The old man was clearly not very skilled in the mystic arts, as he had not been able to see Sebastian's formation.Those whose mystic arts had reached a certain level would be able to see that there was now a wall of light around Sebastian. Even the cave sprite wouldn't be able to pass through it."Young man, haven't you heard the saying that curiosity kills the cat?" The old man's gaze swept over Sebastian, and an impatient note crept into his voice. Although the old man was arrogant, he genuinely had good intentions, so Sebastian had a fairly good impression of him. Therefore, he didn't get angry and just chuckled as he nodded.When the old man realized that Sebastian wouldn't budge, he decided not to bother with him any longer. He strode into the building and said coldly, "You'll regret it soon. Don't think you're safe just because there are officers near you. When you lose your life, don't say that I didn't warn you!"As soon as the old man finished, a team of special forces
The creature suddenly lunged at one of the officers. It raised a hand and grabbed the officer's throat as it opened its crimson, gaping mouth and began sucking forcefully at his nose. Within seconds, the officer aged decades, and even his hair and teeth began falling out. As the others looked on, the officer became a dried corpse right in front of their eyes.With a sickening snap, the human-shaped creature broke the officer's neck. A shrunken, dried head rolled off his shoulders. It then casually tossed the dried corpse aside. Everyone was stunned with fear by what they had just witnessed.Gerard, Brody, and the others hadn't believed that ghosts existed. They hadn't believed that supernatural entities existed, either, but now the facts were right in front of them. They had no choice but to believe it. They had never seen anything like it. Overcome with fear, many of them had wet their pants.However, the cave sprite had no intention of stopping. It shot rapidly into the crow
Upon seeing what was happening, Drew turned pale with fear. At that moment, Gerard and Brody burst out of one of the exits, followed closely by over a dozen special forces officers.Drew did a rough count. Including Gerard, there were only 14 survivors in total. Everyone else had been turned into dried corpses!At that moment, a scarlet scene appeared in front of Sebastian. A scene of carnage came into his vision, filled with mountains of corpses and a sea of blood.Drew's expression was extremely grim as he looked at the dozen or so survivors who had managed to escape.Almost 40 people had died in a single operation! How was he going to explain this to his superiors? So many lives had disappeared in an instant!Gerard was as pale as a sheet, and his legs were trembling uncontrollably."Mr. Ballard, what should we do now? Should we escape or retreat?" Drew asked, his voice trembling.Escape or retreat? Wasn't that the same thing?Sebastian's gaze swept over Drew, who was beside
"Turn on the lights! Hurry!" Gerard shouted. He had actually soiled his pants in fear.To his horror, there was no signal on his phone. He couldn't even turn it on, either. Around him, clouds of black fog seemed to rush up from the ground, and it grew thicker and thicker. He felt as if he were being gnawed at by tens of thousands of bugs. It prickled and hurt.When the foglights on the police cars were turned on, everyone saw in the light that black blood was spurting from their bodies.Gerard watched the dark blood rush forth relentlessly from his body, and he fell to the ground in fright. "W-What's wrong with me?"All around him, the special forces officers were screaming at the top of their lungs. They didn't even have the strength to stand any longer.Drew was crawling on the ground with difficulty. He wanted to get to Sebastian because he had realized that only Sebastian and Vince were standing there, unaffected.Vince was sticking close to Sebastian, staring at the scene u
Leopold pulled out a mahogany sword. He murmured an incantation, and the mahogany sword suddenly emitted a faint red glow. It was a pity that it only flickered momentarily before going out. The runes all over Leopold were glowing with a golden light, but they were unable to suppress the relentless clouds of dark energy. The cave sprite really was as terrifying as it was described to be in the Sacred Medicine Secret Annals. It was a good thing that Sebastian had been prepared. Otherwise, even he would undoubtedly have died if he had faced the cave sprite. The power of a king of spirits shocked Sebastian. Leopold was sent flying with a single slap. He fell heavily to the ground and spat out a mouthful of tainted blood.He finally got angry and took out his last remaining paper charm. The paper charm looked ancient, and it was slightly torn in places.Leopold let his own blood drip onto the paper charm and chanted an incantation. He then flung the paper charm away, and it flew
"Come and meet your death!" Sebastian shook the long sword he was holding and pointed it at the cave sprite.He wasn't actually confident about facing down the cave sprite, but he was now the only one who stood a chance against it.If it had just been Gerard and Brody, Sebastian wouldn't have bothered. But there were over a dozen special forces officers there, men with vibrant lives still ahead of them. How could Sebastian stand by and do nothing? Even Leopold had risked everything to try and save them. How could Sebastian just ignore them? A true doctor must have a merciful heart.The cave sprite roared in fury and shot toward Sebastian like a bolt of lightning.Sebastian reached out and made a pulling gesture. Five paper charms immediately returned to his palm, and three rays of red light shielded Sebastian."Die!" Sebastian yelled. He used the Divine Art to charge at the cave sprite with the Wind Phantom move.In clouds of fragmented shadows, Sebastian and the cave sprite ex
