If she didn’t know, she could ignore it. But now that she did, she had to get involved, no matter the reason.

Hundreds of lives in a single village couldn’t just be snuffed out like that.

Upon hearing this, Javier Sinclair’s expression turned serious. He didn’t press for details, but simply asked a question.

"Where?"

"Breckland City."

Javier Sinclair paused for a moment.

"That place?"

Celeste Grant blushed and nodded.

"Yes, the one you’ve been to before."

Breckland City was just a remote corner of the Cultivation World.

It was there that Celeste Grant had first met Javier Sinclair.

Javier Sinclair frowned slightly.

"Cultivating by sacrificing the lives of innocent people... That kind of Evil Technique has always been forbidden by both the Immortal and Demonic Paths."

Especially in the territories under his jurisdiction. Any Demon Cultivator found practicing such an Evil Technique was to be severely punished, with no exceptions.

"I’d like to see who dares to defy the orders I’ve issued. I’ll personally twist their head off."

Javier Sinclair said, "We leave now."

He brought his fingers together, raised his hand, and made a beckoning gesture. The next moment, the Demon Sword flew from his residence, leaving only a faint afterimage in the air.

In the blink of an eye, the Demon Sword hovered in the air above them.

It was quite a long way from here to Breckland.

He swept her up, and they leaped onto the sword. Their figures vanished into the distance in an instant, leaving only a wisp of Demonic Qi drifting in the air.

The rain was still falling.

...

「On the other side.」

Nine-Family Village, Breckland City.

Half a month ago, Silas Stowe had brought Jocelyn Grant here.

Behind a waterfall near a pool on the mountain behind Nine-Family Village was a hidden grotto, a new creation of Silas Stowe’s.

Jocelyn Grant and he had been living here ever since.

After swallowing the inner core of the Demonic Beast known as the Phantom Spider, Silas Stowe’s habits had become somewhat spider-like. He now favored dark, damp places like this.

He was also afraid that people from the Immortal Sects would discover what he was about to do, so he had found this remote location for his Cultivation.

An Array had been placed at the mouth of the cave, and with her Cultivation sealed, Jocelyn Grant was completely unable to leave.

After Silas Stowe had knocked her unconscious, she had woken up to his face looming over her. The sight of his face, which looked like old tree bark, had frightened her so much that she’d slapped him right then and there.

But being slapped only made Silas Stowe happy.

"Joce, you hit me."

"The fact that you hit me proves you still care about me, Joce. I’m so happy."

Hearing this, she was filled with disgust.

’He’s not the Silas I knew anymore. He’s a complete stranger.’

Afterward, Silas Stowe had brought her to this remote part of Breckland and forced her to live in this cave.

During this time, Silas Stowe had even been trying to have a child with her. ’The man has gone mad.’

Jocelyn Grant was utterly repulsed. She couldn’t understand how the docile, handsome boy she once knew had become so shameless and vile.

All she wanted now was to escape this place.

At this thought, Jocelyn Grant’s heart ached with misery.

"Brother Hawthorne, I miss you so much."

"And Brother Young, too."

She murmured.

She was trapped here now, her world confined to this single cave.

Jocelyn Grant had just gotten out of bed when Silas Stowe walked in from outside.

His ugly face lifted to look at her, his tall, slender frame shrouded in a loose black robe.

"Joce, where are you going? Are you trying to run away again?"

He was already walking toward her as he spoke.

His tone was gentle one moment and explosive the next. He lunged forward, his hand clamping around Jocelyn Grant’s neck.

"Joce, I love you so much. Why? Why do you keep trying to run from me?"

"I won’t let you leave me..."

His hand slid down from her face, then wrapped around her waist as he pushed her onto the bed.

Silas Stowe said, "Joce, no one loves you more than I do. I truly, truly adore you. If we have a child, you won’t leave me, right?"

As he spoke, he gently placed a hand on Jocelyn Grant’s stomach.

"You can have another man’s child, so why can’t you have mine? It’s been so long, why isn’t there a child here yet?"

