"My lord, are you going to Draconem Cathedral?" Nina and the others hastily ran to catch up when they saw Sebastian walking quickly downstairs."My lord, if we rush there overnight to rescue Whitney, we might be walking into a trap. If so, the consequences will be dire." Lyanna tried to persuade him.It would be hard to win when there were so many people on the other side. Even if they were all at the fifth level of the Celestial realm, it didn't mean that the other side would not have any experts.Besides, the terrain around Draconem Cathedral was very complicated. How could they be sure that the enemy had not set a trap there?"We must rescue Whitney today," Sebastian said heavily."My lord, the area around Draconem Cathedral is very dangerous," Nina said. "If we fall into a trap set by Sword Towers, we won't be able to rescue Ms. Sutton. In fact, we'll be putting her in more danger.""I can't bother about all that. Even if I have to walk through a sea of fire, I must rescue Wh
The building where Whitney had been imprisoned was now as bright as day as the spotlights shone on it.Sebastian untied her calmly and helped her up to walk out. "Sebastian, forget about me. I'm only going to be a burden to you, and I'll only hurt you." Whitney was already very weak. Even walking seemed very difficult for her. There was no way that they would be able to escape the clutches of the people around them in her current condition. Sebastian sighed. "I see that you still don't trust me." Despite this, there was a gentle look in his eyes when he looked at her."Sebastian, I—" Before Whitney could finish, Sebastian put a finger to her lips to shush her."Let's go out," he said in a tone that brooked no argument. Whitney was startled for a moment and was about to break free of Sebastian's support when a large, firm hand gripped her arm tightly. Sebastian walked out of the cramped meditation building with Whitney by his side, looking upright and noble next to her."I
While Taylor stood there, stunned, Sebastian bore down on him. Upon seeing Sebastian raising his fist to hit him once more, Taylor hastily pulled himself together and met Sebastian's punch with his own."Are… Are you all stupid?" Blood was seeping out of the back of Taylor's hand as he looked at the people behind him."You've always liked fighting alone, Taylor. We were afraid that we would spoil your fun." Despite what Hank said, he turned on his heel and sent a spinning kick at Sebastian to block his path.Sebastian felt a strong force rushing toward him, and he immediately stopped in the midst of pursuing Taylor. He moved aside and aimed a roundhouse kick at Hank. Yet another wave of energy exploded, and fear flashed across Hank's face. The blow had seemed plain, but it embodied the mysterious principles of martial arts.Even an expert who was two levels higher than Hank would have had his bones broken by that kick, let alone someone who was only at the first level of the Ce
Sebastian eyed the middle-aged man and laughed coldly. "You surprised me too. Do you want to be a sacrifice for my sword?"Sebastian gently shook Purity, which he was holding. Immediately, it felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck the entire yard!Hank and the others began mocking him at once. "Ballard, you are bold out of ignorance. Do you know who is standing in front of you? Let me tell you, it's the seventh elder of Sword Towers, Mr. Manderly."One of them added, "Consider it an honor for you to be killed by Mr. Manderly."Sebastian raised an eyebrow and squinted at Terence as he said, "If I'm guessing correctly, Nina and the others must have fallen into your trap. That's why they haven't arrived yet. Right?""You're observant!" Terence smiled faintly and said, "If you hadn't stepped into Draconem Cathedral right before I did, you would be stuck in a Bewitchment trap, just like them."Honestly, it's a miracle for someone of your age to have this level of training. However,
"It's a pity that you'll never understand," Sebastian said.Terence's face flushed. Who would've expected a young man in his twenties like Sebastian to be so perceptive? He was even more advanced than Terence in the Way of Wisdom!"My lord, I was trapped in the front yard just now. No matter how I walked, I couldn't get through the door. That's why…" Lyanna trailed off and hung her head, looking shamefaced.Technically, she was a spirit. How had she fallen prey to the Bewitchment spell? Even Lyanna was puzzled."It's the Soulbell!" Sebastian turned abruptly to look at Terence.Lyanna felt that she couldn't have been trapped by the Bewitchment spell because she didn't actually have a body. Meanwhile, Nina was a thousand-year-old snake deity, and ordinary formations couldn't contain her at all.Therefore, there was only one possibility. Terence had external help. The Soulbell was the only possible explanation.Nina and Rose arrived as well."Protect Whitney," Sebastian said befor
