Born in Blood



Liam silently shut the window behind him.

Although the protective inscriptions on the outside were ruined, the privacy inscriptions within were perfectly usable.

As soon as he entered, Liam closed his eyes and sensed the Warrior in the basement.

Liam didn't use his mental energy. 

Only his 'Shadow Sense,' as he named it.

Despite that, Liam couldn't really discern too much of what the Warrior did.

Shadow Sense grew weak and vague in high-luminosity areas, and Liam's Shadow wasn't that powerful in the first place.

'He still hasn't noticed me entering,' Liam thought. 

Liam quickly inspected the second story with keen eyes. 

There was nothing of value laying around.

Usually, there would be inscribed weapons and miscellaneous items such as pills stored in such a large room.

But Verdant Warriors fought with just their bodies and bare fists.

Finding nothing, Liam moved to the first floor, passing by a staircase and several corridors.

Within the room, there were a few spells in the form of calligraphy hung on the wall, along with paintings of meaty, dramatically posing martial artists flexing their ripped muscles.

Within the Inner Ring, there was a natural influx of high purity 'Ora'.

But other than that, there wasn't anything extraordinary about the living quarters.

Verdant Warriors really lived like stoics, and Liam truthfully respected them for it.

In a way, Liam's lifestyle was similar to theirs.

Never indulging in women, uncaring of what people thought or said about him, keeping his emotions in check and doing whatever brought him closer to his goals.

He was practically empty of any worldly desires.

Aside from power, of course.

As he neared the entrance to the basement, Liam grew serious.

Only a direct approach was possible.

Firstly, his Shadow wouldn't provide much concealment due to the amount of light in the basement.

Secondly, since there wasn't any indirect entrance, Liam couldn't execute a proper assassination attempt.

Thirdly, the Verdant Warrior was bound to be an experienced fighter and martial artist. 

Liam was giving himself too much credit if he thought he could kill a cultivator at the same level as him without any effort.

However, Liam stored his blades.

Also, he still kept his special forged item within his ring.

It took him time and effort to make that thing, and he wouldn't use it so haphazardly unless he was forced to.

Strangely, he took off his upper clothes.

His mental energy coated his body.

Then, the King's Eye's illusionistic abilities activated.

Liam no longer resembled himself.

Instead, he looked like a spitting image of the Border Guard he had killed earlier.

As Liam's mental sphere expanded, the King's Eye naturally grew stronger. 

Even his height appeared taller, but still not as tall as the Border Guard.

'I should still attempt a surprise attack just to probe his strength.'

'Hopefully he won't notice how the Border Guard is a few inches shorter than normal.'

Liam pushed the doors open and walked in, imitating the mannerisms that might come with a stoic warrior.

The sound of air crackling brushed past Liam's ears, along with fierce gales of wind.

As Liam didn't bother hiding his presence, the Warrior instantly stopped his training and looked at Liam with surprise, giving him a respectful gesture.

Every Warrior basically looked the same, except for minor differences in stature and beard styles.

This one in particular had less tanned skin compared to the rest, but a discolored scar ran diagonally from his chin to right brow.

Sweat covered the man's burly figure, and his giant, muscular fists had a metallic sheen to them.

Apparently, Liam had interrupted him in his training.

'Rank 2 Magus with a Rank 3 gaseous stage core.'

Liam instantly figured out the Warrior's aura and hid a smile.

It was perfect! 

In his Half-Ashura form, a higher ranked sea of consciousness was too much for Liam to deal with.

His strengthened physique didn't protect his mind except when he transformed into a full Ashura.

The sea of consciousness was the most difficult center of power to progress, after all, and offered a massive leap of power with each advancement.

It wasn't like a Rank 3 core was a small matter, either. 

But Liam was much more confident in dealing with that as opposed to the former.

"Senior brother, I didn't expect you at this time. Is anything wrong? It's not like you to leave your post."

Liam held his hands behind his back. 

He was stern as ever…and silent.

Liam couldn't imitate the Border Guard's deep voice. 

If he spoke, it wouldn't suit his image at all. 

It would be like a woman speaking in a man's body.

Thus, he just gave the Warrior a severe stare. 

The Warrior grew confused…and scared.

Right now, his mind raced as he wondered what he did wrong. 

Sweat dripped from his square chin.

"Senior Brother…is this about the incident that happened a week ago?"

Liam remained silent, but his gaze grew heavier.

"S-Senior Brother…I swear, all I did was peek into the Alluring Fairy Sect from the mountain path, nothing else! I barely saw anything!"

Liam's scowl only grew deeper as the Warrior spoke. 

With slow, sadistic steps, Liam neared the man.

"I-if I'm to confess, then it wasn't just me!" the Warrior shouted as he fell to his knees. "There was also Hwang, Luci and Nin there! It was Hwang's idea!"

Liam had to suppress his laughter as he got closer.

"P-please…don't revoke my accommodation. I only spent a month here," the Warrior begged with his head lowered.

By then, Liam was only a few steps away from him.

Clenching his hand as hard as he could, Liam's fist churned with unstable chaos.

It created a whooshing noise as it repelled the air, space and illusions around it.

The Warrior raised his head and looked at Liam's red fist with a dumbfounded look. 

His instincts screamed danger, and his eyes widened with realization.

That pale, lithe, slender hand coated with that strange red energy did not belong to his Senior Brother!

But as the Warrior attempted to leap backwards, the fist struck him square in the chin.

BOOOM!