Chapter 144: Choices

Fang Xiu’s breath caught in his throat as Liam appeared in front of him like a phantom. One heartbeat he was yards away, the next his face filled Fang Xiu’s vision. The movement was too sharp, too fast and he wasn’t even able to follow it with his senses.Impossible, Fang Xiu thought, his pupils narrowing to pinpricks. He’s just a mortal...

But there was no time to dwell. Liam’s fist blurred toward his face. Fang Xiu reacted on instinct, raising his forearm to block.

The impact cracked like thunder. Pain shot up his arm, rattling bone and muscle, and his feet scraped backward against the cobblestones. His boots gouged deep lines before he forced himself to a stop.


The crowd gasped in unison. A Foundation Establishment cultivator had been driven back — by a single punch.

Fang Xiu’s jaw clenched. His pride, his family name, his entire aura of superiority bristled under the humiliation. He roared, the sound shaking lanterns on their poles, and drew his longsword. The blade sang as it left the scabbard, gleaming with threads of Qi that shimmered like fireflies along the edge.

"You dare raise your hand against me?" Fang Xiu’s voice was sharp as the blade itself. "I’ll carve you into pieces!"

He lunged, sword thrusting like lightning. The tip aimed straight for Liam’s heart.

But Liam wasn’t there anymore. He tilted his body a fraction, the sword sliding past so close it tore the hem of his sleeve. In the same motion, Liam’s fist slammed into Fang Xiu’s stomach.

Boom!

Fang Xiu’s breath exploded from his lungs in a spray of spit. His body folded around the blow and staggered backward, the sword nearly slipping from his grip. He gagged, sucking air into burning lungs, eyes watering from the pain.

But Liam didn’t give him time to recover. He stepped forward, expression flat, eyes cold, and struck again.

Fang Xiu blocked desperately, his sword flashing in frantic arcs. Sparks showered the air as steel collided with telekinetic pressure fields. His blade howled through the night as he poured Qi into every swing, each strike heavy enough to split a boulder.

And yet... every blow slid off Liam as though he were striking the ocean itself. Each cut missed its mark, deflected by invisible force, or simply dodged with effortless movements.

What is he?! Fang Xiu’s mind screamed. I can’t even touch him!

Liam, by contrast, never wasted a movement. His fists, elbows, and knees slammed into Fang Xiu’s body one after another, each blow landing precisely as he wanted them and with sickening sounds.

Crack! Thud! Boom!

Fang Xiu’s rib snapped under a hammering punch andhis jaw whipped sideways as Liam’s elbow smashed into his cheek. His knee buckled when Liam drove a kick into his thigh, the force rippling up his spine.

Blood spattered across the stones. Fang Xiu staggered like a puppet on broken strings, his fine silk robes shredded, his sword arm trembling violently. His aura still flared, but it was frayed, unstable, bleeding away under the onslaught.

The crowd erupted into chaos. Some cheered in disbelief, others shrank back in terror, while cultivators in the audience stared with wide eyes in disbelief, and some with looks of interest.

"That’s Fang Xiu! The City Lord’s son!"

"He’s being... beaten!"

"By a mortal?!"

Fang Xiu’s pride howled louder than his pain.

"Enough!" he bellowed, summoning everything he had left.

His sword blazed, Qi pouring into the steel until it glowed white-hot. He spun, unleashing his strongest technique — a sweeping arc meant to cleave Liam in two.

The cobblestones cracked from the force. The crowd flinched, shielding their eyes from the glare.

But Liam simply raised his hand. His telekinetic field tightened like a vice, and the blade stopped dead. It hung frozen mid-swing, no matter how Fang Xiu strained.

"You..." Fang Xiu gasped, veins bulging as he poured more Qi into the strike. "You can’t... stop me!"

The sword shivered, groaned, then snapped. The sound echoed like a gunshot. Half the blade clattered uselessly to the street. Fang Xiu stumbled back, staring at the broken hilt in horror.

Before he could react, Liam’s fist plowed into his face. Bone crunched. Blood burst from his nose. Fang Xiu reeled, and another punch crashed into his ribs, another into his stomach, another across his jaw.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Each strike landed like a drumbeat, relentless and merciless. Fang Xiu’s screams turned to wet gurgles as blood filled his mouth and his aura sputtered.

By the time Liam grabbed him by the collar and hurled him across the street, Fang Xiu was barely recognizable. His silk robes were torn to rags, his face swollen and bloodied, his limbs limp. He crashed into a wall with a bone-jarring thud and slid down in a heap.

The crowd fell silent, stunned into breathless awe.

Fang Xiu groaned, forcing his body to rise. His pride wouldn’t let him stay down. He spat blood, staggered forward, and raised his broken sword like a child brandishing a stick. His body trembled, but he still glared at Liam with defiance.

"You... can’t... defeat... me..."

Liam’s eyes narrowed. He stepped forward, his body blurring, and in a blink he was before Fang Xiu again. His hand shot out, wrapping around the young master’s throat like an iron band.

Fang Xiu’s eyes bulged as his feet left the ground. He kicked wildly, arms flailing, broken sword clattering uselessly to the stones. Blood dribbled down his chin as he clawed at Liam’s wrist, but the grip was unyielding.

The crowd gasped, some covering their mouths, others shrinking back. A few cultivators whispered urgently, wondering if Liam would truly dare kill the City Lord’s son in the middle of Blackstone City.

Liam’s gaze was ice. His arm held steady, lifting Fang Xiu like a rag doll. His mind was calm — too calm.

Should I end it here? he thought. One squeeze, and it’s over. But would it really be? The truth was that he was pissed and this was the first time he’s been pissed in a month.

He tightened his grip slightly, enough to make Fang Xiu’s face purple. The young master’s eyes rolled, his nails scraping helplessly at Liam’s arm.

But if I kill him... Liam’s thoughts sharpened. There will be no going back. The Fang family, the City Lord, the sect backing him — they’ll all come for me. Blood will drown this city, and my name will be branded with murder.

He stared into Fang Xiu’s terrified eyes, watching the last threads of arrogance unravel into pure, unfiltered fear.

The silence was suffocating. Even the crowd held their breath, waiting.

Liam’s grip stayed firm, but his thoughts wavered like a blade on the edge of a choice.

Kill him. Or let him live.