Terence wielded his sword. Wherever the blade pointed, the air was sliced apart instantly!Sebastian forced himself to concentrate and raised his sword to shield his chest!There was a clang as Terence's sword crashed down on Sebastian's, and sparks flew up at once. Sebastian couldn't help but take a few steps back. He felt the energy roiling inside him and almost spat out a mouthful of blood."My lord!" Nina felt extremely anxious when she saw that Sebastian was at a disadvantage. She ignored Sebastian's previous command and leaped over to him to hold him up. "My lord, are you alright?" Nina asked in concern. Sebastian was slightly flushed, and he looked as if his energy was becoming erratic. He shook his head slightly and pushed Nina away. He handed Whitney to her and said, "Protect Whitney well. If anything happens to her, come and see me with your head!" Nina turned to Rose, who was beside her. She wanted to protest, but Sebastian waved a hand and said, "Lyanna was hur
Hank and Taylor broke out into a cold sweat when they saw what had happened. Terence was like a god to them!Who would have thought that Terence, who had had the upper hand just a moment ago, would have stood vacantly on the spot just because Sebastian had thrust the rusty bronze mirror at him? He had just stood still and waited for Sebastian to come and kill him!"Run, hurry!" Before he could think too much about it, Taylor growled in a low voice and turned to flee to the foot of the mountain.Hank only came to his senses when Taylor was already far away from him. He was about to go after him, but he had only gone a few steps when a ghostly, feminine figure appeared and blocked his path."You—" The moment Hank turned, his soul almost left his body from fright at what he saw.Only a moment had passed since Terence's murder, but the eerie woman in front of him had already cut off more than a dozen heads. Whenever she cut a head off, dark energy would be sucked into her emerald
Sebastian heard Rosalie sobbing behind him. He turned around abruptly, but Rosalie rushed over to him and slapped him in the face before he could explain."Sebastian! I rushed over here as soon as I heard that something had happened in Steinberg! You… You're a jerk!" Rosalie was weeping. She had been planning on telling Sebastian on the day of the martial arts battle about the good news of the huge order that Arctic Snow Group had received from Lorcan. However, while eavesdropping on a conversation between Oliver and Belinda, she found out about the huge commotion over in Steinberg.When she heard that all eight of the Celestial realm experts that the Warrior League had sent to protect Whitney had all been killed and that the latter had disappeared, Rosalie couldn't contain her anxiety.She had rushed back to Steinberg at once.When she found no sign of Sebastian at the Moonlyte Club, she had come to the convenience store instead.She saw that it was lit up and had run straight
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
As they stepped out of the courtyard gate, Samson suddenly turned and lowered his voice as he said to Sebastian, "I didn't treat you and your mother well. Please don't hold it against me."Sebastian felt even more conflicted. After everything he had been through, he knew very well that there were times when one really had no choice. When Samson saw that Sebastian was looking at him with a conflicted expression, he patted him on the shoulder and gave him a warm smile. Then he took a token from Preston and walked out of the yard.They followed Preston as he walked toward the east, where there was a majestic-looking building."Why are you helping me?" Sebastian suddenly turned and asked Andreas in a low voice. Andreas glanced at him and gave him a long, cryptic smile. "Do you think I'm helping you? I'm helping myself while doing so!""Oh?" Sebastian looked at Andreas in confusion, his brow knitted. Even Rexton had mentioned that Andreas was in Arnaud's favor. Why would he need t
