## Liam''s Perspective


    I strode through the gates of the Ascendant Saints Order, my footsteps echoing against stone. The air smelled of incense and fear. Good. They should be afraid.


    "Where is Mariana Valerius?" My voice cut through themotion like a de.


    Disciples scattered before me. Some drew weapons. Others fled. None dared answer.


    A line of defenders formed ahead. At their center stood a weathered old man with a long gray beard - Elder Foster. His eyes narrowed as he assessed me.


    "The infamous Liam Knight," he said, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "You''ve caused quite a stir in our peaceful order."


    "Peaceful?" Iughed bitterly. "You kidnapped the Pavilion Master of the Celestial Apothecary Guild. Where is she?"


    Elder Foster''s lips curled into a mocking smile. Behind him stood nearly thirty cultivators - mostly Grandmasters, with two half-step Martial Marquises at his nks. They seemed confident in their numbers.


    "Mariana Valerius?" Elder Foster stroked his beard. "That meddlesome woman interfered in matters beyond her station."


    My chest tightened. "Answer the question."


    "She''s dead."


    Two simple words. They hit me like physical blows.


    "You''re lying." My voice sounded distant to my own ears.


    "Am I?" Elder Foster''s eyes gleamed with malice. "We extracted what information we needed from her. The process was... thorough. What remained hardly resembled a human."


    Something cracked inside me. A dam breaking. The world took on a reddish hue.


    "You..." I couldn''t form words. My breath came in ragged gasps.


    "Her final moments were quite pathetic," he continued, clearly enjoying my reaction. "She called your name, you know. Begged us to spare you when we inevitably caught you. How touching."


    Rage exploded within me. Not the controlled anger I''d known before, but something primal and vast. My cultivation base surged, golden light erupting from my body. The ground beneath me splintered.


    "MARIANA!" The name tore from my throat, infused with spiritual power.


    The shockwave rippled outward. Three Grandmasters at the front copsed instantly, blood pouring from their eyes and ears. Dead before they hit the ground.


    Elder Foster''s smirk vanished. "Kill him!"


    Find the trantion on MV&LEMPYR.


    The disciples charged. Weapons shed. Spiritual attacks converged on me from all directions.


    I didn''t dodge. I didn''t defend. I let their attacks hit me.


    Swords bounced off my skin. Energy attacks dissipated against my aura. My Chaotic Body, fueled by rage and the Heaven Swallowing Skill, had reached a new level of power.


    "Impossible," whispered a young disciple before my fist crushed his chest.


    I moved through their ranks like a storm. Each blow shattered bones. Each strike ended a life. Blood sttered across ancient stone floors.


    A half-step Martial Marquis attacked from behind, his sword glowing with power. I caught the de with my bare hand.


    "You''re not worthy to be her enemy," I growled.


    I snapped the sword and drove the broken half through his throat. His eyes bulged in shock as he fell.


    More disciples poured in from side buildings. Their attacks were coordinated but meaningless. Like raindrops against a mountain.


    I lost track of how many I killed. Ten? Twenty? Fifty? They blurred together in a haze of blood and broken bodies. Golden light from my palms mingled with dark tendrils from the Heaven Swallowing Skill. I consumed their energy even as I destroyed them.


    "Retreat!" someone screamed. "He''s not human! He''s a demon!"


    The remaining disciples scattered. Elder Foster had disappeared in the chaos.


    I stood alone in the courtyard, surrounded by corpses. Blood dripped from my hands. Some was mine, most wasn''t. The injuries I''d sustained were already healing.


    A trembling disciple cowered behind a pir. When our eyes met, he fell to his knees.


    "Please," he begged. "I just joined the sect. I know nothing."


    I approached slowly. "Where did Elder Foster go?"


    "The Great Hall," he stammered. "Where the Martial Marquis Weapons are kept. He said... he said they would protect him."


    I nodded once. The young man scrambled away, not looking back.


    The path to the Great Hall was marked by ornate pirs. I followed them, leaving bloody footprints on polished marble. My rage hadn''t subsided. It had crystallized into something cold and purposeful.


    Inside the Order''s mainplex, I encountered minimal resistance. Word of what happened in the courtyard had spread. Most fled at the sight of me.


    I kicked down the doors to an borate chamber. Inside, disciples were frantically gathering scrolls and artifacts.


    "Where is the Great Hall?" I demanded.


    They froze like frightened deer. One pointed shakily toward a grand staircase at the back of the room.


    I nodded and continued my march. As I ascended the stairs, I heard voices above.


    "—reinforcements from the main branch!" Someone was shouting.


    "It won''t matter!" another voice responded. "Didn''t you see what he did? Half our sect''s elite, gone in minutes!"


    "Elder Foster will protect us. He has the—"


    The voices stopped when I reached the top of the stairs. Three senior disciples stood guarding massive double doors. Their faces paled when they saw me.


    "Step aside," I said quietly.


    To their credit, they didn''t run. They attacked as one, channeling their spiritual energy into abined assault.


    I walked through their attack like it was a gentle breeze. My hand closed around one disciple''s throat. The others backed away, horror in their eyes.


    "Is this where Elder Foster is hiding?" I asked.


    The man in my grip couldn''t speak. I loosened my hold slightly.


    "Y-yes," he gasped. "But you can''t enter. The Great Hall is protected by ancient formations."


    I smiled grimly. "Watch me."


    I threw him aside and approached the doors. They were inscribed with intricate patterns that glowed with power. A formidable barrier, designed to keep out intruders.


    I ced my palm against the wood. The formations reacted, sending painful shocks up my arm.


    I channeled both light and dark energy into my hand. The contrast created instability in the formation. Cracks appeared in the glowing patterns.


    "Impossible!" One of the disciples shouted. "Those formations have stood for centuries!"


    I pushed harder. The doors groaned. The formations flickered and failed.


    With a final surge of power, I shattered the barrierpletely. The doors sted inward, torn from their hinges.


    Inside the Great Hall, Elder Foster stood before an array of ancient weapons. His hands moved quickly, activating their power.


    "You''re toote, Knight!" he called out. "These weapons have in Martial Marquises. You are nothing before them!"


    I stepped into the hall. The air hummed with power from the awakening artifacts.


    Before I could respond, amotion erupted behind me. Footsteps pounded up the stairs.


    "Elder Foster!" A panicked voice shouted. "He''sing! Liam Knight is—"


    The disciple stopped short when he saw me standing in the doorway.


    His face drained of color. "He—he''s here! And he''s carrying a corpse!"


    Elder Foster''s confidence faltered as he looked beyond me. His eyes widened in shock.


    The disciple behind me continued, his voice trembling: "Gods above, he''s covered in blood, and that golden aura... it''s mixed with something dark! What is he?"


    I turned slowly to face this new arrival, my rage building once again. The next confrontation would determine whether Mariana''s death would be avenged or if I would join her in the afterlife.