Legacy of Hatred

Chapter 317: Clash

The rank 2 version of the Poisonous Cloud Pill was one of the two offensive methods Liam had the time to prepare in the Roaring Thunder Sect, one he had stockpiled in great quantity.

So, as soon as the Lightning Step rang, while Liam was still mid-air, he snapped his sleeves at the reddish halo Julian had created, launching five pills simultaneously.

The hexagonal shields reacted on their own, snapping forward to intercept the pills. They could keep up with arrows accelerated by the Black Bow’s adjustable string weight, let alone something Liam had manually thrown.

However, there was no Qi to reflect there. At least, even if the shields attempted to do that, the result wouldn’t change.

The pills exploded into yellow tides of smoke at the impact with the shields, which expanded everywhere, covering the entire crossroad.

Since the rank 2 venom had become the core ingredient of the new Cloud Pills, those products had changed color, properties, and deadliness. They weren’t mere situational tools anymore. They could kill, and quite easily at that.

Of course, there were nuances, but Liam mostly cared about making his attack unavoidable and immediate in ways the Poisonous Breath couldn’t, transforming the area into something only he could navigate.

Liam landed on the bed of wilted petals. He dived deeper into the yellow smoke, not relying on the Lightning Step to avoid accelerating its dispersion, but unleashing the full power that his perfect synchrony between flesh and Qi could muster.

There was a time when that cloudy environment would have hindered Liam, at least partially, but not anymore. His superhuman perception suffered, but he still saw everything, be it through his sense of smell, ears, or sheer animal instincts.

But Liam wasn’t the only one who could sense among those yellow fumes. Something shot at him as soon as he charged ahead, even before he could cross the line of floating shields that had intercepted the pills. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

The two daggers reached Liam with such precision that it could only be calculated. They flew through the smoke unhindered, aiming for his head and chest, but the fact that he had sensed them meant he could react. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Liam snapped his sleeves again, aiming for the center of that cloud. The shields reacted again, but there was a delay, as if the Qi inside the yellow smoke was affecting them.

Of the three pills Liam had launched, two clashed with the shields and exploded, while one slipped past that line of defense.

Still, much more happened a fraction of a second before that. Liam disregarded his initial plan and unleashed the Lightning Step twice in quick succession, ricocheting inside the cloud, dispersing it, leaving the knives behind, and reaching his target.

Julian hadn’t moved from his position, his eyes closed, his blood vessels glowing again, creating a bright spiderweb over his figure. A long strand of blue cloth had also escaped his sleeve to wrap itself around his mouth and nose.

Julian seemed to have endured both waves of poison, albeit not completely. He looked incapacitated, focused on resisting that deadly environment, but that didn’t make him defenseless.

Liam was already upon Julian, the flying defenses coming but too late, only for something else to shoot out on its own. Liam’s clawed hand was about to close on Julian’s face when another strand of blue cloth escaped his other sleeve.

The inscribed cloth couldn’t take Liam by surprise. He had seen both in the Trial of Greed and had heard its rustling, but he remained faster, accelerated by two speed bursts, so he committed to the attack.

The red halo caused by Julian’s blood vessels slowed down Liam’s fingers, but they were already there, and his momentum was too great, so they slammed into his forehead.

Julian’s skin broke, but the glowing blood vessels underneath acted like armor that stopped Liam’s fingers from digging deeper.

That delay allowed the long cloth to slam on Liam’s chest, only for him to take it. It was mere fabric. As enhanced as its red inscriptions had made it, Liam’s body was tougher. He had sensed that, too, in the previous Trial, and the vicinity had even prevented it from relying on whip-like moves.

The strand of cloth still tried to push Liam away, more of it coming out to wrap itself around his body. The shields and daggers were also about to arrive, and the delay caused by the blood vessels could create an inescapable situation.

But Liam’s feet were on the ground, and another thunderous noise exploded, driving him forward so that his fingers could pierce that armor of blood vessels.

Liam felt his fingertips touch the bone before the blood vessels’ glow intensified, releasing a deafening shriek that carried a tangible sound wave.

A ringing noise invaded Liam’s ears as his insides churned. The sound wave pushed him and the smoke away, but he still forced himself to wave his stabbed hand.

Julian’s eyes snapped open in time for him to tilt his head, limiting the damage Liam’s fingers could inflict to three cuts on his forehead. Yet, a patch of blood spread on the cloth before his mouth while he collapsed to his knees.

The automatic defensive method had saved Julian’s life, but it had come at a steep price, highlighted by the fact that his blood vessels had gone dark. Gory dots were also opening on his neck, seemingly caused by the poison he couldn’t oppose anymore.

Nevertheless, Julian’s items hadn’t stopped moving. The strand of cloth had finished wrapping itself around Liam and was adding layers to those coils.

Liam’s left arm was stuck on his side, tied down by the cloth. His legs were about to be next, and the flying knives were a mere second away from stabbing him. The shields were right behind, and the debilitating ringing was still afflicting him.

However, Liam had started to become a master of resisting debilitating attacks to his mind. The ringing couldn’t halt his perception nor diminish his insane physical strength.

Liam twisted the arm stuck under the cloth so that his fingers could point at it and pushed. The inscribed fabric bent before tearing. Liam freed his limb in time to snap both hands at the incoming items.

Liam caught the knives mid-air. Their sharp edges cut through the skin that the Metal Hand’s training had enhanced. Blood leaked in his palms, albeit mostly because he kept squeezing until the magical weapons’ metal gave in, bending in his grip.