“Luie…”The moment Edward turned and saw who had spoken, it felt like his entire body went numb.It wasn’t just shock.It was fear.Because he knew Luie not only had the confidence to say those words, he had the strength to back them up.“Luie.”Edward clenched his fists and bowed, though the bitterness in his voice was impossible to hide.“It’s not that I want to make trouble,” he said unwillingly. “But he went too far.”He pointed toward Hudson.“You saw what he did to Andrei. He forced him to crawl like a dog in front of everyone. Isn’t that the same as openly humiliating the Tipcan Sect?”He gritted his teeth.“If this happened to the Thousand Sands Sect, could you really just swallow it?”“Hmph.”Luie let out a cold laugh and stepped forward.“Have you ever heard the phrase you brought this on yourself?”At his age, he shouldn’t have needed it explained.“Was any part of this forced by Hudson?” Luie asked sharply.“Didn’t you all rely on the Tipcan Sect’s name from the beginning?

“What is it?”Catching the slight shift in Luie’s expression, Hudson narrowed his eyes and asked, “Is this difficult?”“No.”Luie shook his head, then paused for a couple of seconds before speaking carefully.“It’s just that Thousand Blades Academy has actually been investigating the White Night Society for quite some time.”“It’s an extremely secretive organization. We’ve tried more than once to uncover the identity of the regional controller behind it, but so far we haven’t been able to reach that person.”Hudson gave him a flat look and replied without mercy, “So in other words, you made a big promise and still can’t deliver.”He leaned back slightly.“And this whole region of California is supposed to be under Thousand Blades Academy’s control? That’s kind of embarrassing.”Faced with the blunt criticism, Luie only gave a humble nod.“You’re right.”Then he quickly added, “But don’t worry. Even if we haven’t identified the controller, the academy has still gathered a lot of intell

Shock flooded Rosian’s face.She never would have imagined that the old man she regularly saw cleaning the streets outside and handling sanitation for the neighborhood, was actually Elder Gerald.It was terrifying.Even after spending years inside the White Night Society, this was the first moment Rosian truly understood just how frightening the organization really was.She had always believed she operated freely.But in reality, there had always been a pair of unseen eyes watching.The more she thought about it, the colder her back felt. Quietly, she was grateful she hadn’t revealed anything important moments earlier.Otherwise, death would have been certain.Hudson turned and looked at the newcomer, surprise flashing in his eyes.He had already assumed negotiations were impossible and had been preparing to find another way to protect the Garcia family.He hadn’t expected the true mastermind to show up on his own.After looking the old man over from head to toe, Hudson smiled faintly

"I’ll wipe it down.""You can’t cook?"In the kitchen, after nearly two hours of trying, Hudson stared at the pot in frustration. The dragon meat inside was still just as tough as the moment he had dropped it in. It hadn’t softened in the slightest.He had never handled anything like this before, so for a moment, he had no idea what to do.Still, he reminded himself that a dragon had lived for hundreds of years. Meat from something like that had to be different. It made sense that it would take much longer to become edible, so he forced himself to settle down and wait.Standing nearby, Hyan widened her eyes and asked, "Hudson, is that really pork?"She had originally offered to ask the housekeeper to bring in a professional chef, but Hudson had insisted on cooking it himself.Curious to see what the man she admired could actually do in the kitchen, she had followed him in. Just when she was about to ask what he planned to make, Hudson had somehow pulled out a slab of meat as if by mag

Among the nine major sects, each one was hidden away in some remote, desolate region where almost no ordinary people ever ventured.Every sect concealed its true grounds behind powerful barrier arrays that completely masked their existence.Without knowing the correct method to enter, no outsider could ever find their way inside.When Luie suddenly stopped, Hudson’s eyes sharpened.The old man took several steps forward, then threw a punch diagonally into the empty air ahead.A wave of invisible force shot upward. The space in front of them visibly trembled.Then, little by little, something began to appear. A massive gate, dozens of feet tall, slowly materialized before them.As the giant doors emerged, an ancient, desolate aura drifted out from within, yet beneath that aged feeling was an unmistakable sense of vitality.It was as if an old world hidden for centuries had just opened its doors.Standing beneath the gate were more than a dozen disciples from the Quaten Sect’s Sierra Ne