## Liam''s Perspective


    Something was terribly wrong. The sense of dread that had interrupted my meditation now crescendoed into full-blown rm. My skin prickled with foreboding as I abandoned my cultivation pose and moved toward the sealed door.


    Through the barrier, I detected violent energy fluctuations—the unmistakable signature of battle. Multiple powerful auras shed against a familiar golden light that seemed... dimmer than it should be.


    "Mariana," I whispered, pressing my palm against the cold surface of the door.


    I closed my eyes, extending my spiritual senses to their limit. The defensive formations of the Guild were failing one by one. Screams echoed faintly through the barriers. The sound of steel meeting steel. Death.


    My jaw clenched. They''d found me. Somehow, they''d tracked me to the Celestial Apothecary Guild.


    Which meant Mariana was fighting. For me.


    I summoned my energy, ready to break through the door, when I remembered her stern warning: "No matter what happens, no matter what you hear, do not leave this chamber until I return for you personally."


    But how could I stay hidden while she fought my battles?


    A massive spike of killing intent from outside made my decision for me. I recognized that aura—Skyler Huxley. If he was here, this was no ordinary attack. This was an elite force sent specifically to capture or kill me.


    "Screw the promise," I muttered, gathering my energy for a breaking technique.


    My fist glowed with golden power as I prepared to shatter the seal—


    But the seal pushed back against my energy, absorbing itpletely. I frowned and tried again, channeling more power. Same result. The door seemed to be drawing strength from my attempts to break it.


    "Damn it, Mariana," I growled in frustration. "You really didn''t want me leaving."


    I was trapped—protected but useless—while outside, people were dying because of me.


    ---


    Dudley Lowell regarded Mariana Valerius with cold calction. "Your nobility is misced, Pavilion Master. Knight isn''t worth your life."


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    "That is not your judgment to make," Mariana replied, her voice steady despite her weakened state.


    Skyler Huxley stepped forward impatiently. "Enough talk. First Elder, where is Knight being kept?"


    Tang Wei hesitated, ncing between Mariana''s piercing stare and Skyler''s expectant one. "In a hidden chamber beneath the west warehouse. It''s sealed with the Pavilion Master''s personal formation."


    Mariana''s eyes shed with fury. "You disgrace the robes you wear, Tang Wei."


    The First Elder couldn''t meet her gaze. "The Guild needs to survive. Sometimes sacrifices must be made."


    "Spare me your justifications," she spat. "You''ve thrown away decades of honor for a promise they''ll never keep."


    Dudley smiled thinly. "How perceptive of you, Pavilion Master." He turned to his men. "Secure the west warehouse. Bring Knight back alive."


    Five elite cultivators immediately broke off from the main group, racing toward the western section of thepound.


    Mariana raised her hand, her remaining power coalescing into a golden light. With an elegant gesture, she sent a wave of energy after the departing men. Three of them were thrown violently against thepound wall.


    "Impressive," Dudley noted. "Even poisoned, you remain formidable."


    Skyler growled with impatience. "Enough of this. Take her down."


    He charged forward, his massive de trailing crimson energy. Mariana sidestepped with grace that belied her condition, her own sword meeting his in a sh that sent sparks flying.


    "Your technique has improved, Skyler," she observed calmly. "But you still telegraph your strikes."


    Skyler''s face contorted with rage. "You won''t be so smug when I drag you before the Sect Master in chains!"


    He pressed his attack, each blow more vicious than thest. Under normal circumstances, Mariana would have dispatched him with ease. But the Spirit Severing Pill had done its work well.


    Her movements, while still masterful,cked their usual explosive speed. Her counterattacks connected but carried only a fraction of their normal power.


    ---


    The two remaining cultivators reached the west warehouse, finding it unguarded. The door was simple—wooden with iron reinforcements—but when the lead man touched it, he recoiled.


    "A formation," he muttered. "Powerful one."


    Hispanion grinned. "Then we st through it."


    They both channeled their energy, directing concentrated beams at the door. To their shock, the wood seemed to absorb the attack, growing more solid rather than breaking.


    "What the hell?" The first man frowned. "Try again."


    Three more attempts yielded the same result.


    "It''s an Inverse Energy Seal," the second cultivator realized. "The more force we use, the stronger it bes."


    "Then how do we get in?"


    "We need the key... or the one who ced the seal."


    They exchanged nces. "Back to the courtyard. We need the Pavilion Master."


    ---


    Dudley watched Mariana''s battle with Skyler with clinical interest. Despite the poison ravaging her system, she moved with the precision of a master. Every blow was economical, every defense just enough to deflect danger.


    The two cultivators returned, approaching him hesitantly.


    "We can''t breach the warehouse," one reported. "It''s sealed with an Inverse Energy Formation. The more power we apply, the stronger it bes."


    Dudley''s eyes narrowed. "Clever," he murmured. He raised his voice. "Skyler! We need her alive and cooperative!"


    Skyler disengaged reluctantly, breathing heavily. Blood trickled from a cut above his eye where Mariana hadnded a precise strike.


    "She''s still fighting at Martial Marquis level," he growled. "The pill isn''t working fast enough."


    "It''s working exactly as designed," Dudley countered. "Look at her. She can barely stand."


    Indeed, Mariana was now visibly struggling. Her breaths came in short gasps, and her normally pristine robes were torn and bloodied. Still, her eyes remained defiant as she faced the circle of enemies around her.


