“Bastard, how dare he play me!”
After Leo left, Maniwa’s once pure and beautiful face turned extremely grim as she walked angrily towards the Honda.
“Miss Maniwa, did that guy refuse?” Yuriko Yamaguchi hurriedly approached Maniwa.
“He demanded that we annihilate the Hojo Clan before he would cooperate. That’s an impossible request! That bastard never intended to work with us,” Maniwa said in a deep voice.
“Damn Atraria boy, Miss Maniwa, let me just kill him!” Byron gripped the samurai sword at his waist, his eyes gleaming with a savage light.
“Lord Byron, please don’t act rashly. That boy is not easy to deal with. Unless Lord Heaven Ninja intervenes, there’s no guarantee of victory,” Maniwa cautioned.
For some reason, recalling what Leo had said earlier sent a chill down Maniwa’s spine.
After several encounters with Leo, Maniwa had a deep understanding of his strength.
In Maniwa’s view, dealing with Leo required absolute certainty.
Although Byron couldn’t understand Maniwa’s concerns, he had to listen to her. “Miss Maniwa, when you decide to deal with him, please let me take action.”
Leo entered the parking lot near the clinic. Just as he opened the door to his car and sat down, his phone rang.
It was Abel Wells calling.
Leo pressed the answer button.
“Abel.”
“Leo, retrieving the Yu Cauldron has earned you great merit. Come by the Dragon Shield Treasury when you have time to select your reward.”
“Is that all?” Leo’s expression shifted. Knowing Abel, this wasn’t something that would warrant a personal call.
“There’s another matter. Did you kill Frank William, the eldest son of the Langstel Rossetti family?” Abel’s voice grew serious.
Leo hadn’t expected Abel to ask this. After a brief hesitation, he replied, “Yes, I did.”
“Leo, you’ve caused quite a stir. The Langstel Rossetti family is a branch of the capital Rossetti family, one of Atraria’s top families. No matter the reason, killing Frank William means you’ve offended the capital Rossetti family.”
Leo sneered, “Frank tried to kill me and even brought two people from the True Martial Sect. Are you saying I should have let Frank kill me just to avoid offending the Rossetti family?”
“This…” Abel didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
“Abel, I don’t care who they are or what power they have. If someone wants me dead, I’ll kill them first!” Leo’s tone was resolute.
Abel let out a bitter laugh over the phone.
He knew that Leo feared nothing and no one. The situation had already escalated beyond repair.
“Leo, be extra careful. The Rossetti family won’t let this go easily.”
“Just a few days ago, several departments started investigating you secretly. Some even used special channels to pressure me into removing you from WONDER.”
Abel’s words made Leo’s eyes flash coldly.
“Abel, if it’s too difficult for you, I don’t mind being removed from WONDER.”
“You brat, what nonsense are you talking about? Do you think I’m that kind of person? Whoever wants to mess with you will have to go through me first!”
Though Abel spoke sincerely, Leo could sense the pressure Abel was under because of him.
“Leo, I suggest you find a way to reconcile with the Rossetti family quickly. I don’t know how long I can hold them off.”
“If the Rossetti family decides to use their full power and get me removed as the head of special operations, I won’t be able to help you anymore.”
“Moreover, once you’re removed from WONDER, the Rossetti family can use WONDER’s resources against you.”
“Reconcile? That’s probably impossible. If they come at me with everything they’ve got, we’ll fight to the end,” Leo declared.
Hearing Leo’s stance, Abel didn’t know what to say for a moment.
“That’s it then. Thanks for your concern and warning, Abel,” Leo said before hanging up.
He tossed his phone onto the passenger seat and started his car, heading towards Wilde Jewelry Group.
After selecting some jade stones at Wilde Jewelry Group, Leo drove to Seven Stars Sword Sect to prepare for advancing to the lower Spirit Venerable realm.
Although Fire Rose had said that WONDER could help him break through once he retrieved the Yu Cauldron, Leo believed in self-reliance and never depended on others.
At Seven Stars Sword Sect, he chatted briefly with Jennifer about recent events and fed the Thunder Wing Beast before heading to Spirit Crocodile Cliff in the back mountain.
At the base of Spirit Crocodile Cliff was his secluded training cabin.
This time, Leo planned to break through to the lower Spirit Venerable realm in one go.
Sitting cross-legged on a meditation mat inside the cabin, Leo waved his right hand, causing dozens of spirit stones to float out from his Storage Bag.
He also took out a large Vitality Pill and swallowed it before closing his eyes and activating the Nine Heavens Star Chart to absorb the spirit stones and ambient spiritual energy.
Strands of spiritual energy entered Leo’s body and were transformed into spiritual power by the Nine Heavens Star Chart before settling in his elixir field.
Once enough spiritual power had accumulated, Leo compressed and liquefied it.
After more than half an hour, one of the spirit stones dimmed and turned to powder…
By noon the next day, a plane from the capital was speeding towards Langstel.
There were only four people in first class: three elderly individuals and one young man.
Among the elderly were two men and one woman; two were fat and one was thin.
The fat male elder wore a fiery red robe with eyebrows of the same color, exuding an imposing aura.
The thin male elder wore an icy white robe; his gaunt face and faintly ice-colored pupils resembled a cold pool.
The fat female elder was an old woman in a black robe. Her right hand gripped a cane like a withered branch, her face hidden within her robe’s hood.
These three elders were guardians of Atraria’s top family, the Rossetti family!
As for the young man, he was Mark Lynch, who had lost a car race and bet on an Ice Spirit Sakura cultivation base against Leo.
Soon, the plane began its descent and landed at Langstel International Airport.
A black extended sedan with military plates drove straight into the airport.
A man in black clothing picked up Mark Lynch and his companions.
Inside the car, Mark Lynch received a text message on his phone.
After reading it, he turned to the elder in white robes and said, “Elder Blake, that guy is currently at Seven Stars Sword Sect.”