he had destroyed couldn’t show its real power due to its unique location.

Liam had basically gotten a first real taste of what he was truly against, and he was hopelessly outclassed. That wasn’t enough to stop him, but it changed the way in which he approached his solo journey.

As Liam was, he had no idea whether or how the Church would track him, so he alternated the fan’s speed bursts with his body’s ability to eliminate his presence, running on foot for long stretches.

Everything was about confusing anyone who could be on Liam’s tail, adding a bit of unmatchable speed to the equation. The Church might also be disregarding him to pursue the giant carpet, but the result didn’t change.

On the morning of the sixth day of solo travel, Liam reached his destination without meeting any hindrance. A tall, vast white building with a stark resemblance to the one he had seen in the inheritance stood in the middle of a relatively flourishing plain, with a river running next to it.

The building had to be at least six stories tall and hundreds of meters large. It was a true behemoth of a structure, and its influence didn’t stop at its perimeter.

Gardens, tents, and makeshift habitations surrounded the giant building, creating a small town of sorts. On the surface, the Church was a charity-oriented force, so plenty of beggars gathered around its doorsteps, benefiting from its services.

Still, what worried Liam the most while he inspected the building from a distant crevice in the ground had to do with Qi. His target was a Cathedral after all, so he was wary of formations at the same level as the one that had almost defeated him.

’There doesn’t seem to be anything dangerous,’ Liam thought, his body cold, his presence nigh-nonexistent, but his senses working overtime.

Liam felt the presence of cultivators, as well as inscriptions, but his sixth sense remained quiet. Despite the crucial location, there didn’t seem to be special defenses in place, and he could find explanations for that.

’Flashy protections would only make the Cathedral suspicious,’ Liam guessed. ’And I bet the Church would never expect anyone to attack it directly, or attack it at all.’

That fell in the same category of the rules cultivators often mentioned when Liam did something out of the norm. The Kingdom’s powers had ruled for so long that they had forgotten what it was to be prey. They couldn’t even consider it a possibility.

Honestly, that mindset was utterly arrogant, but Liam could hardly blame it. He had seen how people reacted whenever he voiced his ideas. He was the strange one going against the established order, and most of it was because he carried something that automatically made the world his enemy.

’All the Priests must be out, too,’ Liam considered, his senses once again helping him in that regard.

Through the communication device, Liam had confirmed that Grace and the others were still safe. They were moving west, planning to enter the border there, and the Church had yet to catch up.

Of course, neither side would use straightforward methods. Grace’s group would try to make the pursuers lose their tracks first. Instead, the Church was probably setting up a comprehensive trap instead of merely giving chase.

Liam was the only one who could affect the equation. The issue was how to go about it.

’If I poison the river,’ Liam thought, ’The soil would be ruined. I don’t have another Master’s Pride, but I can achieve something similar.’

That was the smartest plan. A proper hunt demanded limited risks for the hunter, and Liam was a poison master. He had plenty of ways to mess with a place, especially when a river was involved.

Taking it slow and easy would also suit Liam’s condition. Days had passed since the battle, but he still hadn’t touched alchemical products. He had just smoked, letting his body deal with the accumulated impurities, and he preferred that to continue for a bit longer.

Liam was far stronger than the average rooting expert, but relying on body-enhancing pills would be the bare minimum when heavily outnumbered in a direct fight. The solution was not to fight directly at all, but that would defeat the purpose.

Sure, Liam wanted to act as bait to keep Grace safe, but he also had to send a message to the Church and the entire world. The Kingdom as a whole had to know the price of going against him.

’This is what not destroying anything every few years does to your reputation,’ Liam repeated his Master’s words in his mind, storing his pipe while jumping off the crevice, landing on his fan.

Usually, Liam would pull up his hood at that point, but left his face in the open. As revealing as his cape already was, he wanted to make sure the Church knew he was behind the attack.

’What did the Demoness say?’ Liam casually wondered as the fan brought him higher in the sky. ’The only mercy we give the Heavens is a face to curse. I guess she had a point.’

Secrecy was a poison master’s greatest currency, but Horace Rauret had also been a flashy figure. No cape could ever hide him, so Liam had to compromise when he wanted to abide by his teachings.

The morning continued peacefully, but a ruckus eventually afflicted the Cathedral. Mortals and cultivators donning white robes rushed out of the big gate, staring at the sky, joined by all the beggars outside.

The sky in the northern region was never particularly bright, even in summer, but dark clouds had blocked the sunlight, casting a huge shadow on the giant Cathedral and its surroundings.

To make things worse, that was no natural weather. The clouds weren’t clouds at all, be it when it came to their nature or their movement.

A gargantuan mass of Qi spun in the sky, like a maelstrom that had a clear center. A tall, muscular man wielded an even bigger greatsword above his head while he looked down at the scene, his Qi-enhanced voice soon echoing through the area.

"The Church is killing carriers of the ancestral bloodlines to attempt to create a new one," Liam declared. "Leave if you didn’t know. Anyone who stays will die."