Rise of The Abandoned Husband

I watched Carver Nox crawl to his hands and knees, blood streaming from his mouth. The courtyard had gone deathly silent. His men stood frozen, their faces twisted with shock and fear. Even the Avery family had backed away, sensing the rage radiating off me in golden waves.

"Kneel?" Carver finally spat, wiping blood from his shattered lip. "I am the Blood Flame Marquis! I kneel to no one!"

I tilted my head, studying him like an insect. "Then you die today."

Something in my voice must have finally penetrated his arrogance. His eyes widened, and for just a moment, real fear flickered across his face.

"Kill him!" Carver screamed, scrambling backward. "Kill him now!"

His disciples surged forward. Ten Military Marquis, each wielding flaming weapons that scorched the air. They might have been formidable to someone else. To me, they were nothing.

I didn't even bother drawing my sword.

The first man reached me, swinging a flame-wreathed spear at my head. I caught it with my bare hand, the flames extinguishing at my touch. The look of horror on his face was almost comical. I twisted the spear, shattering it like kindling, then drove my fist through his chest.

His body hadn't hit the ground before I moved to the next disciple.

A woman tried to catch me in a flame binding technique, red chains materializing around me. I flexed the Power of Martial Saint, and the chains disintegrated. My hand closed around her throat, and I hurled her into three of her companions, sending them crashing through the compound wall.

"Impossible," one man gasped before my palm strike caved in his chest.

Two more attacked from opposite sides, trying to flank me. I stomped my foot, sending a wave of golden energy through the courtyard. The ground beneath them exploded upward, impaling them on jagged stone spikes.

Blood sprayed across my face. I didn't bother wiping it away.

The remaining disciples began to retreat, terror evident in their expressions. Too late. I was upon them in an instant, breaking limbs, crushing skulls, tearing through flesh with my bare hands. One tried to flee outright. I materialized behind him, grabbed his spine, and ripped it from his body in one savage motion.

In less than a minute, ten Military Marquis lay dead or dying at my feet. The courtyard had become a slaughterhouse, blood pooling on the stone pavement.

I turned to Carver Nox, who stood paralyzed with horror.

"Still not kneeling?" I asked quietly.

He dropped to his knees so quickly I heard them crack against the stone.

"Please," he whimpered. "I'll do anything. Anything!"

I approached him slowly, my footsteps leaving bloody prints. The golden light around me pulsed with each heartbeat.

"Take me to the Crimson Flame Sect," I ordered. "Now."

"Y-yes, of course." His voice trembled. "Whatever you wish."

I turned to Herman Avery, who looked pale and shaken. "Have someone clean up this mess. I'll be back after I've dealt with the rest of the Crimson Flame Sect."

He nodded wordlessly, unable to tear his eyes from the carnage.

Tilda stepped forward. "Master Knight, the Crimson Flame Sect has over a thousand members. Are you sure—"

"I'm sure," I cut her off. "This is just the beginning."

I grabbed Carver by the collar and dragged him to his feet. "Let's go."

As we left the compound, I could feel his hatred radiating behind the mask of subservience. His mind was working feverishly, calculating how to turn this situation to his advantage, how to survive long enough to extract revenge.

Let him plan. It wouldn't matter in the end.

We traveled in silence for two hours, heading toward the mountains where the Crimson Flame Sect made its home. Occasionally I caught Carver glancing at me, measuring, assessing.

"If you're wondering whether you can escape," I said without looking at him, "the answer is no."

He flinched. "I wouldn't dream of it, Master Knight."

"You're a poor liar."

His jaw tightened but he said nothing more.

As we approached the mountain range, massive red gates came into view, emblazoned with the symbol of a crimson flame. Guards patrolled the perimeter, their uniforms matching those of the disciples I'd slaughtered earlier.

"That's the entrance to the sect grounds," Carver said, his voice steadier now that we were approaching his territory. "Shall I announce our arrival?"

I smiled coldly. "No need."

I stopped walking and released him. For a moment, he stood still, uncertain. Then, seeing his chance, he bolted toward the gates, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Intruder! Sound the alarm! Protect the sect!"

