Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 198: Predators

The grassland wasn’t flat. It featured multiple elevations and depressions, creating many potential hiding spots, especially since the carriage followed an even lower beaten path.

Still, the many hiding spots were powerless against Liam’s instincts. Now that he had jumped down and the carriage had stopped, he could even hear the specific silence those situations created.

Predators were in the area, tailing the carriage, and Liam couldn’t let it stand. That wasn’t only the best response to prevent the implementation of tricky strategies. Melissa was with him, so he couldn’t allow that danger to exist.

Movement happened inside the carriage. Elliot wanted to improve his odds at joining the Pale Moon Sect, so he didn’t hesitate to try to jump off, only for Liam to lift his arm, silently ordering him to stay behind.

The role stemming from Liam’s name was in full force there, but Melissa partially ignored the order, leaving the carriage but stopping on its steps.

Just like with the level two magical beast, Melissa knew her presence on the battlefield would hinder Liam’s incredible prowess. Her only way of supporting him was from outside, from a safe spot that wouldn’t interfere with his greatness.

Liam noticed that but didn’t turn or say anything. Need to protect aside, the feeling he had experienced in the Mercenary Guild’s building expanded, even invading other aspects of his life, giving them clearer meanings.

Melissa wasn’t just an accomplice. She was Liam’s partner, his lover, which probably meant that she would stick with him through thick and thin, that she would have his back without even needing to be asked or understand what was happening.

Sadly, the tattered figures that emerged from the slopes and depressions cut the happy realization short. The five lone cultivators Liam had seen on the structure by the waterfall crossed the grassland, stopping at some distance from him while also slightly spreading out.

The foundation experts at the edges of that half-circle also couldn’t help but peek at the carriage, calculations clearly happening in their minds, and that wasn’t all.

The carriage’s steps basically acted as a pedestal where Melissa could shine with all her innate beauty, claiming quite long, specific looks from the men in the group, no matter the age gap.

Honestly, with the stench and those disrespectful looks, Liam was ready to shoot ahead. Yet, he knew what would happen once he did, and he didn’t want to regret it.

"Fellow Daoists," Liam called, taking a puff from the pipe. "Why were you following us? What do you want?"

Needless to say, the trail of black smoke blowing from under Liam’s hood startled the group of five, which instinctively felt the danger it radiated. Still, its dispersion eventually prompted one to speak.

"Seniors," The middle-aged, gray-haired man right in front of Liam said. "We would be grateful if you could share some of your findings with us."

"Why?" Liam asked, tilting his head in confusion. "You didn’t earn them, and we need them."

"Seniors, we can’t earn them," The man pointed out. "We lack the authority. We lack the preparation. We even lack the opportunity to obtain those." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Liam knew that the man was right, at least partially. Honestly, Liam wasn’t even against doing charity. He simply couldn’t afford it.

Liam might have been luckier than others, but there had always been a steep price behind those advantages, with some so painful his mind had never been willing to forget.

Even the talent that could make every cultivator envious came with requirements so insane that entire Sects might eventually struggle to keep up with them. It also made Liam the Dragon King’s enemy, which was akin to a death sentence.

So, Liam just couldn’t share. He had his goals to pursue and wouldn’t consider doing that selfish. Even if the world said otherwise, he would still live his life his way, following the fiery desire his Master had awakened.

Besides, the five hadn’t exactly asked nicely, and the evident calculations and looks at Melissa that Liam continued to see removed any understanding he might have been willing to show.

"If I refuse," Liam mentioned, storing the pipe, "Will you resort to stealing?"

The atmosphere immediately tensed. The slight change in Liam’s stance echoed in the air, leading to hesitation, which the middle-aged man couldn’t allow to fester.

After all, the five weren’t a real team. The only way for the middle-aged man to unify them was to force Liam to see them all as enemies.

"Senior, we have no other option," The middle-aged man said, basically confirming Liam’s guess. "What would you have done in our position?"

Liam didn’t even sigh but closed his eyes, focusing on the abundant Qi circulating through his body. He had fully recovered, and the fight against the level two magical beast had told him exactly what he was capable of and how to achieve that.

It was about pushing until the bones creaked but didn’t break, until the tendons bent to their utmost limits without snapping. That was what it took to exist at the threshold only Liam could reach.

"I would have chosen better prey," Liam responded, and the middle-aged man barely had the chance to record the opening of those black eyes before his awareness went dark.

Among the bystanders, only Melissa had been able to follow Liam’s sudden charge, but the other lone cultivators soon caught up with it, witnessing an unbelievable scene.

Liam was right in front of the middle-aged man, four of his fingers stabbed into his face, already closing into a fist.

Unlike the level two coyote, the man’s skull posed little to no resistance. The Metal Hand was a rank 2 martial art after all, and Liam had conditioned his fingers enough to rip through that flesh and skull instantly and effortlessly.

Before anyone could truly understand what was happening, the middle-aged man fell lifelessly on the grass, a whole third of his head and innards now resting in Liam’s grasp, squashed into a gory pulp.