Chapter 42: The Final Confrontation: Inferno's Demise
The journey back from the Celestial Palace was a testament to Liam's new power. Using the Palace's portals, a privilege granted by Celestia, they bypassed the perilous Veil of Stars and reappeared at the edge of the Outer Reaches in a matter of hours. The contrast was staggering; the arduous, months-long journey had become a mere fleeting moment. Liam's Golden Core Peak Stage power hummed with a boundless energy, his senses now so sharp that he could feel the distant spiritual tremors of battle even from miles away.
"They are here," Sael stated, her face grim. Her Golden Core Middle Stage energy flared, her whip materializing in her hand. "The Searing Caldera. The battle has already begun."
Liam's gaze hardened. He saw the battlefield with horrifying clarity through his star-mark perception: a vast army of fiery cultivators laying siege to the Searing Caldera. The Cloud Serpent and Star Ore tribes' defensive array, though powerful, was flickering precariously under the overwhelming assault. Patriarch Inferno, a colossus of fire and fury, stood at the front, his power immense, his face a mask of ruthless determination. He was surrounded by Golden Core experts, his dark alliance now a formidable force.
"Lyra," Liam commanded, his voice firm. "Remain with Sael. Your knowledge and spiritual support will be crucial. The tribesmen will need your guidance."
Lyra nodded, her sapphire eyes filled with unwavering faith. "We are with you, Liam. Always."
Liam turned to Sael, a profound connection passing between them. "I will handle Patriarch Inferno. The rest of the alliance is yours."
Sael's eyes blazed with a fierce loyalty. "As you command, Liam. No one shall reach you until I have cleared a path."
With a nod, Liam channeled his 'Celestial Wind Arts,' and with a single, explosive step, he became a golden streak of light, tearing through the air towards the Searing Caldera. He was no longer just a fast cultivator; he was a master of the void, his speed a force of nature.
He arrived at the battlefield in less than a minute. The scene was one of chaos and destruction. The tribes' defensive array was under immense pressure, and the Blazefire Sect's forces were overwhelming them. Liam's heart clenched with a cold fury. He saw his people fighting bravely, but their faces were etched with desperation.
"Patriarch Inferno!" Liam's voice, amplified by his Golden Core Peak Stage power, resonated like a thunderclap, silencing the entire battlefield. "Your conquest ends here!"
Patriarch Inferno, who was about to unleash a devastating technique, froze. His fiery eyes, initially filled with contempt, now narrowed in a mix of confusion and rage as he looked at Liam, the small, solitary figure who had just appeared. He sensed a power that he hadn't before, a boundless, cosmic energy that made his own Peak Stage power feel… crude.
"You!" Patriarch Inferno roared, his voice trembling with a mix of fury and disbelief. "You dare return? You are a Golden Core Peak Stage expert! How?! What secret do you possess?" His eyes blazed with a manic obsession. He had not anticipated this.
Liam merely smiled, a cold, confident expression on his face. "My secrets are not for you to know, Patriarch. My power is for those I protect. And today, I will protect them by ending you."
With a flick of his wrist, Liam unleashed his 'Cosmic Fire Tiger Clone.' But this time, it was not a single clone. Two colossal, roaring tigers of pure golden flame, each radiating the terrifying aura of a Golden Core Peak Stage expert, erupted from his palms. They were imbued with a celestial fury, their eyes blazing with intelligent fire, their forms so solid they seemed almost real.
"Go," Liam commanded. The two fiery tigers roared, charging directly at Patriarch Inferno's Golden Core subordinates. The immense power of the two clones immediately crushed the morale of the Blazefire Sect, who had never seen such a terrifying manifestation of power.
Patriarch Inferno's face contorted with rage and desperation. "He has two Golden Core Peak Stage clones?! Impossible!" He knew that fighting two such constructs would be suicide. "Destroy them!" he roared, unleashing a torrent of destructive fire at the two tigers.
The clones met his attack head-on, their golden flames clashing with his inferno. A colossal explosion of fire and cosmic energy erupted, shaking the very earth, but the clones held firm, their bodies consuming his attacks, their golden flames burning brighter.
While Patriarch Inferno was occupied with the two formidable clones, Liam moved. He appeared beside the leader of the dark alliance, a Golden Core Peak Stage expert whose aura was dark and malevolent. The leader, his eyes wide with shock, tried to react, but it was too late. Liam's 'Ocean Blast' struck him directly in the chest, a devastating, invisible force that shattered his core. The leader shrieked, his dark aura dissipating as his body fell lifeless to the ground. The entire dark alliance was in shock, their leader dead with a single, silent blow.
Patriarch Inferno, seeing his alliance leader fall so swiftly, shrieked in rage and disbelief. He had been outmaneuvered, outsmarted. "You! You are a demon!"
He unleashed his most powerful technique, the 'Infernal Judgment,' a colossal beam of pure, destructive fire, at Liam. The sky itself seemed to be on fire.
Liam met his gaze, his eyes blazing with a fierce resolve. He knew this was the final, ultimate test. He channeled his Golden Core Peak Stage power, not into an attack, but into his 'Celestial Wind Arts.' He didn't move. He simply became one with the air, a phantom of the cosmos. The beam of 'Infernal Judgment,' a force of nature itself, passed through him, as if he were not even there. It hit the ground far behind him, incinerating everything in its path.
Patriarch Inferno stood frozen, his eyes wide with utter horror. His ultimate technique... it had been useless! He saw Liam, unharmed, his form now a shimmering, golden mirage, a true master of the void. A primal fear, a fear of the unknown, gripped him.
"This is your end, Patriarch," Liam's voice resonated, coming from all directions at once. "You have lost." He appeared directly in front of Patriarch Inferno, his hands glowing with a golden light. He didn't use a powerful technique. He simply placed his hands on Patriarch Inferno's chest.
Patriarch Inferno's eyes widened in disbelief. "What...?"
Liam channeled a pure, concentrated burst of his Peak Stage Golden Core energy directly into Inferno's dantian. It wasn't destructive. It was corrosive. It would not kill him instantly, but would slowly and painfully consume his core from within, a fate worse than death for a cultivator.
Patriarch Inferno let out a silent, agonizing scream, his body trembling violently as his peak-stage Golden Core began to unravel. He looked at Liam, his eyes filled with a terrifying mix of pain, hatred, and a dawning realization that he had underestimated the power of the Star Emperor's legacy. He had been defeated, utterly and completely.
Liam, his hands glowing, stood calmly, his figure a golden beacon of triumph. The Blazefire Sect's army, their Patriarch vanquished, now broke and fled in complete disarray, their morale shattered. Sael and Lyra, their own battles won, rushed to Liam's side, their eyes filled with a fierce pride and unwavering devotion.
Liam looked at the defeated Patriarch, then at his victorious tribes. He had done it. He had protected his people. His power was proven, his destiny, sealed. His journey as the Star Emperor was no longer just about cultivation; it was about laying the foundation for a new, powerful order.