However, Wensleydale didn't care. He would have killed his own son if it meant that he could live!Without another word, he hacked off Humphrey's arm. Before Humphrey could scream, Wensleydale stabbed him in the heart. He gripped the handle of the knife and twisted it grimly. Humphrey stared at Wensleydale, his eyes bulging, right until the moment he died. He had died a violent death. Wensleydale looked at the corpses scattered all over the ground. Like the man with the dragon-topped cane, they all decayed rapidly and were blown off into the air by a slight breeze, leaving no trace behind. Wensleydale turned slowly and gazed mournfully at Sebastian. He looked into Sebastian's ice-cold gaze and finally realized that the latter wasn't going to forgive him, even though he had hacked off his own arm and killed his apprentice. Instead of dying in great pain like the others, he might as well give himself a quick end! Tears streamed down Wensleydale's face as he held the knife to
Sebastian laughed and said nothing. He rubbed the brand new copper coin in his pocket with one hand.Only Lyanna would be capable of doing something like that. The illusion had been cast by her.Without her help, Sebastian would probably be in huge trouble. No matter whether or not he was in the right, there should have been severe consequences for slaughtering more than 100 elite members of the Martial Arts Association.Lyanna had even made the souls of those people her food. It was terrifyingly cruel. "Everything's alright now, everyone. It seems that Mr. Flumen repented after realizing how terrible his crimes were and killed himself," Sebastian said politely, smiling as if nothing had happened."Maybe your character and charisma convinced them, Mr. Ballard." Hans didn't know what to say.Zane swallowed and laughed as he said to Sebastian, "Mr. Ballard, you really… you really are… amazing.""Since you're all here, don't be in such a rush to leave. I'll treat you all to a meal
Wensleydale had been overly enthusiastic with them. Not only had he been extremely hospitable, he had even arranged for several young and beautiful women to cater to them.When one went overboard, it would make everything seem insincere.Titan couldn't for the life of him think of any benefit that he could offer Wensleydale. The old man already had one foot in the grave, and the Caelbane Sect would never accept someone of his age. The more he thought about it, the more Titan felt that what Tatum had said made sense."Forget about him. Let's go to Steinberg ourselves tomorrow morning," he said, his eyes narrowing.Even if Wensleydale had tipped Sebastian off, where could the latter escape to in just a single day?He could run, but he couldn't hide. Sebastian also owned the Arctic Snow Group in Steinberg, which was a massive corporation.Besides, according to reliable news from Ethan, Sebastian's ex-wife was also the CEO of Frostwave Corporation. He couldn't possibly pack up all
Every Warrior treated the Martial Arts Association like a god. Therefore, that would make the Caelbane Sect even higher than a god!"Are you both not right in the head? I don't owe your sect leader money, yet he's trying to ask me for something? Even beggars aren't this desperate!" Sebastian looked at Titan and Tatum as if they were idiots. "We're not beggars, damn it! I'm telling you, cut both your hands off right now and let us take them. Otherwise, we'll take your life!" Tatum yelled, pointing at Sebastian."What the hell are you looking at? Are you sick of living?" Titan slapped a passing old lady.The old lady had been planning to buy some house protection charms from Sebastian, but Titan slapped her so hard that she fell to the ground, blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth.Titan didn't even look twice at the old lady. He felt that anyone who even glanced their way twice when the Caelbane Sect was conducting their business deserved to die!Slapping her was already
Tatum had turned pale with fright. His shirt became drenched with cold sweat almost instantly."You… did you just kill one of the Caelbane Sect members?" Tatum still couldn't accept it.There was a snap as Sebastian broke both his legs with a single kick instead of wasting time talking to him.There was a thump as Tatum fell heavily to his knees. The impact crushed his kneecaps as well."Aargh!" Tatum screamed in pain like a dying pig."Shut up. If you scream again, I'll cut out your tongue," Sebastian said, looking down at him. Tatum stopped shouting at once and stared up at Sebastian in abject fear.Since he was a child, he had been the one bullying others. This was the first time he had been treated as if he were a lamb being led to the slaughter!"Apologize to the old lady!" Sebastian pointed to the old lady that Titan had slapped. "Sebastian, we're the apprentices of the sect leader of the Caelbane Sect. You want me to apologize to her? Aren't you afraid that the Caelba
If Sebastian was too absolute, he would only attract the hatred and revenge of more people. That was why he had killed Titan, but not Tatum. He had to have a reason to kill every time he did so."The mystic sects?" Rose smiled and shook her head as she said, "With skills like yours, who among the mystic sects can do anything to you? There's probably barely anyone.""Do you want me to end up on the run? What will happen to Rosalie and Whitney? What about the Northmans? They will be sure to suffer a bloody revenge as well." Sebastian shook his head, smiling wryly.If he didn't have anything that he was concerned about, he would be fearless. However, the people around him were all ordinary people who barely had any strength. Sebastian could escape, but what about the others?…It was late at night when Tatum finally crawled back to the Caelbane Sect, covered in blood. The apprentice who was standing guard ran in to report to Anthony when he saw the wretched state that Tatum was i