When Rexton and the others had gone, Preston turned to look at Samson and said irritatedly, "You little rascal. Would I ever hurt you?"Besides, you've been here in isolation for ten years. Why hasn't your temper changed at all? Couldn't you show me some respect in front of all those people?"Samson glanced at Preston but didn't answer.Preston huffed and ignored him. He turned and looked Sebastian up and down instead."Hey, kiddo. Over ten years have passed in just the blink of an eye. You've probably forgotten me. I even gave you candy back then! Come over here and call me Great Uncle Preston!"Sebastian looked at him in surprise. It was true that he didn't have much of an impression of what had happened over ten years ago. However, he could tell from what Preston had said and done that his attitude toward Sebastian's family was completely different from Rexton and the others.Beside Sebastian, Andreas kept shooting him meaningful looks. Sebastian finally smiled and said, "Hell
Although the old man looked as if he was over 60 years old, his expression was sharp and lively, and his skin was smooth as a baby's. It gave him a youthful air.Even the severely injured apprentices all scrambled up from the ground when they saw him. They hastily bowed and said, "Greetings, Great Uncle Preston!"Even Rexton had no choice but to suppress his anger. He bowed sullenly to the old man and said, "Greetings, Uncle Preston."Preston Ballard glanced at Rexton and turned to shout angrily at the apprentices, "If I hadn't come, were you planning to tear the Ballard Estate apart? Look at all of you! Get out of here right now!"Despite the scolding they had been subjected to, none of them dared to protest. They all lowered their heads and slunk out of the yard. Preston glared angrily at them as they went and snorted. "What an embarrassment to the family!"Then he smiled slightly and looked at Samson and Sebastian as he asked, "Samson, do you have anything to say?"Samson lo
Rexton's pupils constricted, and the muscles in his face twitched. He stared at Samson with a wary look in his eyes. He and Samson were two minor stages apart. It was no laughing matter. If the two of them began to fight, Rexton would be sure to die if he didn't have any external assistance."What's the matter? Are you scared?" Samson sneered as he asked in a cold, accusatory tone. That flipped a switch in Rexton's head. His expression changed instantly, and he turned a fierce look on Samson. "Afraid?" he asked through gritted teeth.As he spoke, Rexton seemed to make up his mind. He slowly reached into his pocket and took out a pale blue paper charm, which looked thicker than usual.The paper charm was oppressive to look at. Sebastian instinctively sensed a threatening energy approaching!Even Samson looked wary when he saw the paper charm."Uncle Rexton, this is a Soulcrush Charm. Great Uncle Arnaud has clearly said that no one in the Ballard Estate is allowed to use spiri
Sebastian immediately felt the pressure around him drop. The feeling of being pinned down disappeared as well."How dare you—"Before Rexton could finish, a shadow flashed past him, and Samson popped up right in front of him.Samson stuck out his finger as if it were a sword and tapped him on the chest. Although Samson hadn't used any strength, Rexton could see the murderous look in his eyes. There was a dot of scarlet light that swirled around Samson's finger. A crimson rune was gradually appearing, and there was a chilling, murderous sensation in the air. Sebastian gasped. He had finally realized how the mystic spells should be used, and he was in awe. It wasn't that Sebastian was unable to do it. It was just that up until then, he had only seen the mystic sect apprentices of the secular world. Perhaps their understanding of how to use mystic spells was too superficial, which was why Sebastian's perception had also been affected.Realization only dawned on him when he saw
At Rexton's roar of fury, everyone turned to look at Samson, who was still standing there quietly without moving."A traitor? Murder?"There was finally a flicker of emotion on Samson's face. A sudden glimmer of light flared in his eyes, which had been devoid of life for a long time."Rexton, you know very well how your father died!"As Samson spoke, he walked toward Rexton with a steady step as he said, "I admit that I've wronged Sebastian and his mother. I was just too soft-hearted back then. That's why I believed your lies and tried to keep the big picture in mind for the Ballards, but look at how you've treated me!"There was suddenly a cold glint in Samson's eyes, and he said in a thunderous tone, "You set up a series of traps and tried to kill and torture my wife and son!"You pursued them until the ends of the earth! If my mentor hadn't rescued Sebastian, do you think he'd still be alive today?"Did you just accuse me of murder? Did you ever think of the fact that we're f