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
Sebastian smiled at Leopold and said, "You're too kind, Mr. Walters."However, he looked up in the rearview mirror, and his heart sank. He turned to Drew in the driver's seat. "Mr. Houghton, where is Whitney?"Drew hastily plastered a smile on his face and said, "Mr. Ballard, Chief Weist personally sent Ms. Sutton home. After all… Um… Heh." Drew didn't continue. He laughed dryly and turned to look at the two burnt corpses in the distance.Vince knew that Sebastian wouldn't be merciful to Gerard and Brody, and if Whitney had seen it, she would have been frightened. That was why he had sent her back to the convenience store first.Sebastian nodded, reassured. He asked, "Mr. Houghton, what will we do with the corpses in that building?" "Mr. Ballard, although they've all been turned into dried corpses, we'll have to bring them back for DNA testing. The police must give the families of those who are missing a satisfactory answer." Drew sighed heavily. He knew they didn't have a good e
Vince hastily cooperated and added to Sebastian's explanation. Since Vince had said so as well, Whitney looked slightly reassured and nodded. She turned to him and said, "Chief Weist, my cousin Shannon has been missing for four days, and there's still no sign of her. She isn't related to this case, is she?"At the thought of the dried corpses she had seen in the photos in the conference room, Whitney began worrying about Shannon's safety again.Although Sally and her family could be rather unkind, she was still her aunt. Whitney couldn't ignore Shannon's safety, could she?Vince smacked his lips and stole a glance at Sebastian, who nodded at him. He sighed deeply and said, "There's no way to give you a conclusion right now. However, no news is good news for now. The state department will give us an analysis result very soon. No matter what the result is, we'll notify Mr. Ballard at once."I'll also instruct the police headquarters to investigate all the clues there are and give y
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