"Mr. Laing, why would you need to go personally for such a young man? Despite my inferior skills, I am willing to get his head for you," a middle-aged man stood up and said to Anthony. He was the deputy sect leader of the Caelbane Sect, and he had been an apprentice together with Anthony. If Anthony went personally and made a scene, everyone in the mystic martial arts sects might find out. If he went personally for a young man, wouldn't that imply that there wasn't anyone else in the Caelbane Sect who could go?Anthony smiled impassively and said, "Jacques, you don't understand. Although Titan's death was a pity, I still have other apprentices who are just as skilled as Titan."Anthony had been acting rather strangely at the entrance that day. He didn't usually treat his apprentices that way.He was the kind of person who didn't think that mentor-apprentice relationships were very important.In fact, several of his apprentices were unhappy about that. The pain that he had expr
If the Emrys Sect was also looking for the sword, Anthony wouldn't dare to covet it. However, if they were ignoring Maximus, that would be a different story."Oh, my mentor has passed away. I'm just an external apprentice. How could I ask the other seniors in the sect to do anything? I had no choice but to watch as Purity, one of the ten famous swords of the Emrys Sect, fell into Sebastian's hands." The hatred in Maximus' voice intensified as he spoke. He hadn't just lost the sword. His reputation in Sunway had crumbled as well. He hadn't been able to find an ally, but now Anthony was going to come off his mountain to deal with Sebastian. Maximus might now be able to use the opportunity to get back his sword and his dignity."Oh, okay. I'll help you out. What does your sword look like?" Anthony had heard of Purity, but he had never seen the real thing."It's a rare treasure that can be both soft and hard and can be wrapped around one's waist. As far as I know, Sebastian keeps th
Samson glanced at Sebastian. He took a deep breath and said to Arnaud, "Thank you for sparing me, Uncle Arnaud."He gave Sebastian a few final reminders before leaving the hall with Preston.Once they were gone, Arnaud pointed at Duo and said to Sebastian, "Tell him to leave too."Sebastian waved a hand at Duo."I'll wait for you at the entrance, my lord," Duo said. "If anything happens, I'll be here as soon as you call!"He gave Arnaud a cold look before striding out of the hall.Arnaud watched him leave and smiled approvingly. He beckoned to Sebastian. "Come, sit!"Sebastian didn't hesitate. He crossed the hall and sat in the chair opposite Arnaud."Do you know why I asked Andreas to bring you back here?" Arnaud asked impassively. Sebastian shook his head expressionlessly. He said in a cold voice, "It's probably because of the emerald token in my father's possession."Apart from using him and Whitney as leverage against Samson, he couldn't think of any other reason.Arnau
"The Blessed Child! The Blessed Child has finally come to our family!"The black-robed old man who had been sitting beside Arnaud stood up, looking pleased. He couldn't hide his excitement as he turned to Arnaud and said, "Arnaud, our family is going to prosper!"Only Rexton and Milton looked extremely displeased. Braxton and Roland looked pained, as if they had lost something of great value. They were practically thumping their chests in regret!The Blessed Child had been foretold by one of the heads of the family centuries ago. No matter how far the Ballards declined, the prophecy said that after a few hundred years, a Blessed Child would appear—someone who could lead the family's revival!The only proof of the Blessed Child was for him to enter a master-servant oath with a Devora."Prosper? What a joke!" Hugo scoffed, holding Virtus firmly. "Weren't you all just clamoring about killing the two of them?"At Hugo's words, Arnaud's expression changed slightly. "When did I say tha
"Hugo!"Arnaud, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide. He eyed Hugo with a conflicted expression as he asked, "Have you forgotten the agreement the Thornes made with us ten years ago?"Hugo smiled coldly and put one hand behind his back. "That was the agreement you made with the Thornes. I'm only following Ms. Thorne's orders to protect Samson and find the emerald token. If Samson dies in this battle, how am I supposed to explain that to her?"He pointed at Sebastian and added, "He's Ms. Thorne's flesh and blood. Your family has no right to punish him! If the Ballards insist on killing them today, don't blame me for going on a killing spree!"When Hugo had finished, Sebastian finally realized that Hugo was from Isabella's family and that he had stayed at the Ballard Estate to protect Samson.It was clear that Isabella hadn't held a grudge toward Samson. In fact, she had sent an expert to stay behind to protect him in case anything happened.Arnaud's
