Rise of The Abandoned Husband

I stood motionless, caught between the urgent need to protect Clara and the tantalizing prospect of acquiring a ten-thousand-year-old medicinal herb. Clarissa Johnson watched me intently, her eyes gleaming with an excitement I rarely saw in the usually composed Umbral Covenant agent.

"What exactly are you saying about the herb?" I asked, keeping my voice measured despite my internal conflict.

"Rex Osborne sent word through our secure channels. The herb will appear near Pyro's northern border in approximately one month," she explained, her words coming faster than usual. "It's not just any medicinal material, Liam. It's the Celestial Serpent Grass—a legendary herb that blooms once every ten millennia."

I narrowed my eyes. "And the Umbral Covenant is just sharing this information out of generosity?"

Clarissa's smile tightened slightly. "Rex believes you've earned the right to this opportunity. Plus, there's mutual benefit in preventing certain other factions from acquiring it."

"Which factions?" I pressed.

"The Veridia City Martial Guild has already dispatched scouts to the region. The Frostfall Sanctum as well."

That caught my attention. If the Frostfall Sanctum was involved, this herb must be extraordinary indeed.

"Tell me about its properties," I said.

"It's said to contain pure celestial essence," Clarissa replied. "A single leaf could advance a cultivator an entire realm. The whole plant..." She left the sentence hanging meaningfully.

The implications were staggering. With such a herb, I could potentially reach a level of power that would make rescuing Isabelle possible. I might even be able to challenge the Martial Guild directly.

But something didn't add up.

"If it's so valuable, why would Rex share this information? The Umbral Covenant could keep it for themselves."

Clarissa hesitated briefly. "The herb's location is within a forbidden zone—an ancient battlefield saturated with chaotic energy. The Covenant believes your... unique constitution makes you better suited to retrieve it."

My Chaotic Body. Of course. They wanted to use me as a tool to retrieve what they couldn't safely obtain themselves.

"I need to check on Clara first," I decided. "She's in immediate danger."

"The herb won't wait, Liam," Clarissa warned. "Miss this opportunity, and it won't come again in our lifetimes."

"One month, you said. That gives me time to secure Clara's safety first."

Clarissa looked like she wanted to argue further but nodded reluctantly. "I'll continue gathering intelligence on the herb's exact location and the opposition we'll face."

"Do that," I said, already moving past her toward the door. "I'll contact you once Clara is secure."

I left the hotel without further delay, moving swiftly through Gyeon City's predawn streets. My mind raced with calculations and contingency plans. The herb represented an incredible opportunity, but the Umbral Covenant's involvement made me wary. They rarely shared information without hidden motives.

Still, I couldn't dismiss the possibility outright. A ten-thousand-year medicinal herb could be exactly what I needed to tip the scales in my favor.

First, though, I needed to reach Clara.

I pushed my body to its limits, covering the distance to the villa where I'd left her under protection. The newly absorbed essences had enhanced my physical capabilities significantly, allowing me to move with unprecedented speed and stealth.

When I arrived at the villa, dawn was just breaking over the horizon. I found my guards alert and in position—a good sign. Nothing appeared amiss.

"Any unusual activity?" I asked the captain of the guard.

"Nothing, sir," he reported. "The perimeter has been secure all night."

I nodded, proceeding inside to Clara's room. I knocked gently before entering.

Clara was sitting upright in bed, wide awake despite the early hour. Her large eyes fixed on me the moment I stepped through the doorway.

"Liam!" she exclaimed, relief evident in her voice. "You're back!"

"Is everything okay?" I asked, scanning the room for any signs of disturbance.

Clara nodded, but something in her expression gave me pause. There was a shadow behind her usual brightness, a tension that hadn't been there before.

"You had another nightmare," I guessed.

She looked down at her hands. "It was different this time. I saw a woman with a mask. She was... calling to me."

My blood ran cold. The masked woman again—the same entity connected to Clara's dark energy body, the same powerful force that had appeared in visions before.

"What did she say?" I asked carefully.

"She said I needed to prepare," Clara whispered. "That something was coming for me. Something... hungry."

I sat on the edge of her bed, keeping my expression calm despite my growing concern. "Did she say what this 'hungry' thing was?"

Clara shook her head. "Just that it wanted to devour me. To take what I have."

My jaw tightened. The Frostfall Sanctum? They certainly wanted Clara for her rare energy constitution. Or was it something else entirely?

"Listen to me, Clara," I said firmly. "I won't let anything happen to you. But we need to move you somewhere safer, at least temporarily."

"The Jade Moon Villa?" she asked, perking up slightly.

I nodded. "Exactly. My people there can protect you better than anywhere else right now."

As Clara packed her few belongings, I stepped outside to make arrangements. I dispatched messengers to strengthen the villa's defenses and prepared an escort for our journey back.

Within the hour, we were on our way, traveling in a carefully guarded caravan. Clara sat beside me, unusually quiet. The shadow of her nightmare still lingered in her eyes.

"The masked woman," I said eventually, breaking the silence. "Have you ever seen her outside of your dreams?"

Clara considered the question carefully. "I don't think so. But sometimes... sometimes I feel like she's watching me even when I'm awake. Like she's just beyond what I can see."

That unsettled me more than I cared to admit. What exactly was Clara's connection to this entity? And how did it relate to her pure dark energy body?

"When we reach Jade Moon Villa, I'll teach you some techniques to protect your mind during sleep," I promised. "They might help keep the nightmares at bay."