"I’ll never have your child! Get off me!"

She shoved him away.

And kicked him squarely between the legs.

Silas Stowe rolled right off the bed, clutching himself.

His face was dark and his tone venomous.

"You bitch. You’re my undoing."

He grabbed Jocelyn Grant by her clothes and slapped her so hard her head snapped to the side.

But after hitting her, he stared at his own hand, his face filled with regret. "Why... Why do you make me do this? I’m sorry, Joce. I won’t hit you again."

Jocelyn Grant flinched instinctively.

"Y-you... stay away from me."

’How could I ever have thought Silas Stowe was a docile boy?’

’He’s an Evil Cultivator, a madman. He says he loves me, but he still hits me.’

"Joce, don’t be afraid. I won’t hit you."

He hugged her.

"Joce, don’t leave me."

"Joce, I’m going to become very strong. I’ll be able to break through to the Nascent Soul stage soon."

’Break through to Nascent Soul?’

Jocelyn Grant’s eyes lit up.

"Really?"

Silas Stowe nodded. "Yes. I’ll become very strong. Joce, if you just stay with me, I’ll protect you."

An idea sparked in her mind, and her expression softened.

"Silas, it’s not that I don’t want to be with you, and it’s not that I mind your appearance. It’s just... I want revenge. Celeste Grant dug out my Spirit Root. If you help me kill her, I’ll live a peaceful life with you from now on."

’Silas Stowe deserves to die for hurting me, and Celeste Grant deserves to die, too. I’ll be happy no matter which one of them dies.’

’If they could take each other out and both die, then I’d be free. That would be even better.’

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

She took the initiative to reach out and hug him.

"Silas..."

This time, she was obedient.

Silas Stowe didn’t believe her lies for a second, but what did it matter? He was fond of her, so he would indulge her little tempers and schemes.

"Joce, give me little spiders. We’ll have lots of them."

"Okay."

’Disgusting creature.’

’The very sight of him annoyed her now.’

’How could I possibly have a child with him...?’

Silas Stowe was very busy during this period. By day, he set up a grand sacrificial Array around Nine-Family Village. By night, he returned to the cave to dual cultivate with Jocelyn Grant.

After half a month of hard work, the great Array was complete. The time for his breakthrough was at hand.

At noon, when the sun was at its zenith, blood-red runes flared to life all over Nine-Family Village. The sky churned with clouds, forming a terrifying, gaping maw.

Seeing this, the villagers still had no idea what was happening.

"What is this?"

"Is some kind of demon appearing?"

"We don’t know either."

"Look over there! That’s an altar."

How could such a simple altar have appeared in their village overnight?

The leading villager looked at Silas Stowe and demanded, "Who are you? What are you trying to do? Stop this at once!"

At that moment, Silas Stowe was sitting cross-legged on the altar. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

He looked at the person speaking to him. "A mere ant dares to speak to me like that? You’re courting death."

He waved a hand.

The man who had just spoken’s face instantly turned black, and he collapsed, vomiting blood.

Witnessing this scene, the villagers’ faces changed drastically.

"Fourth Uncle!"

"You’re an Evil Cultivator?"

Silas Stowe laughed heartily, seeing nothing wrong with a few people dying. "You figured it out too late. Today, all of you will die here."

As he spoke, he began forming seals with his hands.

At the same time, everyone present felt their Divine Souls tremble, and they clutched their heads in agony.

"AHHH..."

"It hurts so much."

"To be chosen by me is your good fortune."

"Quick, crush the Token! Call the Immortal Sects for help!"

Someone had just taken out a Token.

When it suddenly appeared in Silas Stowe’s hand.

"Still trying to call for help? You deserve to die."

He waved his hand.

And another person died.

Although the people of Nine-Family Village were subjects of the Cultivator Dynasty, their home was so remote that their Cultivation levels were very low.

With the sudden appearance of a Golden Core Stage Evil Cultivator, they didn’t even have the strength to resist.