"Oh dear! We've let a wild animal loose. I'm afraid we won't be so lucky next time!" Leopold was clearly disappointed by Sebastian's inaction. Sebastian put his long sword away and came up to him. He reached out to help him up from the ground. "Are you alright, sir?"Leopold nodded slightly. "Thank you for saving my life, Mr. Ballard."Seeing how respectful Leopold was being, Sebastian said rather uncomfortably, "Sir, you don't need to address me so formally. I'm just a traditional medicine doctor.""Well, perceiving the Way of Wisdom doesn't happen in any order. Those who reach it first will be those higher in the hierarchy!" Leopold was very impressed with Sebastian's powers."You let the suspect get away on purpose! I suspect that you're his accomplice!" Gerard yelled. He suddenly stepped forward and pointed at Sebastian.Sebastian's gaze swept coldly over Gerard. Without a word, he struck him with a resounding slap.Gerard was hit so hard that he was sent rolling several fe
However, Rufus immediately realized that Sebastian was waiting for him to say something. If he didn't say what Sebastian wanted to hear, Belinda would never forgive him. "Kill them!" Rufus didn't hesitate in giving the command to kill two idiots like Gerard and Brody.Sebastian hung up. Gerard and Brody had heard it very clearly. Rufus had said to kill them!All the special forces officers were dazed. Could Sebastian really be bold enough to kill Gerard and Brody?"I would have come for both of you even if you hadn't jumped forward. If it wasn't for your arrogance, those people wouldn't have died!" Sebastian said, walking slowly over to Brody and Gerard."W-What do you want?" Brody backtracked in fear. The image of Sebastian battling against the cave sprite was still fresh in his mind. It had been a terrifying sight!He only had a submachine gun, but even if he'd had a cannon, he wouldn't have been confident that he could do anything to Sebastian."What d-do you t-think you'r
"It all comes back to Uncle Samson," Andreas said. "Great Uncle Arnaud already told you he'd let Uncle Samson have his freedom if you find the other emerald token, but then he brought up the marriage alliance. "It directly affects whether or not Uncle Samson can regain his freedom. So, why don't you think about it?"With a quiet chuckle, Andreas walked toward a grove of peach trees to the west.Realization finally dawned on Sebastian. Arnaud was a shrewd man. He wouldn't slip up like that. Besides, although the Ballards and the Yeomans had established a marriage agreement, they hadn't named specific individuals, only that the Blessed Child of the Ballards would fulfill it.The Blessed Child bore the duty of guiding the Ballards to revival. In other words, the emerald token would be better off falling into the Blessed Child's hands rather than anyone else's.Could it be that the final emerald token was with the Yeomans? If that were true, why hadn't the Ballards used their pow
"I'm sorry, but I have no interest in becoming the head of the Ballard family," Sebastian said impassively. "I only want my father to be freed."Arnaud's expression changed slightly, but his tone remained neutral as he said, "It's Braxton who owes you and your mother, not the entire family. Why must you do this?"Sebastian let out a cold snort. It was true that Braxton had been the one who had kicked them out, but weren't the true culprits the elders of the Ballard Estate?"If there's nothing else, I'd like to see Whitney," Sebastian said, rising slowly to his feet. As soon as he mentioned her name, Arnaud waved a hand at him and said, "Don't be in such a rush, Sebastian. Whitney is safe. The Ballards would never harm a frail woman."He added, "However, there's something I want to ask you. Is Whitney still your wife?"Sebastian frowned. "Whether she is or isn't, what business is that of the Ballards?""Of course it is," Arnaud replied firmly. "The Ballards and the Yeomans of
Arnaud led Sebastian into a secret room deep within the Hall of the Ancestral Dragon. Once inside, Sebastian saw a Cosmic Orbit Diagram. It was exactly the same as the records in the Sacred Medicine Secret Annals.However, the Ballards' Cosmic Orbit Diagram was divided into different sections. It looked even more three-dimensional."This is the Cosmic Orbit Diagram passed down through our family for generations," Arnaud said proudly. "The one that the Sacred Medicine Society has is just a copy."The legacy of the mystic arts in Dramon almost all came from the Ballards.The Ballards had withheld some things back then as well. As a result, all the legacies of the various secular sects only had incomplete Cosmic Orbit Diagrams. It was why there were very few experts at the fifth level of the Eldoria realm and above.Afterward, Arnaud led Sebastian into a library. Thousands of technical legacies lined the shelves. Sebastian flipped through them. The techniques recorded there were
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