Clara nodded gratefully, and we lapsed back into silence for the remainder of the journey.

By mid-afternoon, we reached the outskirts of my territory. Jade Moon Villa rose impressively in the distance, its defensive formations subtle but powerful. I'd invested considerable resources in making it one of the most secure locations in the region.

As we approached the main gate, I felt some of the tension leave my body. Here, at least, Clara would be safer than anywhere else.

Once inside, I personally escorted her to the most secure inner chambers and assigned my most trusted guards to her protection. After ensuring she was settled comfortably, I retreated to my study to consider my next moves.

The Celestial Serpent Grass represented an opportunity I couldn't ignore, but Clarissa's information came from the Umbral Covenant—an organization with its own agenda. I needed to verify it independently before committing.

More pressingly, Clara's vision troubled me deeply. If the masked entity was warning her about a threat, I needed to identify it quickly.

I spread a map across my desk, marking the location Clarissa had mentioned near Pyro's northern border. It was indeed a notorious region—an ancient battlefield where, according to legend, two godlike cultivators had fought to mutual destruction thousands of years ago.

The chaotic energies there would indeed be deadly to most cultivators. But with my Chaotic Body's unique abilities and the additional powers I'd recently absorbed, I might navigate it successfully.

I was deep in thought when a servant knocked urgently on my door.

"Master Knight," he said when I admitted him, "a message has arrived from Veridia City. Marked urgent."

I took the sealed message, dismissing the servant with a nod. Breaking the seal, I unfolded the parchment to find a short, cryptic note from one of my spies within the city:

"The Aegis Academy begins recruitment. Eighteen robes no longer needed. The serpent seeks revenge. Be vigilant."

My eyes narrowed as I deciphered the meaning. The Aegis Academy was the Veridia City Martial Guild's training facility. "Eighteen robes no longer needed" likely meant eighteen members had died or been dismissed.

But the last part—"the serpent seeks revenge"—could only refer to one thing.

Ms. Hayward's Heaven Swallowing Python.

I had severely injured the creature during our last encounter. If it was seeking revenge, that meant it had recovered—and Ms. Hayward was likely plotting against me.

I burned the message, watching it crumble to ash in my palm. Another threat to add to my growing list of concerns. The Celestial Serpent Grass, Clara's safety, and now this.

I needed more information about what was happening in Veridia City.

---

Meanwhile, deep within the Veridia City Martial Guild's most secure chambers, Ms. Hayward stood before a massive crystal container. Inside, her prized Heaven Swallowing Python lay coiled, its scales gleaming with an iridescent light despite the grievous wounds still visible along its massive body.

"Soon, my pet," she murmured, her elegant features twisted with hatred. "Soon you'll be strong enough to devour that arrogant whelp who dared to harm you."

Behind her, eighteen robed figures knelt in perfect formation, their heads bowed in respect.

"You've all been chosen for a great honor," Ms. Hayward announced, turning to address them. "To contribute your essence to one of the Guild's most powerful guardians."

A flicker of uncertainty passed over some of their faces, but none dared to question her. Their absolute loyalty to the Guild had been drilled into them from childhood.

"The ritual will be painless," she lied smoothly. "And your sacrifice will be remembered."

She gestured to her assistants, who moved forward to escort the robed members one by one toward the crystal container. As each approached, a hidden mechanism activated, opening a small portal in the container's side.

The first member stepped forward confidently, believing they were about to perform some kind of blessing ritual. Instead, the moment they reached the opening, massive fangs lashed out, dragging them inside before they could even scream.

The others reacted with horror, but it was too late. Guild enforcers blocked the exits, and one by one, they were forced toward the container to meet the same fate.

Ms. Hayward watched impassively as her Python feasted, its wounds visibly healing with each victim consumed. The screams eventually subsided, replaced by the sound of the great serpent digesting its meal.

"Perfect," she whispered as the last of the eighteen was consumed. "Now you're nearly ready."

The Python had grown noticeably larger, its wounds completely healed. Its power had increased dramatically, now approaching the Peak Form of the Military Marquis Realm—a truly formidable level that few cultivators ever reached.

But Ms. Hayward wasn't finished. From her robe, she produced a small black pill etched with arcane symbols.

"One final gift, my pet," she said, dropping the pill into the container. "The Metamorphosis Pill—reserved for the Guild's most exceptional beasts."

The Python's massive head swiveled toward the pill, its forked tongue flicking out to taste it. After a moment's hesitation, it swallowed the pill whole.

For several seconds, nothing happened. Then the creature's body began to convulse violently. Its scales emitted a blinding light that forced even Ms. Hayward to shield her eyes.

The Python's massive form twisted and contorted, its very structure seeming to rewrite itself from within. Bones cracked and reformed. Scales melted and flowed like liquid mercury.

When the light finally dimmed, Ms. Hayward lowered her arm to gaze upon her transformed pet.

Where the massive serpent had been, a young man now stood. His skin was pale as ice, with faint scale patterns visible beneath the surface. His eyes remained serpentine—vertical pupils set in irises of cold amber. Long, silver-white hair cascaded down his back.

He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers experimentally before raising his gaze to meet Ms. Hayward's.

A slow, predatory smile spread across his inhumanly perfect features.

"Mistress," he said, his voice a melodious hiss. "I hunger for vengeance."

Ms. Hayward's eyes gleamed with malicious delight. "And you shall have it, my beautiful creation. Liam Knight won't recognize the death that comes for him until it's far too late."