"What's this, Mr. Bart?" a white-haired old man asked as he pointed at the two corpses on the ground.Bartemius wiped his tears away again and told the four old men what Laurie and Oswald had said. They were immediately furious after hearing Bartemius' account."He deserves to die!" "If I don't kill him, I'll feel like I can't vent my hatred!""He's so cruel. We mustn't spare his life!""Mr. Bart, we must be quick in getting revenge!"The four old men clamored. They felt that a young man who couldn't even defeat Roman would not be up to much.Besides, the Lynches had supported them for so many years, and they had not had any chance to help them in any way. Now that they had finally come across a pushover, they would have to make full use of the opportunity! "Okay." Bartemius nodded in approval and said, "We must get revenge, but Mr. Wentworth has commanded Warriors not to fight on the streets. When it gets dark, let's go settle things with him!"Everyone got up and chanted t
"Ms. Candy, what danger is there? That brat won't actually do anything to you. We can deal with him ourselves!"Daxton obviously thought that Candy meant that Sebastian and Unus were the danger. Candy stomped her foot and glared at him as she said, "You know nothing? Let me tell you, today…" When she had finished, Daxton's expression changed. Sebastian had killed Archer? Wasn't that a lie? Were the Lynches that easy to kill?"I understand, Ms. Candy. Don't worry. I'll go to the Martial Arts Court at once for help!" Daxton said. Then, he turned and ran out. This wasn't just about Candy's life. If the Lynches got too immersed in getting their revenge, Daxton and the others would be caught in the crossfire as well.After watching Daxton leave, Candy felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I told you that you don't need to ask the Martial Arts Court to come!" Sebastian said. He could immediately guess what Candy was up to upon seeing Daxton sprinting out."Mr.
"Mr. Gabbard, we don't even know if we can find him. Even if we do, he could refuse us instantly!" another deacon said, frowning.Cohen tapped the table and said, "He injured a Lynch. Won't they go after him to retaliate? That would be his weakness.""What Mr. Gabbard means is that we should mediate between him and the Lynches and ask him to help," another deacon explained, and his eyes lit up. Cohen was shrewd. Both the Lynches and Sebastian had nothing to do with the Martial Arts Court. If they could get two experts to act on their behalf by just putting in a good word or two, it would be a great deal."That brat would be getting off lightly!" the other deacon huffed coldly.One of his friends had been among the deacons that Unus had pummeled into mincemeat. However, he would have to accept the way things were in favor of the big picture. At that moment, there was an urgent knocking on the door."Is anyone there? My name is Daxton Haddock, and I'm Ms. Candy's bodyguard!"Co
Cadmus sneered and said, "That's right. The Lynches' foundation is too strong. Not only do they control half of the antiques streets in Acorn City, they also have connections with the Nine Sects. If we don't take this opportunity to get rid of them, we may not be able to do so in the future!" Cohen narrowed his eyes and thought about it for a while. He smiled coldly. Archer was insignificant, and he had the audacity to brag in front of Cohen just the other day. All of this was the result of the Lynches' arrogance! Cohen nodded heavily and said, "You're right. Come on! Tell The law enforcement team to step forward!" The law enforcement team was one of the organizations within the Martial Arts Court, and it consisted of the experts sent by the Nine Sects. They were usually only managed by the head director, but as Javier wasn't around, Cohen had the authority to direct them. Before long, around 30 top experts from the Martial Arts Court had all gathered in the plaza.Cohen too
Unus was craving for food. There were so many people there, and they were all Warriors! They were fresh meat!The problem was that Sebastian refused to let him eat them, and he was almost dying from how much he was craving a taste!"W-What is he doing?" Candy asked disdainfully.Candy had followed them into the front yard unnoticed, and she had seen Unus licking his lips and clenching his teeth. "He's hungry," Sebastian answered truthfully.Unus turned to look at Sebastian. His master understood him very well!Candy was dumbstruck. "Can you really handle this?" She was close to tears. How could he be hungry on the brink of an important battle?"Which one is Sebastian?" Bartemius asked coldly as he leaned on his walking stick. Sebastian sighed in resignation and said, "Hey old man, if your eyesight is failing you, don't come out at night. If you fall, you'll break your bones!"Candy laughed at his words.However, Bartemius was furious. He pointed at Sebastian with his walk
Bartemius was giving Laurie and Oswald a way out while also destroying all of Candy's expectations. "Old man, whether or not you believe it, I just want to tell you that Roman died at the hands of one of your own!" Sebastian said, grinning. Bartemius was about to explode with anger. Sebastian still looked as if he was enjoying a show. However, the thing was that Roman might actually have been killed by Laurie. The Lynches had always treated the six retainers well. If Roman really had been killed by Laurie, didn't that mean Bartemius had been supporting an enemy for all these years? "Hmph! We won't discuss the rest for now. Today, I only want to see you!" Bartemius shouted, pointing at Sebastian. As soon as he finished, the Lynches' apprentices all pulled out their swords. "Ballard, you won't escape justice today!""I am going to chop you into pieces today!" They hooted, looking as if they were ready to swallow Sebastian whole. "My lord!" Unus looked beseechingly at Se
