## Liam''s Perspective


    The crimson light from Josiah''s pendant intensified, bathing the square in a bloody glow. Citizens who hadn''t fled screamed as they ran for their lives.


    "Mountain-Destroying Seal!"


    Josiah''s roar echoed as he hurled the glowing pendant toward me. The air distorted around it, reality itself seeming to bend under its power.


    I didn''t move. Didn''t flinch.


    As the deadly seal approached, I raised my right hand. Golden energy coiled around my arm like a living serpent.


    One punch. That''s all I needed.


    My fist connected with the seal. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then it shattered like ss, fragments of jade and energy scattering harmlessly around me.


    "Impossible!" Josiah stumbled backward, his face draining of color. "That''s... impossible!"


    Blood continued streaming from his eyes and ears. He''d sacrificed most of his life force for nothing. This chapter is part of the collection on *.


    "Your strongest technique," I said quietly, "and it couldn''t even make me step back."


    The proud Marquis fell to his knees, trembling. His eyes darted around like a cornered animal''s.


    "Please," he begged, groveling now. "I''ll give you everything! My storage ring contains wealth beyond imagination! Ancient herbs from the Mystic Peaks! Cultivation manuals from our sect''s restricted archives!"


    I walked toward him slowly, my footsteps echoing in the now-empty square.


    "You think I care about trinkets and treasures?" I asked. "After what you did?"


    "I have intelligence!" he blurted out desperately. "Information about the Ashworths! They''ve forsaken me, Knight! After all I sacrificed for them!"


    That made me pause. "Exin."


    Hope flickered in his eyes. "When I sought out Darian Hill, it was on Corbin Ashworth''s orders! But when things went south, they abandoned me! Cut all ties! Left me to rot!"


    His words spilled out faster now. "I know their secrets! Their weaknesses! The artifacts they guard in their inner sanctum! Information worth more than gold!"


    I studied him dispassionately. "So you''d betray the Ashworths as quickly as you betrayed your own disciples? As quickly as you tried to kill my friend?"


    "They betrayed me first!" Josiah screamed, hisposurepletely shattered. "Decades of service! I killed for them! Stole for them! And they discarded me like trash!"


    Spittle flew from his mouth as his rant continued. "Corbin Ashworth is a snake! A maniptor who uses people like pawns! He—"


    "Enough," I cut him off. "Your grudges don''t interest me."


    His eyes widened in panic. "Please! I''m begging you! I''ll be your ve! Your servant! Anything!"


    I shook my head. "It''s toote for that, Josiah."


    Something shifted in his expression. The desperation gave way to a cold fury.


    "Then I''ll take you with me!"


    Before I could react, he mmed his palm against his own chest. His body began to glow with unstable energy—he was attempting to self-destruct, to immte himself in a final, spiteful gesture.


    I moved without thinking. My hand shot forward, connecting with his face in a thunderous p.


    His head snapped sideways with a sickening crack. The glow instantly faded from his body.


    Josiah Hale, Sect Master of the Ascendant Saints Order, copsed like a puppet with cut strings. Dead.


    I looked down at his crumpled form. The man who had sent assassins after Caspian, who had threatened innocent lives, who had schemed with both the Ashworths and Darian Hill—reduced to nothing.


    I felt no satisfaction. No triumph. Just the cold certainty that justice had been served.


    Kneeling beside the body, I ced my hand on his abdomen. Golden energy flowed from my fingers, prating his flesh. What I soughty within—his golden core.


    For a Marquis who had cultivated for decades, this core would contain immense energy. Energy I could use.


    My fingers sank through flesh and bone, guided by precise knowledge of meridian pathways. This technique, one of the forbidden arts from my inheritance, allowed me to extract a cultivator''s core without damaging it.


    There it was. A sphere slightlyrger than a marble, pulsing with golden light.


    I carefully extracted it, watching as it floated above my palm. Even separated from its host, it radiated powerful energy. This core represented decades of cultivation, of umted power and knowledge.


    And now it was mine.


    Standing up, I stored the golden core in my spatial ring. The possibilities excited me. With this core, I could elerate my cultivation dramatically. Absorb its essence to strengthen my own foundation. Maybe even use it to craft a powerful weapon or tool.


    Another step forward in my journey. Another resource to help me save Isabelle.


    The sound of approaching footsteps pulled me from my thoughts. Julian Hawthorne stood at the edge of the square, his face grim as he surveyed the scene.


    "So it''s done," he said simply.


    I nodded. "It''s done."


    "The Ashworths won''t be pleased," Julian warned. "Regardless of their current stance toward Josiah, his deathplicates matters."


    "Let them be displeased," I replied coldly. "Their opinion means nothing to me now."


    Julian studied me carefully. "You''ve changed, Liam. The man I first met would never have executed someone so coldly."


    "The man you first met was weak," I said. "He died when Isabelle was taken."


    A heavy silence fell between us. Julian finally nodded, acknowledging the truth of my words.


    "What will you do with his core?" he asked, eyeing my spatial ring.


    I smiled slightly. "Something useful. Something that will help me tear down the Veridia City Martial Guild."


    "Be careful," Julian warned. "A Marquis''s core contains not just power but consciousness—echoes of its former owner."


    "I''m not concerned," I replied, turning to leave. "Josiah Hale was weak in life. His lingering consciousness will be even weaker."


    As I walked away, the golden core in my spatial ring pulsed with vibrant energy. I could feel its power reaching out, almost eager to be used.


    With this core, I was one step closer to achieving the strength I needed. One step closer to rescuing Isabelle. One step closer to making the Guild pay for everything they''d done.


    And that was worth any price.