"Kneel!" Sebastian suddenly yelled.Brayden yelped with fear and fell to his knees."Sebastian, I… I'm a tristate inspector of the Martial Arts Court!"At that point, Brayden's final hope was his authority and position. He didn't want to die, and he especially didn't want to die for no reason.He just wanted to win favor with the ancestral being of the Berkeleys and get some tips on how to get a longer life."Call your wife! I'll give you two hours. If she doesn't come, you'll be tortured to death as well. I can tell you clearly that I'm a doctor, and I have ways to keep you alive until you get slashed 3,600 times with a knife!" Sebastian said icily."I…"Brayden trembled as he pulled out his phone. His mind had gone blank, and it took him a long time to find his wife's phone number. Her name was Darla Wyllis. "Hello? Honey? A handbag caught my eye today, but that stupid store actually refused to give it to me for free! It's a lousy handbag that only costs about 500 thousand d
If the incident was broadcast, it would be sure to cause an uproar, and Boren would become the center of the storm.However, Sebastian had made up his mind, and Joaquin didn't dare to try and dissuade him. He had no choice but to do as Sebastian had commanded and call over the news teams from all three states' television stations.Since the head director of a state was calling them personally, none of them dared to refuse. In less than two hours, the news teams from all three state television stations had arrived and were in position."What news are we broadcasting today, Mr. Ballard?" a female reporter asked Sebastian.She had seen how messy the place was, and there didn't seem to be anything for them to report about."Later, these people are going to help a family improve the gene pool, and I need you to broadcast the entire process live. Before you do, please play a recording of a phone call from Inspector Jefferson," Sebastian said. He sent the recording of the phone call
At least that man had not had to grovel to the perpetrators to thank them. Not only did Brayden have to grovel to the law enforcement hall men, he even had to thank them!After about four hours, when Kayden had pulled up his pants, he went over to Brayden and said in a slightly ashamed tone, "Inspector Jefferson, I… I had no choice!"He sounded as if he was completely innocent.Brayden wanted to murder him. Just a minute earlier, when Joaquin had called out his name, he had been shaking with excitement. He had even forgotten about the pain of having his crotch injured and lunged toward Darla like a hungry wolf. Now, he was standing in front of Brayden, acting innocent?Brayden had only gotten into this state because of Kayden!After sending away all the reporters, Joaquin sent a message to Sebastian. In less than ten minutes, Sebastian sauntered back into the restaurant. He glanced at Darla, who was lying on the floor with a vacant look in her eyes. Sebastian patted Brayden's sh
Javier fell with a thump onto the floor. He stared dazedly as Kayden was tied to a long bench with a rope."Bring in the family members of the victim. Who from the law enforcement hall will carry out the punishment?" Sebastian demanded.He pulled out a silver needle and pierced one of Kayden's acupuncture points, which would make him more alert.When a man in a wheelchair was pushed into the hall by a young woman who looked very frail, Sebastian stood up quickly.He said to the young man, "Kayden is the reason your family's fallen apart. We'll torture him to death very soon.""That asshole! He deserves to be slashed a million times!" the young man yelled at Kayden, clenching his fists tightly."Don't get agitated. He won't die before he gets cut 7,000 times. Although you don't have the right to carry out the execution, you can splash salt water over his wounds!"Sebastian took a bucket from one of the law enforcement hall apprentices and placed it in front of the young man."Se
Sebastian crooked a finger at Jayden, who had gone out of his mind with fear. He was both sobbing and laughing as he went up to Sebastian.Sebastian slapped him.Jayden jolted with the shock, and blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth."Mr. Ballard, I was wrong! Please have mercy on me. After all, I didn't make any major mistakes!" Jayden said, falling to his knees.He didn't want his flesh sliced off until he was a mere skeleton, which was what had happened to Kayden."That slap is a lesson to you. Why can't you just do business properly?" Sebastian asked, frowning slightly."I'll remember this! From now on, I'm going to turn over a new leaf!"Sebastian looked down at Jayden, then waved a hand at him. After all, Jayden hadn't committed any major crimes and didn't deserve to die.Jayden thanked Sebastian profusely before fleeing from the Aequor.Joaquin glanced at Brayden and Darla and said coldly, "Inspector Jefferson, aren't you going to thank Mr. Ballard for not kill
Seeing the determination on Sebastian's face, Nina had no choice but to nod and say, "Yes. I will do as you say. However, please allow me to go with you to the entrance of Mount Quiln tomorrow morning before I return to Steinberg, my lord!"Sebastian thought for a moment before he nodded and said, "Alright!"Nina squeezed out a smile when Sebastian gave his permission.After all, she had entered Mount Quiln with Sebastian before. She knew that it was very dangerous on that mountain. Even with Duo as his companion, Sebastian was sure to come across many obstacles on his journey!At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Nina opened it, and when she saw who it was, she informed Sebastian, "My lord, it's Joaquin.""Let him in," Sebastian said impassively. Joaquin walked into Sebastian's room and put on a wide smile as he said ingratiatingly, "Mr. Ballard, you mentioned that you'll be going into the mountains early tomorrow morning. Do you need me to send Mr. Gabbard and the ot
"My name is Reggie Joston. I'm the leader of Swordfyre Hall in the Wind Dancers. Greetings, Mr. Anton!" Reggie bowed slightly to Anton, and he spoke confidently.The leader of Swordfyre Hall?Anton was secretly surprised. It appeared that he had misunderstood the Wind Dancers. Although Reggie was young, Swordfyre Hall was renowned throughout Boren.He had only made a call, but the Wind Dancers had sent someone who was a leader. Not only that, Reggie was the lead apprentice of the Wind Dancers' sect leader. They were showing the Wentworths plenty of respect.At that thought, Anton smiled quickly and said, "Please sit down, Reggie!"As he spoke, he waved a hand at the butler, gesturing for him to go and prepare tea. Once Reggie was seated, he asked in surprise, "Who would dare to bully the Wentworths when you have such a vast fortune? The messenger told me that you've been provoked by a young man named Sebastian Ballard?"Anton nodded angrily. Although the Lynches were nothing
Since Reggie had accepted money from Anton, he would have to work for him. Reggie had his own plans.Now, the Wind Dancers allowed their members to buy real estate, and all they had to do was to submit one-third of their profits from their personal assets. In other words, the new rule was giving the Wind Dancers' internal apprentices permission to go and take what they wanted. When they used the name of the Wind Dancers, no one would dare refuse them.However, they would need an appropriate reason to take things. Reggie had been thinking about it, and now the solution had turned up!The more he thought about it, the more pleased he became. The Aequor was a big, five-star hotel with an income of over 100 million annually. Wouldn't that mean that he had gotten himself a veritable goldmine?Once he had made up his mind, Reggie urged, 'Let's not waste any time so that he won't have time to escape!""Yes! That's right!"Anton nodded quickly and instructed the butler to get a helicop
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