Chapter 344: Intentions
Worries about alchemical impurities, consequences, or secrets couldn’t exist in that predicament. Even without a heart, Liam’s opponent remained a branching expert, so he couldn’t hold anything back.
Of the two pills, the dark one was a simple rank 2 Qi-Storage Pill that Liam had already filled in the Roaring Thunder Sect.
That alchemical product was a more immediate version of the Qi Recovery elixirs, albeit with some shortcomings. It affected the body, ignoring the core, and only the cultivator who had filled it could use it, since everyone’s Qi was unique.
Still, the Qi-Storage Pill was perfect for the situation. The Sky-Splitting Bolt had emptied Liam’s meridians, but new Qi quickly flooded them, almost refilling him completely and circulating according to his high-grade technique.
Meanwhile, the bluish pill was a Core-Sheltering Pill, and its dense energy invaded Liam’s core, spiritual, and minor roots, enveloping them in a dim membrane that hid their features.
As the name suggested, the Pill temporarily reinforced Liam’s cultivation, protecting it from harm, but also increasing its resilience, making it tough enough to endure his now second-most powerful technique.
A frenzy of sensations invaded Liam. The Primal Urge’s hyper-clarity felt overwhelming, threatening to shatter his sanity, worsened by the auditory hallucination that surged, but there was a saving grace.
The Primal Urge’s consequences were terrible to deal with, but only when it ended. While active, the loud mess that was Liam’s mind took the backseat for the most part, leaving only subconscious thoughts that served his goals.
It was an extreme simplicity that cut away anything unnecessary, enhancing what Liam needed instead. It turned him into a tool programmed for his purpose, optimizing what he wielded to perfection.
And Liam announced that extremely streamlined mindset by hissing loudly, droplets of foam flying from his mouth.
Dominic would frown at the strange cry if the dangerous vibe Liam radiated hadn’t taken over his instincts. To make things worse, that danger immediately became real.
The barren, cracked ground exploded into five spots as thundering noises resounded through the area. Liam accelerated in a straight line, abusing the superior strength the Primal Urge had granted him to reach Dominic in no time.
That was pretty much Liam’s top speed, requiring the Demonic Art to unlock. The fact that he was running in a straight line even eased the pressure on his joints. While the Lightning Step allowed turns without losing momentum, doing that was heavy on the toes, ankles, knees, and waist.
However, for all the cumulative speed bursts, Dominic saw through the blur that was Liam. He was undoubtedly fast, surprisingly so considering his level, but Dominic belonged to a superior realm.
Liam thrust his hand forward when Dominic was in range, the Seismic Palm exploding with all the might his Qi and accumulated momentum could deliver, only to slam into an immovable object.
Dominic hadn’t done anything special. He had merely placed his forearm in the palm’s trajectory, blocking it, letting his Qi do the rest.
Whatever the nature of Dominic’s core was, it was so solid that the energy Liam had released blew back at him. His whole left arm went numb, the skin on his hand broke, and his shoulder threatened to pierce his own back due to the impact’s violence.
Except that not all of Liam’s energy flew back at him. The Seismic Palm definitely failed, but the sheer pushing force his momentum had unleashed had an effect.
It was slight, but Dominic was pushed back, his feet digging through the ground to create two short grooves.
Yet, it was Dominic’s turn now. Actually, as long as he wished for that, it always was his turn. Liam coming to him had simply been favorable enough to let it happen.
"Shall I carve a hole in your chest, too?" Dominic laughed, his voice hitting like soundwaves while his raised forearm snapped forward.
Dominic’s arm was fast enough to catch up with his voice. His palm slammed on Liam’s chest, being nothing more than a simple push. Still, it hit so heavily that Liam almost missed the moment his back crashed onto the ground.
Blood joined the foam in Liam’s mouth. Every inch of his insides shook, churning and squeezing, but his body and mind endured. The Primal Urge kept him conscious, and the strength filling his body prevented it from breaking under the pressure, at least for now.
