Flynn sat for a while at Aunt Jessica’s house, where he jotted down Mabel Sweetwood’s address and contact information. Before leaving, he loaded a sack of peanuts into his car at Jessica’s request. It was a local specialty she had carefully selected a few days ago-something rare and cherished in big cities like Slatin.
As he was about to leave, Jessica reminded him of the complexities of Slatin, an international metropolis rife with tangled power struggles. The top factions there were unimaginably formidable, boasting countless masters of cultivation within their ranks. They were leagues beyond the capabilities of places like Niarak or Shipmeda.
“You must not act against them unless you are absolutely certain,” Jessica warned. Flynn nodded, reassuring her that he wouldn’t act recklessly and would avoid causing her unnecessary worry.
After departing from the Carr family, Flynn considered calling Uncle Matteo but ultimately decided against it. Truth be told, he dreaded Matteo’s endless chatter. Quietly protecting him from a distance, without intrusion, seemed to be the best course of action.
Meanwhile, after two days of travel, Dario Bragg finally arrived in Ipholn.
The city was in an uproar.
The Semi Earthly Sovereign-Dario Bragg, the half-human, half-demon feared by the world-had come.
The Wallace family plunged into mourning.
Their estate was steeped in silence and sorrow. Everyone in the family wore plain white mourning clothes, their faces etched with grief. Kneeling before the coffin, they dared not make a sound.
In the center of the courtyard lay a coffin made of golden-threaded nanmu wood.
Dario Bragg stood beside it, his tattered black robe hanging loosely over his frame. His gaze was fixed on the mangled remains of Stellan Wallace, his fury radiating from him like a blazing inferno.
Stellan Wallace was his disciple-handpicked, trained by his own hands, and loved like a grandson.
And now, the once-promising genius lay before him, brutally murdered. His body had been shattered into hundreds of pieces.
It had taken ten morticians three nights to piece the remains together, and even then, the assembled corpse barely resembled a human. His face was unrecognizable.
“Useless! All of you are useless!” Dario roared.
“Wasn’t Stellan supposed to be training on Ipholn Mountain? How did he end up in Niarak? How could you, as the family head, let this happen?!”
“Why?!”
His wrath exploded as he grabbed Karlis Wallace, who was kneeling before him, and delivered a flurry of slaps.
“Smack! Smack! Smack!”
Each strike left Karlis bleeding profusely.
Lord Valerian Nox was undoubtedly to blame, but had the Wallace family properly protected Stellan, this tragedy wouldn’t have occurred.
Dario vowed that everyone connected to Stellan’s death would pay.
A terrifying aura erupted from him, suffocating everyone present. The Wallace family members collapsed to the ground, their faces pale and their bodies trembling. It was as though they had awakened a slumbering beast.
Dario tossed the bloodied Karlis aside and fixed his fiery gaze on four trembling individuals.
“Were you the ones guarding the mountain that day?” he demanded.
The four Grandmaster-level servants stammered, their bodies shaking uncontrollably. “Y-yes… but that day…”
“You will die!”
“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Without lifting a finger, Dario’s overwhelming energy erupted, and the four servants instantly disintegrated into a fine mist of blood.
The sheer force of his anger annihilated them.
It was terrifying.
Monstrous.
“Bury him!” Dario commanded, his voice like thunder, before vanishing into thin air.
The Wallace family estate echoed with the wails of grief.
—
Wallace Family Ancestral Graveyard
Nestled between mountains and rivers, the Wallace ancestral grounds were serene and imposing.
Stellan Wallace’s coffin was lowered into the earth. Nobles from across Ipholn gathered to pay their respects, dressed in white mourning clothes and black attire. The hills were blanketed in solemn hues.
Dario Bragg stood at the forefront, towering and imposing, exuding an oppressive aura that seemed to emanate from the depths of hell itself.
“Stellan,” he murmured, his voice momentarily soft, “rest in peace. Tomorrow, I will take Lord Valerian Nox’s head to honor you.”
He sprinkled a handful of soil over the coffin, his expression briefly tender.
But before the burial could conclude, a voice rang out in the distance.
“Mr. Bragg! Something terrible has happened! Dark Shadow is dead, and Light Shadow is severely injured!”
Gasps rippled through the crowd as everyone turned toward the commotion.
Not far away, members of the Wallace family were carrying the mutilated remains of Dark Shadow and the severely wounded Light Shadow.
“What?!” Dario roared, his eyes blazing as he took in the sight of his loyal servants.
“Who dared to kill my men? WHO?!”
The Shadow Brothers had served him for three years, tirelessly working on his behalf. They were invaluable.
And now, one was dead, and the other barely clung to life.
“It was Lord Valerian Nox,” someone reported. “He seems to have reached the early stage of Adept Greater Sovereign…”
“What?!” Dario’s fury erupted like a primordial beast’s roar, shaking the heavens. The sound was deafening, causing the eardrums of those nearby to bleed and their minds to reel.
“Rumble-”
Dario shot into the sky, his energy surging like a tidal wave, leveling everything around him.
Within moments, he stood atop the mountain, his wrath uncontainable.
“To kill my servants? To humiliate me? To challenge me?!”
“Adept Greater Sovereign? An ant! Lord Valerian Nox, you will DIE!”
His thunderous voice echoed across the land as he punched toward the distant mountain range.
The force of his strike unleashed a cataclysmic power, tearing through the air with a deafening explosion.
“Boom-”
In an instant, the mountains trembled, the earth quaked, and an entire range collapsed into rubble. Rocks flew, dust billowed, and vegetation was obliterated.
It was devastation on an unimaginable scale.
The Wallace family knelt on the ground, staring at Dario Bragg in awe. Standing atop the ruins like a god, he radiated unmatched power.
Lord Valerian Nox had killed Stellan Wallace and destroyed the Shadow Brothers. Now, he had provoked the wrath of Dario Bragg.
He had sealed his fate.
—
News of the Shadow Brothers’ defeat and Lord Valerian Nox’s challenge spread like wildfire.
“Dark Shadow was killed, and Light Shadow barely escaped after delivering a challenge to Lord Valerian Nox at Jade Dragon Mountain!”
“Lord Valerian Nox accepted the challenge. He will face Dario Bragg tomorrow at Pelens Swordgate Peak!”
The news shocked not just Ipholn but also Shipmeda, Slatin, and Haralu.
Those who had initially planned to stay home and await the results now hurried to Pelens to witness the battle.
If Lord Valerian Nox were merely a Greater Sovereign, the fight would hold no suspense-Dario Bragg would crush him in an instant.
But now, knowing Lord Valerian Nox was an Adept, the dynamic had shifted.
Though still far weaker than a Semi Earthly Sovereign like Dario Bragg, an Adept could at least force him to reveal more of his strength.
The world watched with bated breath, eager to see how long Lord Valerian Nox could endure-and how much of Dario Bragg’s true power he would unleash.
Yet, the conclusion was already clear:
Lord Valerian Nox was doomed.