Liam''s Perspective


    Blood dripped from my hands as I stood over thest of the Grandmasters who had been guarding the fifth floor of the Hydrating Tower. Five bodiesy around me, their life force drained into my meridians through my Heaven Swallowing Skill.


    "Pathetic," I muttered, feeling the absorbed energy settle within me.


    The returns were diminishing with each low-level cultivator I consumed. My cultivation demanded stronger prey now. These Martial Masters and early Grandmasters barely moved the needle.


    A groan from the corner caught my attention. Franklin Duval wasn''t quite dead yet.


    I walked over to where hey clutching his stomach wound. "Still breathing? Impressive."


    "You... you don''t understand what you''re doing," he coughed, blood speckling his lips.


    "Enlighten me then."


    Franklin''s eyes darted around the room, searching for escape. Finding none, he attempted a different strategy.


    "The Ascendant Saints Order will destroy you for this."


    I crouched beside him. "They were already nning to. What''s different now?"


    "Elder Foster himself wille. He''s a true Saint, Knight. You can''t possibly—"


    "Who sent you?" I interrupted. "Dudley Lowell betrayed the tower''s location, but he doesn''t have the authority to mobilize your Order."


    Franklin''s surprise told me I''d guessed correctly.


    "The Elders Council voted unanimously," he finally admitted. "This tower is considered a First-ss Relic. All such discoveries fall under our jurisdiction by ancient treaty."


    I grabbed him by the cor. "Treaties I never signed."


    "You''re making a terrible mistake," he gasped. "I''m a representative of the Ascendant Saints Order. My death will—"


    "Change nothing," I finished. "You were already nning to kill me."


    His eyes widened with fear as I ced my palm on his forehead. "Wait! I have information! The Order isn''t the only one after the tower!"


    I paused. "Who else?"


    "The Umbral Covenant," he whispered. "They''ve been tracking relics like this for months."


    The Umbral Covenant. A name that sent chills down even my spine. Their reputation for ruthless efficiency was legendary.


    Franklin seemed to gain confidence seeing my reaction. "Let me go, and I''ll tell Elder Foster you weren''t here. That someone else attacked us."


    I almostughed. "And your men? They''d corroborate this convenient story?"


    His eyes darted to the bodies surrounding us. "I''ll say we were ambushed. By the time reinforcements arrive—"


    "You''d be long gone, and I''d be walking into a trap." I shook my head. "Not happening."


    Fear flooded his face. "Please... I have a family."


    "So did many I''ve watched die." I activated the Heaven Swallowing Skill. "Your energy, at least, will serve a purpose."


    His scream was brief as his life force flowed into me. The rush of power was better this time—a Grandmaster''s energy provided more substance.


    When it was done, I searched his body and found his phone. The screen disyed a series of messages to someone named "Elder Foster." <code ss="ref-4c0073">This is part of a series from My Virtual Library Empire (*).</code>


    The most recent: "Knight has arrived at tower. Proceeding as nned."


    And the reply: "Hold position. Support arriving in six hours."


    Six hours. The clock was ticking.


    I checked the timestamp. The message had been sent almost two hours ago.


    "Four hours left," I muttered, standing.


    I needed to work fast. The tower''s secrets had to be mine before the Ascendant Saints Order arrived in force. I''d already cleared all five floors, eliminating everyone Franklin had brought with him.


    But I still hadn''t found what I was looking for.


    The Hydrating Tower was supposed to contain technology that could elerate cultivation exponentially. So far, all I''d found were empty rooms with strange markings on the walls.


    I moved to the central chamber on the fifth floor. A circr tform dominated the center, surrounded by eight stone pirs. Each pir was covered in symbols I couldn''t decipher.


    "There must be a trigger mechanism," I said to myself, examining the tform.


    Two hours of searching yielded nothing. No hiddenpartments, no activation sequences, no breakthrough. Frustration mounted as precious time ticked away.


    My phone buzzed. Sofia.


    "Any progress?" she asked when I answered.


    "Nothing," I replied tersely. "The tower''s empty."


    "That''s impossible. The ancient texts were very specific."


    I paced the chamber. "The texts also said the activation method would be obvious. Nothing here is obvious."


    "What about the floor markings?" Sofia suggested. "They might form a formation."


    I looked down. The stone floor was etched with intricate patterns that spiraled outward from the central tform.


    "Maybe," I conceded. "But I don''t have time to decipher an ancient formation. The Ascendant Saints will be here in less than four hours."


    Sofia was silent for a moment. "You need to abandon the tower."


    "Not an option."


    "Liam, if Elder Fosteres with his full entourage—"


    "Then I''ll deal with them," I cut her off. "This tower is critical."


    Another silence. "What''s your n?"


    I surveyed the chamber again. "If I can''t ess the tower''s power directly, I''ll have to defend it until I figure it out."


    "Against a Saint?"


    "Against whoeveres."


    I could almost hear her shaking her head. "That''s suicide."


    "No," I corrected her. "It''s necessity. September 9th is approaching fast. Without elerated cultivation, I won''t be ready."


    "At least let Eamon and me join you."


    "You''re more valuable gathering intelligence on the Ashworthpound. Stay focused on that."


    After ending the call, I returned to examining the chamber. If I couldn''t unlock the tower''s secrets immediately, my best option was to set up defenses.


    I reached into my spatial ring and withdrew several formation gs. The Nine Netherworld Killing Formation wasplex, but with proper setup, it could significantly boost mybat effectiveness while hampering my enemies.


    One by one, I positioned the gs around the tower''s perimeter. Each g pulsed with dark energy as I activated it with a drop of blood.


    As I ced the final g, a tremor ran through the tower. The formation was connecting with the tower''s inherent energy matrix.


    "Perfect," I muttered, feeling the power course through the structure.


    I returned to the fifth floor and settled into meditation position at the center of the tform. From here, I could control the formation and channel its power.


    Time passed. Three hours. Three and a half.


    Then I felt them. Six distinct energy signatures approaching rapidly from the east. The Ascendant Saints Order''s reinforcements had arrived early.


    I stretched my senses, analyzing their strength. Five Grandmasters and... my blood ran cold. The sixth aura radiated power on a different level entirely. A half-step Martial Marquis.


    Not a full Saint as Franklin had threatened, but still potentially beyond my current capabilities.


    I activated the formation, watching as purplish energy barriers shimmered into existence around the tower. The gs pulsed in unison, their power synchronizing with my heartbeat.


    Let theme. The tower would be mine, or no one''s.


    My phone rang again. William Vance''s name shed on the screen.


    Strange. William rarely called directly unless—


    I answered immediately. "What is it?"


    William''s usually calm voice was tight with urgency. "Liam Knight, I just received confirmed news that the people from the Umbral Covenant have entered our territory."


    My grip on the phone tightened. "Where?"


    "Moving toward your position. They''ll reach the tower within the hour."


    The Umbral Covenant. Here. Now.


    My situation had just gone from dangerous to potentially catastrophic.