    "New n," Dudley announced. "Capture her first. Then we''ll use her to open Knight''s chamber."


    A cruel smile spread across Skyler''s face. "With pleasure."


    He signaled, and the remaining elite cultivators formed a tight circle around Mariana. Eight masters, each at Spirit Formation realm or higher, moved in perfect coordination.


    Mariana watched them approach, then closed her eyes briefly. When they reopened, a new determination had settled in them. She straightened her posture, ignoring the pain wracking her body.


    "You should know," she said, her voice carrying clearly, "that I studied the Nine Mysteries of Taoist Sages in my youth."


    Dudley''s eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Impossible. Those texts were lost centuries ago."


    "Not lost. Protected." Mariana raised her sword, which began to glow with an ethereal blue light rather than her usual golden energy. "The Third Mystery: The Azure Dragon''s Embrace."


    The atmosphere shifted perceptibly. The air around Mariana became heavy, charged with a power that felt ancient and fundamentally different from normal cultivation energy.


    Skyler hesitated, suddenly uncertain. "What is this?"


    Before anyone could react, Mariana moved. Not with the speed of cultivation, but with a strange, flowing motion that seemed to bend space itself. Her sword traced a pattern in the air—not an attack, but a symbol.


    The symbol red to life, multiplying until eight identical azure dragons circled above, each targeting one of the elite cultivators surrounding her.


    "Attack!" Skyler bellowed, breaking from his momentary shock.


    Toote. The azure dragons descended, each striking with unerring precision. Where they touched, the cultivators'' own energy turned against them. Several screamed as their meridians twisted painfully.


    Four dropped immediately, their cultivation crippled. Three more staggered back, severely injured but still fighting. Only Skyler remained standing tall, protected by some talisman that had absorbed most of the impact.


    "The Fifth Mystery: Pearl of Immortal Intent," Mariana whispered, her voice growing fainter.


    Her body began to glow with pearlescent light. The witnesses gasped as her injuries visibly healed, her energy momentarily surging back to its former brilliance.


    Dudley took an involuntary step backward. "Stop her!"


    Elder Foster, who had remained in the background until now, stepped forward. "I''ll handle this."


    He shed through aplex series of hand signs, then thrust his palm toward Mariana. "Soul Suppression Technique!"


    A wave of gray energy shot toward her, threatening to extinguish the pearl-like glow. Mariana pivoted, her sword drawing another symbol—this one resembling a turtle shell.


    "The Fourth Mystery: ck Tortoise Shield."


    The gray wave crashed against an invisible barrier, rebounding partially back toward Foster. He staggered under the bacsh of his own technique.


    For a moment, hope red among the surviving Guild members watching from the sidelines. Their Pavilion Master, even poisoned and outnumbered, was holding her ground against the elite forces of two major powers.


    But Dudley saw what they didn''t—each Mystery technique was draining what little energy Mariana had left. The pearl glow was already fading, her breathing bing morebored.


    "It''s a bluff," he announced loudly. "The Nine Mysteries require immense spiritual reserves. She''s burning her life force topensate for what the pill has taken."


    Mariana''s eyes flicked toward him, acknowledging the truth of his assessment.


    "Three minutes," Dudley continued, addressing his allies. "That''s all she has left. Then she copses."


    Skyler grinned savagely. "Then we wait."


    "No," came Tang Wei''s voice. The betrayer stepped forward, guilt and determination warring on his face. "I won''t let her kill herself like this."


    He moved with startling speed, appearing behind Mariana. Before she could turn, he struck precisely at a point between her shoulders—a paralyzing blow designed to disable without killing.


    Mariana sensed iting at thest instant. She started to counter, but her weakened body betrayed her. The blow connected.


    For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then the pearlescent glow flickered and died. Her sword dropped from suddenly nerveless fingers. She swayed once, then fell to her knees.


    "Forgive me," Tang Wei whispered, genuine sorrow in his voice.


    Mariana didn''t look at him. "There is no forgiveness for what you''ve done today."


    Skyler approached cautiously, still wary despite her obvious defeat. "Secure her," he ordered two of his remaining men.


    As they moved to bind her, Mariana found enough strength for one final defiant gesture. She reached into her robes and withdrew a small jade talisman. Before anyone could stop her, she crushed it in her palm.


    "What was that?" Skyler demanded.


    Mariana smiled faintly. "Insurance."


    Dudley stepped forward, examining her with professional interest. "The pill''s effects are elerating now that she''s expended so much energy. She has perhaps twelve hours before permanent damage urs."


    He produced the jade box again, holding it where Mariana could see it. "The antidote remains avable, Pavilion Master. Onest chance—release Liam Knight to us willingly, and you may live."


    Mariana raised her head, meeting his gaze squarely despite her kneeling position. Even defeated, she projected dignity that made several of her captors ufortable.


    "You still don''t understand," she said softly. "I would rather die a thousand deaths than betray a promise."


    Dudley sighed theatrically. "As you wish." He turned to the others. "Take her to the warehouse. We''ll need her to open the seal, willing or not."


    Skyler and two others hauled Mariana roughly to her feet. As they dragged her toward the westpound, Foster touched his face where her earlier counter had struck him. Blood stained his fingers.


    "Regardless of what it takes or the price we must pay," he growled, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, "we must capture this Celestial Apothecary Guild Master!"