Leonardo groveled and cried as he came clean. Whitney froze. She frowned and asked, "You ordered someone to kidnap me? What do you mean?"Leonardo explained, "Your brother Dante owed our casino 50 million dollars. He told us to kidnap you so he could take over Frostwave Corporation. He'd then used the corporation's money to pay his debt.""What did you say?" Whitney looked shocked, and she trembled slightly.The one behind her kidnapping was Dante? Was Sebastian telling the truth that day?"Didn't Sebastian make you do this?" Whitney asked.Leonardo panicked. He quickly lowered his head to the floor and exclaimed, "Ms. Sutton, you've misunderstood him. Mr. Ballard was there to rescue you. Dante was the one who planned the whole thing. I have evidence."Leonardo took out his phone and played a recording of a phone call. After listening to it, Whitney staggered and fell into her seat. She finally realized that she'd misunderstood Sebastian. She'd even slapped him! "Oh no, wha
When Whitney arrived at the convenience store, she saw that the door was ajar and the lights were on. Whitney got out of the cab. She held up her wedding dress and rushed into the store, but no one was there. She saw the two wedding invitation cards she'd sent that afternoon lying on the table. Was Sebastian not here? Whitney looked around, but she didn't find him. She looked forlorn as she picked up the invitation card on the table. Her eyes reddened as tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. He didn't attend her wedding banquet.Whitney retrieved her phone to call Sebastian, but he didn't pick up.She called a few dozen more, but he didn't answer any of her calls. "Sebastian, where are you? Where in the world are you? I was wrong. I was the one who misunderstood you. I'm sorry. Please pick up the phone," Whitney cried anxiously as she continued calling him. …Fergus was talking to his dad in the private suite of the wedding venue. Suddenly, one of the butlers
One of the thugs with a machete stared coldly at Sebastian and sneered. "You punk, you're really here alone. If you don't want her to die, kneel now."Sebastian scoffed and glanced at them. He asked, "Are you Mateo's men?"The thugs' faces darkened.The one who spoke earlier raised an eyebrow."That's right, punk! We're with Mr. Mateo! Since you know now, let's cut to the chase. If you kneel and let us chop your hands and feet, we'll let her go. If not, we'll kill her immediately!"Steven, who was standing next to Rosalie, raised his hand and pressed a dagger on her fair neck. It pierced her flesh, and blood started oozing out.Rosalie struggled and yelled desperately, "Leave me, Sebastian. Go, just go now…"She didn't want Sebastian to be dragged down with her or get hurt because of her. Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he took count of the thugs quickly. There were 16 of them, 17 if he included the one beside Rosalie. The 16 thugs in front of him could be easily beaten. They w
"Oh? You recognized me?" Steven sneered evilly. Sebastian laughed and said, "Isn't the black star tattoo on your hand a mark of a Blacklister?"There was indeed a tattoo of a black star on Steven's arm. It was the symbol of the Blacklist. Every member had to carry this tattoo. The Blacklist was the country's chart of worst outlaws. Everyone on the list was an outlaw who committed all kinds of evil deeds. Among them were internationally wanted criminals, traitors of martial sects, and murderous demons. There were 100 people on the Blacklist. Every one of them were evil men who had blood on their hands. To become a Blacklister, you had to kill 100 people. The more people one killed, the higher one's rank would be. It meant that their target kills would be more formidable too. There was another way one could improve one's rank, and that was to challenge someone with a higher rank. Killing a higher-ranking Blacklister would allow one to replace that person. So, the Blacklis
"As for you, Dragon Slayer, you're weaker than I thought." Sebastian chuckled lightly. His tone and his reply were full of contempt.Steven was furious. "You're fucking dead!" he roared. His black hair curled up, and he dashed toward Sebastian with his fists out like a crazy and hungry wolf. Sebastian snorted. Without another word, he delivered a punch. His punch shattered Steven's fist directly, and even his arm cracked. Bones pierced through his skin, and blood was dripping everywhere. Steven staggered and took a dozen steps back. He held his shattered fist and stared at Sebastian in shock. "Impossible. This is impossible! How can a person like you exist in Steinberg?"Steven was thoroughly shocked. Panic and fear filled his heart. "Why is that so? This just shows that you've been living under a rock," Sebastian mocked mercilessly. Steven was horrified at his words. He rushed toward Rosalie, who was tied up on a chair behind him. He wanted to escape now. The only chan
Steven lay in the rubble. He snorted weakly and said, "I'm Dragon Slayer, no. 32 on the Blacklist. I won't betray my employer.""Is that so? Go to hell then," Sebastian said coldly without any hesitation. He crushed Steven's head with one single foot. Then, he retrieved a mobile phone from the thugs on the ground. He scrolled through the contacts and dialed a number. Mateo was waiting for news from Steven and his subordinates at a five-star hotel in Steinberg. Suddenly, his phone rang. Mateo picked up the call and asked anxiously, "How is it? Is the punk dead?"Sebastian replied coldly, "You should run now, Mateo Cortez. I'm coming for you."Mateo was utterly shocked when he heard Sebastian. "You… you're not dead? Where's Steven?" he stood up and yelled in panic. "You mean the Dragon Slayer? He's dead," Sebastian replied calmly. Upon hearing this, Mateo trembled as he slumped on the sofa. Steven's dead? He was a skilled assassin on the Blacklist that he hired at a high
"Is there anything else? If not, please go home," Sebastian said impassively. He turned to go in.Whitney was startled. She called out quickly, "Sebastian, don't you want to know why I came to see you?" Sebastian paused and said coldly, "No, I don't. With the way things are between us, we don't have much to say to each other. After tonight, you'll be married. We'd better not meet again." Whitney shuddered violently at his ruthless words. Tears started in her eyes, and she cried out, "Sebastian, I came to tell you I misunderstood you. I was wrong.""I just ran away from my wedding…" Whitney burst into sobs and wept. "I'm sorry, I was wrong. It was all my fault from the start. Please don't leave me. I really, really want to start again with you."Sebastian's heart skipped a beat, and he stood stiffly where he was. He took a deep breath and laughed in resignation. He said, "Is there any point in saying all this now? We're divorced. There's no way to put a cracked mirror back toge
Once the silver needles took effect, the pain in Whitney's chest subsided. However, her breathing was still unstable. Sebastian quickly picked her up and turned to enter the store. However, several cars from the wedding party suddenly pulled up sharply at his door! Fergus had brought a bunch of people, including Crystal and Dante. They all rushed out of their cars. Fergus was furious when he saw that Sebastian was about to carry Whitney into the store. He rushed up to them and grabbed Sebastian by the collar."Ballard! What did you do to Whitney?" he roared. Crystal rushed over and yanked Whitney out of his arms. "What's the matter, sweetie? Don't scare me…" Crystal cried out anxiously. She had seen how terrible Whitney's complexion was. "Sebastian, what did you do to Winnie?" she yelled angrily. Dante rushed over, his hands tightened into a fist. He hollered, "Asshole! How dare you drug my sister?" Sebastian frowned. He didn't have time to say anything, and they alr
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
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