Bartemius huffed and said, "Revenge!""Revenge?" Cohen sneered and asked, "Mr. Lynch Senior, you did receive Mr. Wentworth's command, didn't you?"The moment Joaquin's order had been given, the new rule of the Martial Arts Court had been delivered to the various elite martial arts families. And the Lynches had been the first to be notified.Bartemius had no choice but to nod and said, "We have received it."Cohen nodded and said, "Alright. That's good. Don't you know what kind of crime it is to trespass on private property as a Warrior?"Bartemius took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. He controlled his emotions with difficulty and said, "Mr. Gabbard, to tell you the truth, both my son and grandson were killed by this person!" He pointed at Sebastian.Cohen nodded slightly and said, "So what if that's true? I'm asking you where you are right now!"As he spoke, he pointed at the earth beneath his feet."This is the home of Ms. Candy!" Daxton interrupted.Bartemius glare
"Your prestige?"Cohen looked as if he had heard a joke. He laughed heartily and asked in a sardonic tone, "Does your family have any prestige at all? Was the antiques dealer in Longville waylaid and killed by people sent by Colton?""Also, anyone in the antique street who get a good item will have their entire family slaughtered if they refuse to sell the item to you Lynches at a low price! Do you really think that I'm both deaf and blind? Every single person in the Lynch family has hands stained with blood!"Cohen paced back and forth as he counted all the crimes the Lynches had committed. Once he had finished, even the members of the law enforcement team looked at them with hatred.Not only were they taking things that belonged to others, they were even destroying entire families. The worst thing was that they didn't even let three-year-old children go and had them chopped up into mincemeat.Were they even human?Although the apprentices of the Nine Sects were also arrogant, t
Whitney perked up at Sebastian's question. "It's all because you ran into the two monsters that day," she said. "I saw it on the surveillance footage. That was when I realized that the two women living in the store don't have that kind of relationship with you…"Whitney had never asked, and Sebastian hadn't bothered to explain who Nina and Lyanna were. That was why she had mistakenly thought that both of them were Sebastian's lovers as well.Realization had only dawned on her when she heard Nina address Sebastian as her master, even in her dying breath. Whitney had seen how powerful Nina was that day and how she had been willing to die in order to protect Sebastian.Nina and Lyanna weren't Sebastian's lovers. They were his servants. Not only that, Nina was a thousand-year-old giant snake!That had completely changed Whitney's view of the world. Although there had always been legends of mystical beings and ghosts, Whitney was an accomplished businesswoman who believed firmly in sc
Sebastian laughed wryly and shook his head. "I'm not from the Ballard Estate," he said. "My name is Sebastian, and it's better if my cousin weren't seen around me too much.""Oh, you're Sebastian."The two young women breathed a long sigh of relief. They looked him up and down for a long time before exchanging a glance. Then, they covered their faces and giggled.One of them stepped forward and said, "Come with me. Honestly… you seem pretty normal. I don't get why Ms. Sutton is yearning for you so much."Sebastian cleared his throat awkwardly and said nothing.The young woman led Sebastian into the house, where Whitney was sitting and reading a book intently. She said, "Ms. Sutton, look who's here."Whitney put down her book and looked up. When she saw Sebastian behind the young woman, she was both surprised and delighted. She got up and threw herself into Sebastian's arms."Sebastian, is it really you?"The young woman covered her face and chuckled before leaving the room sile
Sebastian watched Andreas leave and exhaled deeply. Preston wasn't the only one he didn't trust. No one in the Ballard Estate was worthy of his trust, including Andreas.Once Andreas had completely disappeared, Sebastian beckoned to the woods in the distance and said, "Come out!"In a flash, Duo appeared at his side. "My lord, why didn't you wipe out those people in the hall today?" he asked.Duo clenched his fists tightly, and there was a murderous look simmering in his eyes. Although he hadn't been in the hall, he had clearly heard everything the Ballards had said.Anyone who disrespected his master deserved death!Besides, neither Sebastian nor Duo would have had to lift a finger to kill them. All they had to do was to crush the Tribulation Avoidance Charm and trigger the divine tribulation. Once it descended, no one in the hall would have lived to tell the tale, including Arnaud."If we become hostile with the Ballards, it'll be almost impossible for us to leave in peace. Now
"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