His voice dripping with mockery, he continued, “But I’ve noticed something interesting. Your vitality is far too strong for someone who plays by the book. It seems you’ve been cultivating through the consumption of human blood, haven’t you? Otherwise, there’s no way you’d have reached the strength of a Ninth Level Tribulator. So spare me the self-righteous act. Don’t lecture me, and certainly don’t be a hypocrite!”
The look on Trystan’s face turned grim.
Serena and Faiyar both turned to look at him. After all, no one knew how he had trained after he had gone into seclusion.
Even Jared couldn’t help but cast a glance at Trystan. He had to admit, the speed at which Trystan had advanced was nothing short of remarkable. In such a short period, he had reached the level of a Ninth Level Tribulator-a feat that would typically require either immense natural talent or access to an extraordinary amount of resources. But it was obvious Trystan wasn’t some rare prodigy, and the Soul Demon Sect certainly didn’t have the kind of wealth to fuel such rapid growth. There had to be more to his sudden rise in power.
Trystan, feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze upon him, averted his eyes, his expression tense and uneasy.
“Dad, is this true? Were you really consuming human blood during cultivation?” Serena asked in disbelief.
“Mr. Pruitt, what’s going on? Tell us the truth.” Jared spoke up, too.
Trystan glanced at Jared, his hesitation palpable. After a long pause, he let out a heavy, resigned sigh and confessed, “The truth is, the blood I consume isn’t human… it’s from demon beasts. I’ve secretly kept them, and during my seclusion, I fed on their fresh blood. I know I broke my promise to my master-I never should have resorted to blood absorption for cultivation.” His voice trembled with regret, his entire body subtly shaking as the weight of his remorse settled on him, agony clear in his eyes.
Observing Trystan’s demeanor, Jared was eager to understand just what was going on with him.
“Brat, meet your end!” While Jared was completely focused on Trystan, Cassius seized the opportunity to make a move against him.
With a swift motion, Cassius raised the bone flute and pointed it directly at Jared. In an instant, streaks of crimson light shot forth, transforming into streams of red spiritual energy that blanketed the sky, enveloping everything in sight.
Whoosh!
The wave of spiritual light moved with blinding speed, striking Jared before he could react. Astonishingly, the moment the crimson mist touched him, Jared’s body froze, locked in place as if immobilized by an unseen force. He stood there, completely motionless, trapped within the eerie red haze.
“Hahaha, you thought you could compete with me? You’re still too young!” Cassius burst into laughter.
“Mr. Chance!” Cloud, Trystan, and the others were taken aback by Cassius’ sneak attack.
“Cassius, I’ll make you pay!” Trystan roared, charging toward Cassius.
Realizing that Jared was completely immobilized and knowing none of them stood a chance against Cassius, Trystan made a quick decision. He confronted Cassius directly, despite knowing the odds were against him. His only intention was to buy time, hoping to stall Cassius long enough for Serena and the others to escape.
“Hmph, you dare challenge me?” Cassius sneered, his face twisted with disdain. With a simple flick of his hand, an invisible force struck Trystan like a hammer, hurling him through the air as if he weighed nothing. The power gap between them was immense, a gulf too wide for Trystan to even hope to bridge.
He crashed into the ground with a bone-rattling thud, agony contorting his features as he gasped for breath, struggling to rise.
“Brat, now it’s your turn…” Cassius sneered, wasting no time as he swung his bone flute directly toward Jared.
Jared, still restrained and completely immobilized, was powerless to dodge the deadly strike.
“Mr. Chance!” Serena and Cloud sprang into action, launching themselves at Cassius with desperate resolve. They were the only two left standing. Even though they knew they were facing certain doom, hesitation wasn’t an option.
But Cassius’ bone flute, glowing with sinister intent, was already inches from Jared’s chest, poised to strike before Serena and Cloud could even close the distance.
Just as the bone flute was about to pierce Jared’s chest, Cassius froze, his eyes widening in disbelief.
In an instant, Jared’s hand shot up, gripping the flute firmly. A playful smirk tugged at his lips as he effortlessly halted the attack.
