Upon entering the hall, Billy looked around.
In the center of the hall stood a large chair adorned with dragon and phoenix carvings, flanked by five large chairs on each side.
Eleven chairs formed a large semicircle, with eight already occupied.
Among the eight people, the youngest was in their fifties or sixties, comprising both men and women.
Billy scanned the group and recognized an acquaintance, the elder known as John Doe.
One of the two empty seats was undoubtedly his. The other, he assumed, was reserved for the Akabuchi Chamber of Commerce, as he hadn’t seen their representative yet.
The eight seated individuals included John Doe and Lonely Shadow, along with representatives from the top three sects and the heads of three major families.
Lonely Shadow appeared to be a woman in her fifties, dressed in an elegant blue robe, her face devoid of much expression.
The representatives from the three major sects were Adrian Thornton from Heavenly Net Hall, nicknamed Mad Scholar; Raymond Dale from Star Fragment Abbey, nicknamed Evil God; and Edgar Buckner from Aurora Sect.
Mad Scholar and Evil God were former leaders of their respective sects and were known alongside John Doe and Lonely Shadow as the Akabuchi Four Elders. The family heads were Louis Foreman of the Foreman family, Gustavo Carr of the Carr family, and Gabriel Walsh of the Walsh family.
These eight individuals represented the most powerful factions in Akabuchi City, aside from Akabuchi Star Palace and the Akabuchi Chamber of Commerce.
However, this did not mean they were the strongest within their factions; John Doe, for instance, was not.
In terms of sheer combat power, the three families lagged significantly behind the three sects. Any high-ranking elder from the sects could easily overpower any family head.
Akabuchi Star Palace invited the three families because, despite their lesser combat power, they held considerable influence in Akabuchi City and had many members working in other sects.
“Senior John Doe!” Billy nodded in greeting to the elder.
“Mr. Billy, please sit!” John Doe pointed to the empty seat beside him with a smile.
Billy smiled back and took his seat.
Hearing “Mr. Billy,” the expressions of those present varied, most looking at Billy with curiosity.
“What’s going on with Star Palace? Inviting a greenhorn like him-is this a desperate move?” Gustavo Carr of the Carr family spoke sarcastically as soon as Billy sat down.
He was well aware of Billy’s existence; after all, it was Billy’s brother who had severed his son’s arm.
Billy’s eyes narrowed slightly but he did not immediately react.
“Gustavo Carr, you’d better watch your mouth!” John Doe said sternly.
“Am I wrong?” Gustavo Carr retorted coldly. “What qualifies a young boy like him to sit among us?”
“If you keep talking, one chair can be removed from this hall!” Billy replied calmly.
John Doe: “…”
Erica Cardenas: “…”
“Such arrogance! I want to see how you’ll remove a chair…” Gustavo Carr began angrily.
Before he could finish, a wave of energy swept through the hall with immense force.
“You brat, you’re courting death!” Gustavo Carr’s aura erupted as he formed a seal with his hand to counterattack.
His cultivation was decent, about one and a half levels higher than Colby Whitney of the Whitney family, reaching seventh-rank Perceiving Dao Realm.
However, his power was no match for Billy’s current level.
With a muffled sound, Gustavo Carr was sent flying along with his chair. The chair shattered into pieces mid-air, and Gustavo Carr crashed into a wall before falling heavily to the ground, spitting blood.
“Hmm?” The others in the room, except for John Doe, were surprised by Billy’s casual display of power.
Although they had heard of Billy’s feats, witnessing it firsthand was still unexpected due to his young age.
At such an age, possessing such combat strength was rare in the entire Akabuchi star domain, comparable only to the princess of Star Palace!
“You brat…” Gustavo Carr began again after catching his breath, his face twisted in rage.
As head of one of Akabuchi City’s four major families, he had never suffered such humiliation, especially in front of so many people. It felt like his face was being rubbed into the ground!
Before he could finish speaking, a spiritual power blade materialized inches from his forehead, enveloping him in a chilling aura that made him involuntarily shut his mouth.
“Keep shouting? Why aren’t you shouting now?” Billy asked calmly.
“Brat, if you have the guts, kill me. I dare you…” Gustavo Carr took a deep breath and spoke again.
Before he could finish his sentence, the spiritual blade flashed past his shoulder, severing an arm and spraying blood everywhere.
Now both father and son shared a similar fate!
The others in the room were once again surprised by Billy’s audacity to sever Gustavo Carr’s arm right there!
John Doe’s mouth twitched slightly. He thought to himself that Billy truly lived up to being Ravenwood’s descendant; their styles were almost identical-fearless and confrontational!
“You dare sever my arm? You…” Gustavo Carr’s face contorted in extreme anger.
As head of one of Akabuchi City’s four major families, he had never been so humiliated!
But before he could finish speaking, the spiritual blade pressed against his forehead. A few more inches forward and he would meet the king of hell.
“Mr. Billy, don’t forget this is Domain Lord’s Mansion!” Evil God Raymond Dale frowned slightly as he spoke.
“Mr. Carr may have been wrong first, but you’ve already severed his arm. That’s enough!”
“Mr. Billy, please calm down,” Waylon Quinn added.
“Get out!” Billy said sternly to Gustavo Carr.
“You… you’ll pay for this!” Gustavo Carr shouted angrily before leaving in disgrace.
“I’ll be waiting!” Billy replied.
Then he turned to Waylon Quinn. “Mr. Quinn, I hope missing one person won’t be an issue?”
Waylon Quinn hesitated slightly before addressing everyone. “Please wait a moment while I fetch the palace master.”
He then walked down a corridor with Erica Cardenas.
“Mr. Billy, Gustavo Carr is vengeful. He won’t let this go easily. Be careful,” John Doe whispered to Billy.
“Thank you for the warning,” Billy replied with a faint smile.
“The Carr family has close ties with Star Fragment Abbey. Don’t underestimate them,” John Doe continued. “Even if you don’t fear them, you have many people around you to protect.”
“I understand,” Billy nodded as a flash of determination crossed his eyes. He then asked John Doe another question. “Senior, how has Stout been performing lately?”