I let him run. It didn't matter.

Guards began pouring through the gates as alarms echoed across the valley. Disciples rushed to formation, weapons drawn. I counted at least a hundred already, with more joining every second.

I raised my hand toward the sky, channeling the Power of Martial Saint. Golden energy coalesced above me, forming into a massive fist that hung suspended in the air, glowing like a second sun.

The sect members faltered, staring up at the manifestation with confusion and growing dread.

"Crimson Flame Sect," I called out, my voice carrying easily across the distance. "Your time ends today."

I brought my hand down sharply. The golden fist descended like divine judgment.

The impact was catastrophic. Buildings shattered into dust. The ground itself buckled and cracked, fissures spreading outward from the point of impact. Screams filled the air, quickly silenced as the shockwave rippled outward, flattening everything in its path.

When the dust began to settle, a massive crater remained where the outer buildings had stood. Dozens of bodies lay scattered like broken dolls.

I walked forward, golden energy swirling around me.

More disciples rushed to block my path, desperation in their eyes. I didn't slow down. With each gesture, golden energy lashed out like living lightning, tearing through flesh and bone. I walked through their attacks as if they were gentle rain, their most powerful techniques bouncing harmlessly off my golden aura.

I left a trail of bodies behind me as I advanced into the heart of the sect.

Some tried to flee. I didn't pursue them. Let them spread the word of what happened here.

Inside the main hall, a group of elders had gathered, their faces grim as they performed a hasty ritual. I recognized it—they were trying to summon their sect's guardian beast.

Too late.

I raised both hands, and golden energy erupted from my palms, engulfing the hall in blinding light. When it faded, nothing remained of the elders but ash.

I continued my methodical destruction, moving deeper into the sect grounds. Training fields, dormitories, treasure vaults—I left nothing intact. The screams gradually diminished as fewer and fewer sect members remained alive to make them.

I found myself in a vast underground chamber, surrounded by cultivation resources that would have been worth a fortune to most. Spirit herbs, essence stones, ancient texts—all of it meaningless compared to what I truly sought.

That's when I felt it—a massive energy signature approaching rapidly.

"ENOUGH!" The roar shook the very foundations of the mountain.

A man appeared before me, his body wreathed in crimson flames so intense they warped the air around him. His eyes blazed with fury and power. This, then, was the true Sect Master of the Crimson Flame Sect—a Peak Form Military Marquis.

"You dare?" he howled, his voice cracking with emotion. "You dare destroy my life's work?"

I regarded him calmly. "Your sect targeted the Avery family. This is the consequence."

"For that?" He gestured wildly at the destruction around us. "For a minor family dispute, you commit this... this genocide?"

"It's not about the Averys," I replied honestly. "It's about what I need from you."

Confusion flickered across his face, quickly replaced by rage. "And what could possibly justify this?"

"Your golden core," I said simply. "And the cores of all your strongest disciples."

Understanding dawned in his eyes, followed by horror. "You're harvesting cores? You're a demon!"

I didn't bother denying it. "Will you surrender yours willingly, or must I take it by force?"

"I'll show you force!" he snarled.

The air around him distorted as he channeled his life's cultivation into a single, desperate attack. A massive totem materialized above him—a phoenix wreathed in blindingly bright flames. The heat was so intense that the stone floor beneath us began to melt.

"Crimson Emperor's Wrath!" he howled, thrusting both palms toward me.

The phoenix screamed as it dove toward me, its wingspan filling the entire chamber. This was his ultimate technique, likely capable of destroying an entire mountain.

I raised my hand, golden energy swirling around my fist.

"Impressive," I acknowledged. "But futile."

As the flaming phoenix descended upon me, I punched upward. My golden fist met the phoenix's beak. For a split second, the two forces struggled against each other.

Then the phoenix shattered like glass, fragments of flaming energy scattering in all directions before fading to nothing.

The Sect Master stood frozen, his expression one of absolute disbelief.

"Impossible," he whispered. "That was my strongest—"

"As I said," I interrupted, walking slowly toward him. "Futile."