"What are you?" Dominic scoffed, crouched on Liam, increasing the weight on his chest. "Another genius? Do you also want to see how easily you break?"
As if listening to Dominic’s words, the weight his palm exerted split to his fingers, multiplying the pressure, stabbing Liam’s chest, and slowly digging deeper.
Dominic had been faster than Liam could summon his defensive technique. He was basically enduring the fingers through physical empowerment and wild Qi release alone, but that just couldn’t suffice.
Still, Liam could rely on the Qi Repulsion now, except he didn’t. He didn’t actually think about the matter. His perfectly optimized mind just provided that conclusion instantly.
Liam wasn’t Lancelot. Dominic should have had no qualms about attempting to kill him directly, especially after everything that had happened.
Yet, even now, Dominic was merely relying on his superior Qi and its nature.
In theory, while not dying on the spot, Liam should have suffered far more in that exchange. He was weaker than Lancelot. The Primal Urge could close that gap, but that shouldn’t have diminished what he should have been forced to endure.
And the fault lay with Dominic. He had been the one refusing to use stronger attacks.
Cruelty could explain that behavior. Dominic might just be wanting to vent fully against the ants that had dared to hurt him.
However, Dominic’s missing heart could also explain all that. His Qi was keeping him alive, and that couldn’t be a cheap endeavor. Maybe the injury had affected him more than he let on, so Liam decided to keep pressing instead of defending.
Liam hissed at Dominic’s wrinkled face before a wave of energy more ethereal than Qi blew from his bloodshot eyes, like an invisible beam fueled by all the Hatred the Demonic Art had summoned.
The beam hit Dominic’s mind, and a whiplash reached Liam’s. The current rank 2 Aura had been stronger than the previous iteration, relying on what Liam had inherited from the Ancestral Snake. Yet, its target was also more resilient, making him experience the entirety of his innate opposition.
A ring so painful it threatened to shatter Liam’s brain resounded in his mind. Blood leaked from his eyes and nose, but his awareness didn’t recede. As debilitating as the noise was, the hyper-clarity remained.
Because of that, Liam perfectly experienced that insidious suffering, but without its debilitating properties. He also saw Dominic flinch, frowning, squinting his eyes in pain, blood falling from his sealed eyelids as the weight his fingers exerted waned.
The ringing still didn’t disappear, but the Primal Urge enabled Liam to act anyway, and he did so in the most unbecoming way for a cultivator.
For all the magical attacks Liam could unleash, he instead spat, but no saliva came out. A clump of yellow liquid flew at Dominic’s face, hitting his left cheek.
The venom’s effects couldn’t be great without direct injection, but every little bit helped in that impossible battle. Besides, the substance did something. The rank 2 Aura had partially lowered Dominic’s defenses, so the skin on his cheek started to melt.
Dominic quickly straightened, only to lose his foothold. Liam had caught his arm and pulled, his physical strength lifting the branching expert as if he were a feather, slamming him on the ground behind him and flinging him away.
The ground shattered as Dominic crashed into it and kept rolling, carving a hole in it, giving Liam a moment to breathe.
Realistically, Liam could have done much more with that opportunity, but Dominic’s heart was already missing. He knew he wouldn’t have succeeded at beheading him, and anything less than that would probably be trivial for that zombie.
And Lancelot struggled to follow that battle. He was spent, his awareness receding, but he learned about Liam’s intentions when two items landed on his figure.
Lancelot’s hazy vision got in the way, but his passion raged on its own, as if feeling the event’s meaning before his mind could catch up to it. His vision stabilized, recognizing the rank 2 healing pill and rank 2 Qi Recovery elixir on his torso.
Clashes shook in the distance, but Lancelot ignored all of that, groaning to pour the entirety of himself into reaching for those alchemical products since they were a clear message that his Brother needed him.
