Alistair furrowed his brows. He could guess that if he pushed too hard, the seal the cultivators used to prevent secrets from spilling out would just activate again.So, he needed to make a different move. With that in mind, he crouched and then placed a finger on the cultivator’s forehead.He forcibly extracted the secrets the cultivator had.Usually, he wouldn't do this as the after effects were ridiculously high.The person he uses it on would act as though they had experienced a lobotomy by the time he was done.But considering the situation, Alistair didn't have a choice.Unfortunately, even with this, he wasn't able to retrieve much information.All he could tell was that the cultivators targeted Adam because of the treasure that Richard had mentioned to him. Apparently, the Smith family were the ones that possessed the treasure they needed for their ritual.As for Adam's whereabouts, the cultivator was unfortunately unaware. Alistair clicked his tongue as he pulled away, wa

“TRAGEDY AT THE GRAND OPENING: BILLIONAIRE TYCOON ADAM SMITH KIDNAPPED, FAMILY MISSING.”The reports showed chaotic footage of the riot at the grand mall, followed by aerial shots of the heavily damaged, abandoned armored sedan found on the coastal highway.The city anchor looked grimly into the camera. “The authorities are calling this the most daring and high-profile abduction in Haven's history. We now take you live to the emergency press conference at the Smith Group Headquarters.”The screen cut to a packed press room, flashing with a hundred camera bulbs.Jonah Smith stood at the podium.He looked devastatingly broken.His hair was slightly unkempt, his tailored suit lacked its usual crispness, and as he leaned into the microphones, he visibly trembled, even wiping away a few meticulously timed tears from his eyes.“My family... my brother...” Jonah choked out, his voice cracking with theatrical grief. “Adam has spent his entire life building this province, protecting its people

“They will, Tristan,” Mira agreed, her sentiment perfectly aligning with his cruelty. “With the Smith family’s influence backing the bounty, he won't survive the week. Haven is finally cleansing itself of that filth.” While the petty and the envious celebrated Alistair's apparent downfall, the true power brokers of Haven were reacting with a completely different kind of urgency. Inside the heavily fortified study of the Bolton Estate, Caleb Bolton stood before a wall of monitors displaying the city-wide checkpoints. His face was a mask of cold fury. He knew Alistair’s capabilities; he knew the young grandmaster possessed power that could level mountains. The idea that a man of Alistair's transcendent stature would resort to kidnapping a mortal billionaire for material gain was an insult to basic human intelligence. “This is a setup,” Caleb growled, turning toward his commander of private security. “Jonah Smith is a snake, and the city council are idiots falling for his theate

“I will ask you one final time, mortal,” Malachi said, his voice sounding like two grinding stones. “Where is the Golden Compass? Your corporate wealth cannot purchase your life here, nor can your stubbornness save your soul from being ground into fuel for our ritual.”Adam slowly raised his head, spitting a mouthful of dark blood directly onto the concrete near Malachi’s boots.He forced a broken, raspy laugh through his cracked lips, his bloodshot eyes defiant.“I told you... I don't know what you're talking about,” Adam wheezed, his chest heaving violently as he fought for every breath. “And even if I did... I would rather watch you all rot... before I give you a single damn thing.”Master Malachi’s abyssal black eyes narrowed, his patience entirely depleted.The dark energy swirling around his feet flared aggressively, causing the iron chains binding Adam to rattle furiously.“Fools always mistake silence for strength. If your mind will not break through standard torment, we will

“You think you've won? If I die, he dies with me!” Malachi snarled, his face twisting into a hideous mask of desperation.He formed a rapid hand seal, intending to forcefully detonate the Soul-Phage Centipede inside Adam’s stomach, completely destroying the Patriarch’s vital organs.“Die together!”“Foolish.”Before Malachi’s fingers could even cross to complete the hand seal, Alistair materialized directly in front of him.The speed was so absolute it transcended the concept of movement; it was simple displacement.Alistair’s right hand shot out of his pocket, his fingers clamping onto Malachi’s throat like a vice of solid iron.The dark energy protecting the cult leader’s body shattered instantly upon contact with Alistair’s skin.With a casual lift, Alistair hoisted the century-old cultivator off his feet, dangling him in the air.Malachi thrashed, his legs kicking uselessly, his dark qi sputtering and dying out like a smothered flame as Alistair’s golden energy flooded his meridia