Sebastian threw his head back in laughter. He strode forward, standing in the center of the hall, and said coldly. "Ungrateful? How could you have the audacity to say such a thing?"Even if I'm surrounded by enemies, you Ballards can forget about making me submit! It's just death, after all. If I even blink, then I won't call myself a man!"Everyone there stared at Sebastian."How dare that brat be so cocky? If he's not punished, it'll be a disgrace to our family rules!""He should be given the death penalty!""It'll be a disaster if we just let him be, and it'll only bring trouble for our family. Please give the order, and we'll kill him at once!"The entire hall was in an uproar. Even Preston, who had been speaking up for Sebastian and Samson, sighed in resignation.Since Sebastian had already made his stance clear, Preston couldn't help even if he wanted to.Sebastian had roused the anger of everyone there, and Arnaud had closed his eyes and wasn't saying anything. He was cl
Sebastian was just about to step forward when Samson hastily waved a hand at him and said, "Sebastian, the grudges of the Ballard family from over ten years ago have nothing to do with you. Don't get involved!""But—"Sebastian's gaze sharpened as he turned to look at Milton. There was an icy glint in his eyes. Samson shook his head slightly at Sebastian. The Ballard Estate had at least ten experts at the eighth level of the Eldoria realm. At Sebastian's current level, trying to fight them would only bring him big trouble."Sebastian, one must learn how to adapt to the situation," Samson whispered into his ear using voice projection. "Today, I will exchange my legs for your and Whitney's freedom. Think of it as a payment for what I owe you and your mother."Sebastian clenched his fists tightly. He hated himself for being too weak. He couldn't even protect his own family in a place like the Ballard Estate, where many experts were gathered.However, he would never allow anyone to
"Do you accept it, Samson?" Arnaud asked harshly when he saw that Preston hadn't said anything else. He turned to look directly at Samson.Samson smiled bitterly and turned to look at Sebastian before raising his head to look at Arnaud, who was sitting high above them. He said, "Uncle Arnaud, I was the reason for everything that happened. I wish to ask you not to trouble Sebastian.""What are you talking about?" Preston was agitated. He stood up again and yelled, "There must still be an investigation about who was right and who was wrong. Why should they break your legs?"As he spoke, his eyes blazed with fury. He looked at the thin old man and said furiously, "Milton, you old bastard! How can you be so shameless at your age? Tell me! Did you embellish the story to Arnaud?""Uncle Preston!" Samson stopped him quickly and sighed slightly. "Forget it. It's my fault for bringing such huge trouble upon our family back then."I admit that I have let our family down. Since imprisoning m
As the man in the black robe yelled, the entire hall fell silent at once. The thin old man threw the black-robed old man a disgruntled look, but he returned obediently to his seat.Once the noise had died down, Preston stepped forward and swept an icy gaze over the crowd who were present. "You call yourself the elders of the family?"The monument of our ancestral dragon is right in front of you. How could you bully two young members of the family in front of it? Don't you feel any shame?"Besides, how dare you speak before Arnaud does?"After the harsh scolding they received from Preston, no one in the crowd dared to protest. Sebastian nodded involuntarily. It appeared that Preston did have influence in the Ballard family. At least no one had interrupted his scolding, including Arnaud and the man in the black robe.Preston huffed angrily and bowed to Arnaud, who sat in the middle. "Arnaud, I've brought Samson and Sebastian!"Preston went over to the chair next to the black-robe
"Sebastian, I won't be going in. Remember, don't say anything without being spoken to, and don't be impulsive!" Andreas said softly in Sebastian's ear when they reached the door to the hall. He then walked over to the crowd, which was packed on both sides of the hall.Samson and Preston walked into the hall without any change in expression. Sebastian hesitated for a moment before hurrying to catch up.When they reached the entrance, the two old men reached out to stop them and said to Preston, who was in the lead, "Preston, I'm afraid that it wouldn't be a good idea for you to go in. Everyone knows that you're biased toward Samson's family. If you get into an argument with Arnaud, then—""Nonsense!" Preston yelled furiously. He spoke in a menacing tone to the two old men. "Don't try those tricks with me. Today, I'm going to be the voice of reason. Who among you can do anything to me?"With that, he pushed them aside and strode into the hall.The two old men gazed after his ret
The Ballard Estate's resources were unfathomable as it was. Could Isabella's family be even more powerful than theirs?Sebastian clearly remembered that both he and Samson were under the Sacred Medicine Society. They even had the same mentor.The Sacred Medicine Society was above all the other mystic martial arts sects. Even the sect leaders of the Nine Sects were very respectful toward his mentor.If Samson really was from the same sect as Sebastian, then his mentor had clearly been unable to save him. Wouldn't that mean that the Sacred Medicine Society was no match for the Ballards?Wouldn't that mean that Isabella's family was an even greater entity?"If my mother's family is really that powerful, why couldn't they rescue my father? There would also be no reason to let me join the Sacred Medicine Society either, right?" Sebastian asked probingly. It seemed as if Andreas had never even thought about such questions. He smiled and shook his head. "You probably don't know about a