Chapter 8: Life Palace, Formed!

"He can't hold on much longer!" Steward Ketill and the others pressed their assault, striking without mercy. Victory already curled at the corners of their mouths. Killing Murray Scurr meant they could report back, but more than that, it meant they could strip the Battle Technique off his corpse. "Murray Scurr, stop being so stubborn," one of them barked. "Hand over the Battle Technique, and we'll leave you a whole body!" Murray Scurr countered again and again, refusing to spare them a glance. Inside his Sword Meridian, the ninth drop of Origin Liquid was on the verge of taking shape. "Murray Scurr, if you keep this up, you'll beg for death and never get it!" Steward Ketill threatened, unwilling to give up. Murray Scurr still did not respond. "So you won't cry until you see the coffin, huh?" "Don't hold back. Cut off his arms and legs first!" "Flying Star Strike!" "Unseen Force!" Several stewards unleashed their Battle Technique again, converging from all directions to seal every path of retreat. *The ninth drop is formed. Lawless Sword Art, open!* The roar tore through Murray Scurr's chest. He swung his blade in a savage horizontal cut, and the Sword Radiance flared brighter than ever. Clang, clang, clang… Sparks burst in Steward Ketill's eyes as steel met steel. Then a crushing force slammed into them, and their expressions changed in an instant. Scrape, scrape, scrape… With a single slash, Murray Scurr sent all of them flying. "Hiss!" Steward Ketill landed and staggered back several yards, staring at Murray Scurr as he sucked in a sharp breath. "His strength rose again. How is he getting stronger the longer we fight?" In any fight, you were supposed to weaken with every exchange. Your consumption should only grow worse. They had already burned through plenty of strength, so how could Murray Scurr keep surging forward like this? "Almost ten." Murray Scurr licked the blood off the cut on the back of his hand and charged in with his sword. Facing a Murray Scurr who only grew fiercer, the stewards swallowed hard. Retreat crept into their hearts. *If we don't kill him, the Family Head will never spare us…* The thought of returning in defeat made them grit their teeth and rush him again. Clang, clang, clang… This time, the situation flipped completely. It had been Steward Ketill and the others pinning Murray Scurr down. It became Murray Scurr who drove them back, pressing harder and harder until they could barely breathe. "Is he even a genius?" someone choked out. "He's a monster!" They fought with increasing strain, terror swelling with every clash. Half a month ago, Murray Scurr had already been frightening. Half a month later, he had gone beyond "genius" entirely. "The tenth drop of Origin Liquid, formed!" "Condense the Life Palace!" The moment the tenth drop finished forming inside his Sword Meridian, Murray Scurr attacked like a madman while forcing his Life Palace to take shape. Within the Sword Meridian, ten drops of Origin Liquid surged wildly, then fused together and swelled. In only a few breaths, the Origin Liquid expanded to nearly fill the entire Sword Meridian, so thin it was like a delicate membrane. The change did not stop. The membrane compressed and molded itself into a palace-like form, sharp-edged and distinct. The Life Palace formed! Hum! Murray Scurr's aura underwent a fundamental transformation. His strength skyrocketed. Feeling that terrifying surge, Steward Ketill and the others hurriedly retreated, faces draining of all color as they stared at him. "L-Life Palace Realm…" Their mouths fell open, lips trembling. "He broke through to the Life Palace Realm in the middle of a fight!" "T-This… is he even human?" Murray Scurr shattered everything they thought they knew about martial cultivation. Breaking through during battle alone was unheard of. Doing it like this was enough to overturn their entire worldview. And then it hit them even harder. "Before this… he was only Spirit Movement Realm…" Their hearts clenched. They swallowed with difficulty, realizing he had fought them for so long with Spirit Movement Realm cultivation, then turned around and suppressed them. What kind of freak was this? "Run!" Steward Ketill's body jolted. Panic flooded his face as he spun and bolted. The others snapped out of it and fled in terror. If Murray Scurr had been that strong at Spirit Movement Realm, then with Life Palace Realm cultivation, killing them would be as easy as slaughtering chickens. "They… they ran…" The woman of the Zimmerman Family watched them flee, stunned into silence again. "I… I must be dreaming. This has to be a dream!" Returning to the Life Palace Realm felt natural, like water flowing into a channel. Yet the power that came with it still intoxicated him. "Run?" Murray Scurr opened his eyes and looked at their backs. A cold, sharp light flashed in his gaze. He had reached the Life Palace Realm, and they thought they could escape? Whoosh! He burst forward like a hunting leopard, leaving two deep pits in the ground where he launched. "He's coming!" Steward Ketill and the others glanced back, and their souls nearly tore loose from their bodies. "Split up!" They scattered at once, hoping to claw out a sliver of survival. It was useless. "Absolving Sin!" Murray Scurr went straight for Steward Ketill, the strongest among them. Sword Radiance tore free from the blade and flew outward. He had not even arrived, and the strike was already there. Every hair on Steward Ketill's body stood on end. He looked back, and the Sword Radiance blazed so brilliantly it stabbed at his eyes. "S-Sword Radiance!" An attack that left the blade. In an instant, he understood. This was Sword Radiance, far stronger than Sword Energy. Clang! He raised his sword in a desperate block, but the Sword Radiance pierced straight through him, carving a bloody hole. His sword snapped in two. "Sword… Radiance…" Even as life left him, he still muttered those words, unable to comprehend why Murray Scurr, at only the Life Palace Realm, could wield Sword Radiance at all. "Steward Ketill!" The remaining stewards looked back mid-flight and saw him killed in a single move. Grief struck them, but terror struck harder, nearly shattering their courage. Whoosh! Murray Scurr changed direction and swept toward them. They jolted and ran like mad. "Ah! Ah!" Only a few breaths passed before screams rose one after another. In moments, the group of stewards was reduced to a single survivor. That last steward was caught as well, crushed beneath Murray Scurr's foot. "Spare me… p-please…!" The steward's hands shook as he begged. His eyes held nothing but fear, not a trace of resistance left. "It was all Marcus Scurr! He made us do it!" He babbled on, trying to claw at any hope. "Young Master… Young Master Murray, you're this strong. You can lead the family to greatness. I support you as Family Head. I'll serve you, I'll-" No matter what he said, Murray Scurr only shook his head, face cold and unmoved. "A servant of that old hound Marcus Scurr. Using you would disgust me." Slash! The sword flashed, and his throat opened in a clean cut. "It won't be long, Marcus Scurr," Murray Scurr murmured. "Cherish what time you have left." After dealing with them, he turned toward Tranquil City, as if his gaze could pierce the distance and land directly on Marcus Scurr inside the Scurr family. At that very moment, Marcus Scurr was cultivating in his study when a sudden chill ran down his spine. Confused, he rubbed the back of his head. "It isn't even cold." He glanced outside with a frown. Even in the middle of the night, the air was mild. Why had he shivered for no reason? "Did they find that waste Murray Scurr yet?" Marcus Scurr quit cultivating altogether. He stared into the darkness, a shadow settling over his face. As long as Murray Scurr lived, he could not rest easy.