Rise of The Abandoned Husband

Chapter 559 - 559 - Unexpected Savior, Desperate Gamble

## Liam's Perspective

Death was seconds away. Josiah's foot descended toward my chest, gathering murderous energy that would crush my heart like an eggshell.

I'd just grasped the secret to breaking through to the Martial Marquis realm—the fusion of Yin and Yang energies, not their separation. But it was too late. My meridians were sealed, my body broken.

"Die!" Josiah roared.

A blur of movement cut through the air.

"ENOUGH!"

The shockwave from the collision threw Josiah backward. A figure landed between us, stance wide and protective.

"Impossible..." Josiah spat, his face twisting with disbelief.

I blinked blood from my eyes, struggling to focus. The man standing before me had familiar broad shoulders, but his aura felt different—vastly more powerful.

"Caspian?" I croaked, certain I was hallucinating.

Caspian Kane turned slightly, giving me a grim smile. The scar across his face was fresh and angry, but his eyes burned with fierce determination.

"Sorry I'm late," he said.

"You're supposed to be dead," Josiah snarled. "I killed you myself at the Ashworth estate!"

Caspian chuckled, a hollow sound. "You tried."

My mind raced through shock and confusion. Caspian had disappeared months ago, presumed dead after the Ashworth family purge. Yet here he stood, radiating power that approached Josiah's level.

"Why?" I managed to ask.

"Lady Isabelle's orders," Caspian replied, not taking his eyes off Josiah. "Before everything went to hell, she made me promise to protect you if she couldn't."

The revelation hit like a physical blow. Even then, even before they took her, Isabelle had been planning for my survival.

Josiah's face darkened. "Touching. Now you can die together."

He launched forward, palm thrust aimed at Caspian's chest. Their collision created a deafening boom that cracked the surrounding stone.

To my amazement, Caspian held his ground.

"You've improved," Josiah admitted, jumping back. "But you're still no Martial Marquis."

Caspian's smile was blood-stained. "Half a step away. Close enough for today."

He drew a small jade bottle from his robes and downed its contents in one swift motion.

Immediately, his aura exploded outward. The air around him distorted with heat as golden light erupted from his skin.

"Temporary advancement technique," Josiah realized aloud. "You fool! That will kill you when it wears off."

"If it buys Liam time, so be it," Caspian replied calmly.

He glanced back at me. "Whatever breakthrough you need to make, do it now. I can't hold him forever."

I tried to sit up, only to collapse again. My sealed meridians refused to channel energy. "I can't... he sealed my pathways."

Caspian nodded without turning. "Then I'll buy you time to unseal them."

He charged Josiah with newfound speed. Their battle escalated instantly—fists leaving afterimages, techniques colliding in mid-air. The chamber shook with each impact.

I focused inward, desperately searching for any crack in Josiah's sealing technique. There—a tiny flow of energy still seeped through one meridian near my heart.

Using that trickle, I slowly began clearing the blockages. Each freed pathway sent daggers of pain through my body. Normal cultivation was about steady progression. This was like forcing a river through a needle's eye.

Above me, the battle raged. Caspian fought with reckless abandon, knowing his enhanced state was temporary. His techniques were flawless, each strike aimed to injure or delay, not to defeat outright. He wasn't fighting to win—he was fighting for time.

"You've improved your Soul Destruction Palm," Josiah commented after narrowly avoiding a strike that shattered a stone column.

"Learned from watching you use it on me," Caspian replied, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Their next exchange left Caspian staggering back, a fresh wound opened across his chest. The golden light surrounding him flickered momentarily.

"Your technique is already failing," Josiah observed coldly.

Caspian spat blood and resumed his stance. "Still enough to keep you busy."

Meanwhile, I'd managed to clear about half my meridians. The pain was excruciating, but clarity had returned to my mind. I understood now what I had to do.

The path to the Martial Marquis realm wasn't about overwhelming the barrier with raw power. It required the perfect fusion of opposing energies—Yin and Yang, darkness and light—into a unified whole.

But such fusion demanded total concentration, something impossible while fighting for my life with sealed meridians and broken bones.

Caspian gave a sudden cry of pain. Josiah's palm had connected with his shoulder, the impact sending him crashing into a wall.

"Pathetic," Josiah said, advancing slowly. "Your temporary power-up is impressive, but your technique is sloppy."

Caspian pulled himself from the rubble, his right arm hanging uselessly at his side. The golden glow around him was definitely dimming now.

"As long as I'm breathing, you don't touch him," Caspian growled.

Josiah laughed. "Noble, but foolish."

Their battle resumed, but it was clearly one-sided now. Caspian's enhanced power was failing, while Josiah seemed to grow stronger with each exchange.

I pushed myself harder, clearing my meridians faster despite the searing pain. I needed to reach the stage where I could attempt the fusion.

Another crash drew my attention. Caspian lay at the base of a shattered pillar, blood flowing freely from multiple wounds. His temporary enhancement was almost gone.

Yet incredibly, he stood again.

"Stay down, you stubborn fool," Josiah commanded.

"Can't do that," Caspian replied, swaying on his feet. "Made a promise to Lady Isabelle."

"She's not here to see you die for nothing."

Caspian smiled through bloody teeth. "Not for nothing. For him."

He pointed at me, and in that moment, our eyes met. I saw in his gaze an unwavering loyalty—not to me personally, but to Isabelle's faith in me. To her belief that I could save her.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Caspian nodded once, then turned back to Josiah. "Come on then. I've got more fight in me." Thank you for reading. This was brought to you by *.

He clearly didn't. The golden light had faded almost entirely, and blood soaked his robes from a dozen wounds.

I had cleared nearly all my meridians now, but my energy reserves were dangerously low. Breaking through required not just technique but substantial power.

Josiah struck again, his palm driving into Caspian's chest with a sickening crunch. Caspian staggered but somehow remained standing.

"Why won't you die?" Josiah snarled.

"Ask me again in a minute," Caspian replied through gritted teeth.

I focused all my remaining energy at my core, preparing for the fusion attempt. This was my only chance—probably my last chance ever.

Yin and Yang. Darkness and light. Not opposing forces to be balanced, but complementary aspects of a greater whole.

I brought them together in my mind, visualizing not a collision but a dance—a spiral of energies merging into something new.

Pain lanced through me as the energies resisted, then slowly, grudgingly began to intertwine.

Above me, I heard Josiah roar in frustration. "Fine, I'll kill you first!"

Through half-closed eyes, I saw him gather devastating energy into both hands, forming a technique I recognized from ancient texts—the Heaven Splitting Palm, capable of tearing a Martial General apart with a single strike.

Caspian stood his ground, preparing to take the full force of the attack that would surely kill him.

The fusion of energies within me accelerated, responding to my desperate need. Almost there... almost...

Josiah's palms thrust forward, trailing golden-red destruction.

Caspian Kane, already dying from his wounds and the backlash of his temporary enhancement, spread his arms wide as if to embrace the killing blow.

My protector. My unexpected savior. About to die for me.