"Patrick! You ungrateful, treacherous little wretch!" Jocelyn shrieked, marching right up to her son and raising her hand to strike him. "Because of your little stunt in court—because of your ridiculous hero complex—you ruined everything! You threw away twenty million dollars and destroyed this family!"Sara stepped firmly between them, catching her mother's wrist mid-swing with a cold, piercing glare. "Don't you dare touch him.""Sara! Get out of his way! He just admitted to the entire world that he framed—""I heard what he did, Mother," Sara interrupted, her voice dropping into a dangerous, icy register that left Jocelyn stunned. "And I know why he did it. Patrick tried to protect me and exposed the absolute filth you and Mira were swimming in. You sold me out. You took blood money from Robert Stallone to frame the man who saved my life."Mira crossed her arms, sneering defensively. "We were just protecting our interests! If we hadn't—""Shut up!" Sara shouted, her voice echoing of

Valen slowly stood up from his chair, leaning his weight onto a dragon-carved obsidian cane.He walked to the reinforced observation glass, looking out over the city's sprawling, gothic skyline, bathed in morning fog.A dark, cruel smile curved his thin lips."Let him come," Valen whispered, his voice dripping with sinister anticipation. "He thinks he is hunting monsters in the dark. He does not yet realize that in Valenhold... he has walked directly into the dragon's den.”Unaware of the meeting, Alistair mentally prepared for his arrival in Valenhold. Of course, even if he knew what they were planning, he wasn't worried.The only thing on his mind now was how to handle the traffickers while ensuring no loss of life. It would be difficult, but he would do his best to ensure such an outcome. Forty minutes later, the executive jet touched down smoothly on the tarmac of Valenhold Regional Airport.Unlike the sleek, modern glass structures of Haven International, Valenhold's private a

The shiny silver dagger cut a blinding arc of light under the sun.“Ah! Watch out!”“It’s actually a dagger!”“Quick, get out of the way! Watch out!”Several screams filled the air.None of the onlookers expected Lucas would suddenly take out a dagger and try to commit murder in public.But before Lucas’s dagger could stab Alistair, a powerful force emerging from Alistair sent him flying. Lucas screamed miserably as he flew away, and the dagger in his hand naturally landed on the ground.Lucas was directly kicked a full ten meters away, and he spat out a mouthful of blood when he crashed on the ground.Most of the chains and accessories on his body fell off as he struggled to get back on his feet. “Bastard… What did you do to me?” His eyes were wide in disbelief as he looked at Alistair with resentment.“It would be best if you were on your way now.” Alistair said coldly, his eyes full of killing intent.“You!” Lucas wished he could slap Alistair on the face, but his body was still

Alistair didn't even stand up.Before the chain could descend, a flick of Alistair's wrist released a subtle, invisible wave of Qi.BANG!The thug was blasted backward as if hit by a speeding truck, smashing through two wooden tables before crashing hard against the far wall.He crumpled to the floor instantly, unconscious, his iron chain rattling uselessly beside his limp hand.The laughter in the room died in an instant.Carl's smile evaporated, his eyes widening in shock as he took an involuntary step back. "W-What the hell?! A cultivator?!"The remaining four thugs panicked, drawing their weapons with trembling hands. "Boss! He... he didn't even touch him!"Alistair stood up unhurriedly, smoothing the front of his coat.The ambient pressure in the small inn plummeted, heavy and suffocating, making it hard for the thugs to even draw breath."One second left," Alistair murmured, taking his first step forward.Carl’s face twisted from shock into sheer, ugly malice.The realization th

Suppressing his irritation, Alistair stepped through the sliding glass doors of the multi-story mall.The interior was packed to the brim with ordinary citizens and low-tier cultivators alike, bustling from stall to stall.To his utter dismay, the ground floors weren't just trading gossip or mundane goods—they were openly hawking martial arts manuals, alchemical pills of dubious quality, and forged spirit artifacts like common market produce.Deciding that wasting time browsing retail stalls was pointless, Alistair made his way toward the back of the building, heading for the restricted elevator banks leading to the upper floors where the sect's inner elders usually resided.However, his path was abruptly blocked.Two burly guards in flashy silk uniforms stood in front of the elevator doors, their chests puffed out with arrogant authority.Seeing Alistair approach in his clean, unpretentious dark suit—lacking any high-tier insignia or ostentatious badges—they immediately crossed their