The grin on Elijah’s bloodied face sent Lucius into a fury.“I’ll kill you.” His voice rose into a roar. “You are dead!”Bang!Lucius stamped one foot into the stone, sending spiderweb cracks spreading beneath him as his massive body charged forward like a truck that had lost all control. His fist drew back, carrying the full weight of his body into the strike.He had abandoned any thought of questioning Elijah. He intended to smash him straight into the mountain behind him.The distance vanished before most of the watching practitioners could react.“Finished!”“He’s going to crush him!”Lucius’s fist shot forward.BOOM!The mountain face shook as his arm drove into the stone like a giant drill. Chunks of rock exploded around him, and deep cracks tore outward from the point of impact.Even Mother, Adrian and Garrick briefly turned their attention from the battle above.Y

Elijah slowly rose to his feet, keeping his eyes on Grandmaster Lucius.“Underhanded methods… why am I not surprised?” His voice remained calm, though his expression had hardened. “Those from the Poisonous Orders of the East will always be the same, no matter what height they reach. There is nothing wrong with sticking to your origins. Just don’t pretend your cultivation holds water without those methods.”Whispers spread through the crowd because of this. Lucius’s eyes turned red, and thick veins rose along his neck.“Child, I was going to kill you quickly, but I’ve changed my mind.” His voice changed. “I think I’ll tear you apart limb by limb instead. Do you even know who I am?”“I know you’re not much different from Nightbane.” Elijah looked directly at him, without a trace of amusement. “The Hall of a Hundred Poisons can never separate itself from underhanded methods. Tell me, can you stand equally against a fellow Grandmaster without relying on poison?”Some of the whispering st

Elijah Langston did not respond.His attention was completely engrossed in the two golden needles resting across his palm. “Finally…” he whispered calmly. “You are here.”“Elijah, where did you find those…?” Mother’s voice came weakly from behind him, yet there was unmistakable dread beneath it. “What are you doing with a Grandmaster’s weapon…?”Elijah made to turn towards her.“Die!” Garrick had already stumbled back onto his feet. Despite the blood pouring from his mouth and the condition of his chest, he forced his remaining spiritual energy through his body and unleashed a violent wave towards Elijah.Elijah turned back immediately, tightening his hand around the golden needles before punching directly into the incoming attack.Bang!The spiritual energy blew apart almost instantly, scattering from his fist as though it had been nothing more than a violent gust of wind.The backlash alone made Garrick stagger and cough up another mouthful of blood. His eyes widened as he stared

Mother finally turned away from the entrance of the basin and looked towards Elijah, who still lay motionless on the ground.“Elijah, are you alright…?”Her voice was weak, but the fear and concern in it were unmistakable.She tried to reach him, only to find her vision growing hazy after a single step. The basin seemed to spin around her, and when she forced herself forward again, pain struck through her lungs.“Cough! Cough!”Mother collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood under her veil. The black blood had grown thick and viscous, while her face rapidly lost what little colour it had left.“Mother!” The Zenith women rushed out from among the crowd and surrounded her. Rowan reached her first and turned her over while Iris dropped beside them to check her pulse.Mother’s hand slipped weakly from Rowan’s grasp.“What’s happening to Mother?” Lexi asked in panic. “Iris, check quickly!”Iris held Mother’s fingers, tears gathering in her eyes. “It’s the pill. It suppressed Mother’s con

Elijah said nothing and did not even blink, frozen in his squatting position beside Mother. Iris studied him closely. “Mr. Elijah, you can’t possibly think that’s true, right? If someone really helped Mother create the Zenith Sisterhood, she would never hide that person. Mother is kind, and she always repays people for their kindness.”“You seem very sure those rumours couldn’t be true,” Elijah said calmly, careful not to reveal why the name had affected him.“Hmph! Of course I’m sure.” Iris sounded almost defensive. “It was those old elders Mother allowed into the Zenith Sisterhood before we even had senior sisters. They had already been part of Zenith for years before some of us were born, but everyone could see what they were like. They were always trying to bend Mother’s rules or find ways around them.“They were the ones spreading all that nonsense for reasons only they understood, and none of it ever affected the Sisterhood anyway. Eventual