Chapter 534: Friends

Chasing a single target for a force as massive and widespread as the Church would be nothing short of child’s play.

Liam and Grace had gone by for six months, but they had been intercepted at the first real break they had taken. Moreover, the Church hadn’t gone all-out against them.

Instead, the Church was bound to do anything in its power to purge those who knew its deepest secret now, and Liam’s group was too big to go unnoticed. It even had ordinary rooting experts among them, making remaining hidden unlikely.

The solution Liam had found was to give the Church something else to follow, a different target. Inquisitor Cornelius’ behavior even told Liam that he was something of a priority, making him perfect for the job.

Liam would destroy the Cathedral with the teleport, removing the possibility of additional reinforcements and drawing the Church’s forces away. He would have an easier time going unnoticed alone anyway, and those enemies had to die.

’East,’ Liam thought, lowering his hood and jumping, the fan materializing while he was still mid-air, flying under his feet to support him.

One look at the sky told Liam where he had to go. His sense of direction was unbeatable, so he started smoking as he planned to be on his way, only to be interrupted.

"Black Qi," Red Boar called. "Are you truly going to the Cathedral?"

Naturally, the branching experts had been the first to recover, and Liam had been among that group. Except for Master Vermillion laughing in the carpet’s back, they had all gathered in Liam’s surroundings, probably wanting to make the point of the situation.

Of course, Grace wasn’t among the group. She was still invisible somewhere, maneuvering the carpet toward locations Colleen had shared earlier.

The call brought everyone’s attention to Liam, and not only when it came to the branching experts. Actually, the rooting experts showed far more emotion, and a lot of it involved shame.

Liam didn’t know what Colleen and Grace had told the rooting experts when convincing them to fight the Church. Still, they had to have picked up clues from the Inquisitor’s statements.

Nevertheless, the rooting experts had also felt some resentment upon learning about Liam’s alleged nine spiritual roots. Considering that Archbishop Ignatius’ inheritance seemed to have something to do with the matter, the group believed they had been caught in the mess of an uncaring genius.

Yet, the alchemical products had followed, as well as Liam’s declaration. Many rooting experts were still holding on to his elixirs and healing pills, and Red Boar’s question added another troubling piece to the puzzle.

Despite narrowly escaping death while facing multiple branching experts in a row, Liam was still planning to head for another battle. His goals weren’t clear, but cultivators weren’t stupid. Bringing the fight to the Church would obviously give them some breathing room.

Liam, a fellow rooting expert, was still ready to act as bait, and the others supposedly at his level felt shame for ever having experienced any resentment toward him.

"Of course," Liam calmly replied. "They got in my way, so I’ll kill them."

Liam’s reply was as basic as they came, as well as completely delusional. Yet, no one dared to question his resolve or his ability to pull it off. They had seen too much for that to be in doubt.

"We aren’t done talking," Red Boar snorted. "So make sure to come back."

Liam blinked, black smoke leaking from his mouth. His senses had picked up on Red Boar’s intentions, but he struggled to believe them after how their relationship had started.

"Do you ...," Liam said, not believing his own words, "Want to be friends?"

"What friends?!" Red Boar cried. "The gall of this Junior! I just want my item back!"

Honestly, the lie was so evident that superhuman senses were superfluous, which only made it more confusing for Liam. He tilted his head, not knowing how to approach the matter, only for Black Hound to save him.

"Master Black Qi," Black Hound called, stepping at Red Boar’s side. "Once you return, we’ll decide on our next step."

Colleen and Whispering Wind, behind the two branching experts, seemed to be in agreement. A proper alliance had formed in the face of adversity, but Liam was once again confused.

"Black Hound, what’s there to decide?" Liam asked. "We just have to destroy the Church."

The very notion was unthinkable, but Liam had spoken it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It was an extremely simple concept for him, but it highlighted the vast gap in his companions’ mindset.

It wasn’t just the difference between a righteous cultivator and a criminal. Liam tackled problems in the most obvious way, and the group couldn’t see it as impossible anymore.

After all, the army was out. It had temporarily escaped a force that should have been impossible to defeat, even against terrible odds.

The crazy statements that would have earned Liam derisive laughs weren’t crazy anymore. Legendary feats were possible, and everyone on the carpet had accomplished one of them now.

The shameful gazes that had been pointed at Liam grew heated, almost distracting him, only for Red Boar to put an end to that embarrassing conversation.

"Leave already," Red Boar ordered in annoyance. "We’ll keep your Dao partner safe in the meantime."

While the carpet was still flying forward, there was truly no time to waste, so Liam gave an order to the fan, which rushed east, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Liam’s expression turned feral right away. A hiss even resounded in the back of his mind, his hatred flaring, only for him to notice an unexpected wetness on his cheek.

The wetness felt familiar. Liam scooped it with a finger to put it under his nostrils, immediately recognizing its origin. While invisible, Grace had given him a goodbye kiss, making him shake his head.

’That woman,’ Liam cursed internally, unable to stop himself from smiling, but the hiss in his mind intensified nonetheless. This time, he would make sure not to lose anything.

The unexpected happiness Liam had found was waiting for him, and he would return to her once he finished swallowing their enemies.