Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 140: Unnatural

To say that Cecilia was more shocked than she had ever been in her life would be an understatement, but her predicament didn’t allow her to dwell on that emotion.

The arm Cecilia had somehow lost had slammed on her chest so violently that its flesh exploded into a gory splash. The impact itself had even managed to empty her lungs, making her bend forward, only for her perception to force her to ignore her state.

Liam had charged at Cecilia, a battle-cry-like hiss escaping his open, foaming mouth. His speed was unfathomable, almost unnatural, reaching her in no time, already thrusting his right palm forward.

The abundant, wild Qi radiated from Liam’s palm forced Cecilia to thrust her punch at it to face it, summoning as much energy as her condition allowed.

And the palm and knuckles clashed again, leading to a new result. The two martial arts nullified each other, leaving both cultivators in their position, Cecilia’s fist still in Liam’s hand.

However, nothing stopped. No break or stalemate unfolded since Liam closed his palm, his fingers piercing Cecilia’s skin and stabbing deep into her hand, pulling it right afterward.

Cecilia instinctively tried to oppose the pull, only for her teary eyes to widen at the unfathomable strength that Liam exerted. Her superior Qi made her body incredibly sturdy, but she felt her flesh breaking apart as if it were mere cloth.

Whatever crazy technique Liam had unleashed, it had made his physical strength on par with a rooting expert, almost turning it into a rank 2 martial art altogether.

Cecilia was out of options, so she followed the pull instead of opposing it, deciding to preserve her arm in the heat of the moment. Yet, Liam’s left hand was already rising toward her face, his stretched fingers resembling a blade.

It was too late for Cecilia to do anything about the incoming attack. She could only tilt herself away from the incoming fingers, which still hit her left cheek, carving through it and cutting off her ear as they crossed her head.

Once again, Cecilia had to make the best out of a terrible situation. Following the pull had put her right shoulder right in front of Liam’s chest, so she hurled herself forward, unleashing a basic but powerful attack.

Despite Liam’s strange, incredible strength, he had basically thrown himself at Cecilia, pulling her while lunging forward. He had no stable foothold, so the shoulder bash sent him flying away.

Cecilia finally got the chance to breathe when Liam slammed into the wall, only for more despair to assault her. She had tried to restore her battle stance, lifting her remaining arm, realizing that Liam had taken half of her forearm with him.

Cecilia’s offensive martial art involved fists, and now she had no way of mustering them. A sense of weakness was also invading her. Superior body or not, she had lost too much blood, and even more kept spilling out of her.

Still, the desperation was short-lived since another loud hiss resounded in the basement. Cecilia had to look away from her mangled arm, watching as what Liam had torn apart returned to her.

Cecilia still had half a functioning arm, so she waved it to deflect the flying, gory body part, revealing the trap it hid. A wooden knife had flown right behind her severed hand, perfectly following its trajectory, stabbing her now-exposed chest.

Nevertheless, a rooting expert’s innate resilience showed its value. The knife stabbed Cecilia’s chest, but not deeply enough to pierce her heart, preserving her life.

But the knife wasn’t the last thing to fly at Cecilia. Liam had also leaped at her, his figure in the air, ready to crash headfirst into her.

Cecilia could only raise her mangled arm to prevent a direct clash, but Liam’s momentum was too intense, the impact pushing them both to the floor.

And, as soon as Cecilia’s back hit the floor, something also delved deeper into her chest. Liam had used the crash to push the knife into her, finally piercing her heart.

Cecilia slammed her knees on Liam’s abdomen, pushing him away, only for her figure to remain on the floor. Her Qi was keeping her alive, but life was leaving her body, and looking down at her chest revealed why.

Even in that last clash, Liam had managed to react in time, pulling the knife away. Cecilia saw blood spurting from that deep injury nonstop, almost telling her how little she had left to live.

Cultivators were beyond mortals, rooting experts even more so, but Cecilia’s injuries were too great. Her body was broken in ways that her superior magical energy couldn’t keep operative anymore.

Yet, hisses kept reaching Cecilia in those last moments, turning her head to her left. Liam was rolling on the floor, covering his ears while those inhuman cries made him spit foam everywhere.

And the scene brought Cecilia some bittersweet reassurance. She might be dying, but Liam was bound to follow her in the grave soon enough.

After all, Cecilia was no newbie in the cultivation world. She knew that Liam couldn’t have achieved that burst of strength through any orthodox art. Whatever he had done, he would have to pay a steep price for that victory.

However, Liam suddenly stopped rolling, getting to his knees. He threw his head back, hissing at the sky, before slamming it violently on the floor.

The wooden surface broke, revealing the ground underneath, but Liam didn’t stop. He straightened his back so that he could slam his head down even more violently than before.

"Shut up!" Liam cried, slamming his head down a third time, leaving it there now, his breath growing ragged.

Liam then slumped down, seemingly out of strength, only for his figure to wriggle, slowly turning so that he could peek at Cecilia. His tired eyes didn’t have the extensive patches of blood vessels anymore, but they remained open, a spark of resolve still shining behind them.

Even after all that, Liam wouldn’t let himself relax until he confirmed that his hunt had been successful, and Cecilia couldn’t help but express her disbelief at the scene.

"What even are you?" Cecilia said, using the last bit of air her lungs had been able to draw in.

But Liam didn’t reply. Cecilia had tried to kill him, so he didn’t owe her anything, not even some last words. He simply kept watching her, heaving a deep sigh when life finally abandoned her eyes.