## Liam''s Perspective


    The air crackled with murderous intent as Josiah Hale''s power surged toward me. My trap had failed. His was just beginning.


    "You''re a fool, Liam Knight." Josiah''s voice carried a terrifying calm. "Did you truly believe you could challenge a Martial Marquis?"


    I pushed my Divine Sense outward, searching for weaknesses in the formation surrounding us. There were none. This was a masterful trap, likely prepared days in advance.


    "Running calctions in your head?" Josiah smirked. "Let me save you the trouble. The power gap between us isn''t something you can ovee with clever tricks."


    He was right. I wasn''t even a true half-step Martial Marquis yet. Against a fully realized one, my chances were virtually non-existent.


    I channeled energy to my legs and shot toward the nearest wall. If I couldn''t win, I could at least escape.


    My body mmed into an invisible barrier. Pain radiated through my shoulder as I bounced backward.


    "Did I forget to mention?" Josiah chuckled. "This formation is my personal creation. The Marquis''s Cage. No one below my level has ever escaped it."


    Elder Foster circled to my left, his earlier fear reced by sadistic anticipation. "Master, shall I cripple him now?"


    "Patience." Josiah''s eyes remained fixed on me. "I promised Mr. ckthorne he could kill this upstart personally. But I never said we couldn''t break him first."


    I gathered my energy, focusing it into my right fist. The Absolute Beginning Sacred Fist was my strongest technique. If anything could breach this barrier, it would be this.


    "HAAAA!" I roared, throwing everything I had into the strike.


    The barrier flickered but held firm. The bacsh sent shockwaves through my arm, nearly dislocating my shoulder.


    "Impressive," Josiah admitted. "Most couldn''t even make it flicker. But ultimately futile."


    I staggered back, reassessing. The reporters'' mangled bodiesy in pools of blood. Their deaths would be meaningless if I died here too.


    "Before I break you," Josiah said, stepping forward, "I''m curious. What made you think you could defy the natural order? Did you honestly believe someone of your background could rise to challenge the established powers?"


    "The ''natural order'' you speak of is nothing but tyranny dressed in tradition," I spat, buying time as I cycled my energy for another attempt. "You kill innocents and call it strength."


    Josiah''s expression hardened. "I''ve lived ten times your years, boy. I''ve seen empires rise and fall. The strong rule. The weak serve. That is the only truew."


    He moved so fast I barely saw iting. His palm strike hit me squarely in the chest.


    The impact was catastrophic.


    My defensive energy shattered like ss. My ribs cracked. Blood erupted from my mouth as I flew backward, crashing into the far wall.


    Pain exploded through my body. This was beyond anything I''d experienced before. One casual strike had overwhelmed all my defenses.


    "Is that all?" Josiah asked, disappointment evident in his voice. "After all the trouble you''ve caused, I expected more."


    I struggled to my feet, blood dripping from my chin. My internal organs felt like they''d been rearranged. Every breath was agony.


    "I''m just getting started," I growled, activating my Saintly Body Skill to the Fifth Layer. Golden light erupted from my skin as my muscles hardened and expanded. At the same time, I called upon the Divine Dragon Power, channeling its ferocious energy through my meridians.


    "Better," Josiah nodded, actually looking slightly impressed. "But still not enough."


    We shed again. This time I managed to block his first strike, but his second came from an impossible angle. His fist hammered into my side with such force that I heard bones breaking.


    I crashed into a table, splintering it beneath me. Blood pooled in my mouth. My vision blurred.


    "You have talent," Josiah admitted, walking toward me casually. "With proper guidance, you might have reached my level in a century or two. Pity you chose the wrong path."


    I tried to stand, but my body wouldn''t obey. The difference between us was too vast. This wasn''t a fight – it was a ughter.


    "Master," Elder Foster approached, his eyes gleaming with malice, "allow me the honor of crippling his dantian."


    Josiah considered for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. But leave enough life in him for Mr. ckthorne to finish."


    Elder Foster''s lips stretched into a cruel smile as he loomed over me. "Not so arrogant now, are you? Did you really think trash like you could rise against your betters?"


    I red at him through the blood streaming down my face. "You''re... nothing but a dog... following his master."


    His face contorted with rage. "When I''m done with you, you''ll wish I''d killed you quickly." He raised his hand, fingers curled into a w. "I''ll make sure you feel every moment as your cultivation is stripped away."


    I tried to move, to defend myself, but my limbs felt like lead. Elder Foster''s hand descended toward my dantian, glowing with destructive energy.


    "Anyst words before I reduce you to less than nothing?" he sneered.


    Through blood-stained teeth, I smiled. "Behind you."


    Elder Foster hesitated for just a fraction of a second – enough to tell me he wasn''tpletely confident in his safety.


    "Pathetic trick," he spat, his hand continuing its descent. <var ss="ref-2c643e">To report errors, please visit the original post on *.</var>


    The air above him rippled.


    "Elder," Josiah called sharply, suddenly alert. "Wait—"


    Toote. A sh of silver pierced the air.


    Elder Foster''s eyes widened in shock. His attack nevernded. Instead, his body went rigid as something impossible happened.


    I couldn''t see what it was, but Josiah''s face showed real concern for the first time.


    "You," Josiah hissed, his eyes fixed on a point beyond me. "How did you find this ce?"


    A voice answered – cold, female, and filled with quiet rage.


    "Did you really think you could hide from me?"