Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 155: Heroes

The murder didn’t alter the carriage’s timetable. By lunchtime of the third day of travel, the trio could leave the ride and venture inside the forest around the Three Peaks.

A hot afternoon began to descend once Liam, Maxwell, and Joel reached the Sect’s entrance, but the nice weather lost any relevance before the scene that unfolded in their eyes.

The Sect looked to be in a suppressed uproar. Crowds of disciples occupied the upper paths toward the Outer Hall, and more heads peeked from further above, covering the mountain’s peak with incessant murmuring.

That wasn’t even the end. Elders stood among that widespread crowd, occupying spots no one dared to invade, looking down at the Sect’s entrance, their heavier, more piercing gazes standing out from that general attention.

Liam saw Elder June, the Apothecary Elder, and Elder Lewis standing sparsely across the paths above. Meanwhile, the Disciplinary Elder was right at the Sect’s base, directly in front of the returning trio.

"The Pale Moon Sect greets its returning heroes!" The Disciplinary Elder declared, his solemn, steady voice somehow rising as far as the Sect’s highest paths.

Cheers, cries, and shouts exploded from the crowd, overwhelming Liam’s ears with a cacophony of voices. Yet, Maxwell merely bowed at the scene, prompting Joel and Liam to do the same.

The bows were uncharacteristically long, interrupted by the Disciplinary Elder’s approach to the trio. Maxwell straightened at his arrival, ready to receive orders.

"I’ll escort you to the Sect Leader’s quarters," The Disciplinary Elder announced, his stern gaze inevitably falling on Liam once he straightened. "Impressive. Truly impressive."

As usual, the Elder’s stern tone made that praise sound like a threat, but Liam failed to dwell on that confusing moment since the overwhelming situation had only just begun.

The Disciplinary Elder led the trio to the rising paths, crossing the many bystanders to reach the Outer Hall and climb even higher. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Endless bows and intense looks unfolded wherever Liam went. Maxwell and Joel earned their fair share of those, but everyone always focused on Liam at some point.

Maxwell and Joel dealt with that attention by looking proudly ahead, so Liam imitated their stance without dismissing the differences from past experiences.

The reveal of the nine spiritual roots had turned Liam into a sought-after celebrity, someone worth befriending no matter what. It was fake and superficial, but fame nonetheless.

Killing Randall had turned that fame into infamy. Liam became more renowned, but also feared. It was a more honest kind of attention, tainted by a rejection of his foul acts.

However, Liam saw proper awe now. He wasn’t a rare creature or someone to be wary of anymore. He had become an inspiring figure, a hero among men, someone the crowd saw as superior, a natural leader born from strength.

Naturally, Liam couldn’t understand the full depth of that awe. He simply saw many expressions and bright eyes that reminded him of Mitchell, almost making him dread the pleasantries that would ensue.

Nevertheless, something else also stood out. No matter how high the group climbed, Liam couldn’t help but notice the glaring absence of two faces.

The Alchemy Elder was nowhere to be seen, and his grumpiness could justify his absence. Yet, Liam also couldn’t find Melissa, and he found himself looking for her more than he was willing to admit.

Still, the climb eventually distracted Liam. Reaching the Inner Hall revealed unknown faces belonging to rooting experts. There were eleven of them, and they didn’t share the previous crowd’s outward excitement but bowed anyway at the group’s passage.

The Core Hall came next, and Liam couldn’t refrain from inspecting its every detail. That was his first time at that third plateau, but the wooden building did little to claim his attention when much more stood beside it.

Unlike the lower levels, the highest plateau featured circular boulders along its rocky side instead of on the branching paths. There were only five of those, with two rooting experts standing in front of them.

One was a young woman with long black hair neatly arranged into a fancy hairstyle. Instead, the other rooting expert was a blonde-haired young man, his sickish complexion unable to diminish the piercing properties of his brown eyes.

And, unlike everyone else from earlier, the blonde, messy-haired man only had eyes for Liam, inspecting him from head to toe.

Liam wasn’t the only one to notice that prolonged look, and Maxwell diverted his gaze from the first time to glare at that blonde rooting expert.

The blonde man finally stopped looking at Liam, only to wear a smirk and cross his arms, his unclear intentions smelling of something hostile.

That vaguely tense interaction was short-lived since the Disciplinary Elder never stopped proceeding ahead, bringing the trio even higher, climbing a path that led to the mountain’s very peak.

The path ended in a cave, at which the Disciplinary Elder stepped aside, not needing to say anything to announce his order.

Maxwell bowed at the Elder and took it upon himself to lead his Brothers inside the cave, which turned out to be a steeply rising tunnel. The temperature dropped drastically with every step, eventually followed by a white expanse.

The tunnel ended with snow. The trio climbed out of it to find themselves on the very mountain’s peak, which was submerged in a familiar boundlessness.

And, at the end of that white area, a tall, lean figure stood with his arms wrapped behind his back, slowly turning to point his deep, bright brown eyes at the trio.

"Master!" Maxwell immediately announced, bowing.

"Disciple Joel greets the Sect Leader!" Joel followed suit.

"Disciple Liam greets the Sect Leader!" Liam said without any delay, obviously bowing.

"Tales of your feats have already spread throughout the cultivation world," The Sect Leader said in his deep, almost ancient voice. "It is with pride that I call you disciples of the Pale Moon Sect."

"Master, you honor us," Maxwell declared, speaking for the group.

"Disciple, I expected nothing less from you," The Sect Leader praised. "You may rise."

Only Maxwell straightened up. Joel kept his head lowered, so Liam did the same.

"Disciple Joel," The Sect Leader addressed next. "Elder Logan spoke highly of you, and you have proven yourself worthy of his rare praises. Rise and fear not. The Pale Moon Sect shall spare no expenses to cultivate your talent."

"Thank you, Sect Leader!" Joel cried, straightening up.

That interaction finally revealed Joel’s true gains. His feats in the Mutated Battlefield had elevated his status, so the Sect would repay him with greater support, which was priceless due to his problematic element.

"Disciple Liam, rise," The Sect Leader continued, and Liam complied, meeting that bottomless, blinding gaze.

"Despite my long time as a cultivator," The Sect Leader exclaimed, "I’m at a loss on how to reward your achievements. Luckily, my disciple tells me you have wishes."

Liam truly didn’t want to misspeak before such an otherworldly figure, so his gaze went to his left, searching for Maxwell’s face, who nodded at him.

That reassuring gesture brought Liam’s gaze back to the Sect Leader while his brain sorted through his greed. He already had a list, so it didn’t take long for his mouth to open.

"I want a bow," Liam expressed. "The best bow there is. I also want one of those ring-pouch-. I mean, space-ring."

The request began to put a warm smile on the Sect Leader, but Liam wasn’t done, far from it.

"I want two or three martial arts," Liam added. "One perception-oriented, one movement-oriented, and the last defense-oriented, if possible."

Joel had to lower his head, afraid that a chuckle would escape his mouth. What Liam had achieved and retrieved could make him worthy of those rewards, but he was pushing it a bit.

Sadly, Liam was far from done.

"I also want weapon training alongside combat training," Liam declared, "And even more ingredients to keep practicing alchemy. And I want magical items, too, if possible."

Maxwell had been the one to tell Liam to voice his greed, but he couldn’t have predicted his self-restraint to be nonexistent. Maxwell couldn’t help but glance at his Junior Brother, only to hear him deliver a finishing blow.

"Oh!" Liam exclaimed, seemingly recalling something. "It would be better for all the items and martial arts to be rank 2."