Legacy of Hatred

Everything was moving too quickly for the representatives.

The dead Priest, the revelation about the Church’s true goal, the punishment for those who learned about it, and Liam’s dare had followed each other in quick succession, leaving the three branching experts at a loss for words.

It didn’t help that the trio could read between the lines. The main problem was that the Dragon King had to have sanctioned whatever was unfolding in the area. Its size and the cultivators it planned to involve demanded that level of authority to authorize.

However, the alternative was to abandon everything the trio had built and become criminals, betraying their entire life’s work, and doing so abruptly.

Calling Liam a liar and going through the Church’s alleged investigation would be the easiest option, the path with the highest odds of success.

Yet, previous conversation aside, Liam’s claim had something supporting it. Felix and the others could only feel it on an instinctive level, but there was danger all around. Its presence alone confirmed the validity of Liam’s revelations, at least partially.

While changing status so abruptly was challenging for most, exceptions always existed.

Colleen was the first to divert her gaze, looking back at the solitary peak where the alchemical contest was held. The team Liam was trying to assemble included him and five branching experts, but their assets wouldn’t stop at that.

The audience the alchemical contest had gathered could offer plenty of manpower. The inscription masters on the scene had also created many magical items, and the Merchants Guild had ample stashes at the ready.

The Church had planned to take the group by surprise, but the latter was far from unprepared. It had a small army and resources. It wasn’t an ideal arrangement, but it couldn’t be further from powerlessness.

The unclear nature of the threat was the issue. The best preparations had a specific goal in mind, and Colleen didn’t know what to expect. She didn’t mind emptying her vaults to survive, but the lack of information lowered the odds of success.

But information arrived in the next second in quite the peculiar shape.

Liam was the first to notice it, his gaze snapping at the dark sky as soon as his nose caught something odd. Yet, everyone else eventually sensed the event, especially since it wasn’t trying to remain hidden.

A streak of white air shot through the sky before crashing toward the ground, landing near the group. Soft breezes blew as that harmless wind took a solid shape, revealing an old woman with long, disheveled grey hair.

The woman was no stranger. A red patch spread from her left shoulder, with drops of blood sliding down her arm, tainting her yellow robe, but everyone recognized her. Whispering Wind from the Messengers Guild had joined the scene.

"Fellow Daoists, I apologize for eavesdropping," Whispering Wind panted, smiling despite her pale face as she straightened. "However, Master Black Qi speaks the truth. I’m afraid our best option is to join forces."

’Eavesdropping?’ Liam wondered, unable to suppress his increasing wariness.

Liam had always been extremely confident in his senses, and nothing in the cultivation world had given him reason to doubt them. Yet, Whispering Wind had made it sound as if she had listened to the conversation without him noticing it.

Of course, there were countless methods in the cultivation world, so Liam could accept the possibility of being spied upon without his senses triggering. It was just truly jarring and concerning.

"Whispering Wind!" Felix immediately called. "What do you mean? What happened to you?"

"I spotted the Church’s strange mobilization and followed along," Whispering Wind explained. "I was found and driven here. They stopped caring about me once I entered the encirclement."

"What encirclement?" Felix questioned.

"Ten Priests," Whispering Wind revealed. "At least. A few hundred foundation and rooting experts, some being quite odd to look at. They even brought magical items to set up a formation around the area."

’We are surrounded,’ Liam thought, confirming what his sixth sense had already guessed. ’Would breaking through even be enough to escape?’

Liam and Grace had a rank 3 cloaking item, but it was just mid-tier. With branching experts, a formation, and the golden martial arts jointly cast by so many cultivators, the likelihood of sneaking out sounded low.

What would come next was also concerning. Escaping one encirclement was possible, but the Church would give chase. It was also everywhere in the Kingdom.

"How did they deploy so many cultivators?" Liam questioned. "Does this area have many Churches?"

Since Liam and Grace were still outsiders, they hadn’t learned much about the area. That would have come after the alchemical competition. Yet, the meeting had only happened three weeks ago, so it was strange for so many troops to have gathered so quickly.

Sure, great forces could accomplish much in no time. The alchemical contest itself was proof of that, but it remained strange how no warning about it had arrived. Whispering Wind seemed to be the only one aware.

"Master Black Qi, I’ll share a secret to repay you for what you revealed," Whispering Wind exclaimed. "There’s a Cathedral in the area, one I’ve long suspected of possessing a teleport. Keeping it in check is how I discovered this mobilization."

’Teleports, great,’ Liam cursed internally. He had seen those tools in the inheritance, but they apparently existed in the real world, too.

However, the existence of such a key location gave Liam an idea. Merely running away might not be viable now that things had degenerated so much. Still, the Cathedral enabled a new strategy, one that could check multiple boxes in Liam’s list of priorities.

"Can you describe the encirclement?" Liam requested. "Can you also draw a map of the area? I want to see where this Cathedral is."

The group seemed to have forgotten about the previous threat. Somehow, Whispering Wind’s arrival had put everyone on the same page. They weren’t allies, but they had a joint goal to pursue.

"Draw?" Whispering Wind chuckled, summoning a series of green jades. "Master Black Qi, don’t underestimate the Messengers Guild. I can show you all that and more."