Celeste Grant was stunned.

"No way! Could it be someone from Nine-Family Village? No, no..." She shook her head and said, "Definitely not." Then, a thought struck her, and she blurted out, "It couldn’t be Jocelyn Grant, could it?"

’A Golden Core... and a familiar aura? I can’t think of anyone else.’

According to the original plot of the book, Jocelyn Grant wasn’t supposed to show up here. And if Nine-Family Village had a Golden Core Cultivator, the hundreds of villagers wouldn’t have been sacrificed and died a tragic death in the book.

After Celeste Grant transmigrated into the book, she changed the plot’s trajectory. Most of the female lead’s fated men were already dead. Now, aside from the plot’s general direction, the story had completely gone off the rails. So, she wouldn’t be surprised even if Jocelyn Grant showed up here.

’How many of her men have died again?’ 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Celeste Grant counted on her fingers.

’Morgan Quinn, Timothy Ford, Ivan Hawthorne, Silas Stowe, Liam Yardley... Five dead already? Oh, wait, I forgot about Brother Milo, who was blown to smithereens. By that count, six are dead. Tsk, tsk. Good riddance. A spectacular death. Bravo.’

Six of Jocelyn Grant’s nine fated Taoist Companions were already gone. Who knew when the remaining three would show up? She was already sharpening her knives, unable to wait.

Javier Sinclair said, "She’s over by the back mountain. I noticed her earlier when my Divine Sense swept over Nine-Family Village. Her cultivation must have been sealed, making her seem like an ordinary person, which is why you didn’t notice her at first."

"Is that so?" Hearing this, Celeste Grant said, "Let me take a look."

As she spoke, her Divine Sense spread over all of Nine-Family Village until it reached the back mountain.

She hadn’t paid attention before and had overlooked it. Now that she was checking, she did indeed sense a familiar aura. The aura was no different from an ordinary person’s, so she really hadn’t noticed it at first.

’This aura... it’s definitely Jocelyn Grant.’

"It really is Jocelyn Grant, that good-for-nothing. Hehe, let’s go take a look. How can we not go say hello to an old acquaintance?"

Saying this, Celeste Grant grabbed Javier Sinclair’s arm, and the two of them transformed into a streak of light, flying toward the back mountain. They left behind the people of Nine-Family Village, who could only stare after them, not daring to speak.

「Meanwhile.」

「In a cave behind the back mountain’s waterfall.」

Silas Stowe had gone out early in the morning.

Jocelyn Grant had learned from him that he had set up a grand sacrificial array in Nine-Family Village. Silas Stowe had gone completely insane, planning to sacrifice everyone here to break through to a higher level of cultivation.

Actually, she had a way to escape, but it would cost her a great deal of cultivation. She would drop directly from the Golden Core Stage to Foundation Establishment. After working so hard to reach the Golden Core, she didn’t want to give up her cultivation. That’s why she had been playing along with Silas Stowe, but even so, she hadn’t found a chance to leave.

’I can’t wait any longer.’

’If I wait for Silas Stowe to get stronger, it’ll be even harder to escape from him in the future.’

’Silas has completely changed.’

’He’s an Evil Cultivator now.’

Thinking of the boy who once held her and cherished her, who had now turned into a demon who would beat her at the slightest provocation, Jocelyn Grant felt a wave of sorrow.

’Silas, I’ve given up on you completely.’

’She used to like him, but the person he was now didn’t deserve her affection.’

Just as she was hesitating, she felt the earth shake and the mountains sway. She staggered, losing her footing. Before she could even react, she was buried inside the cave.

The falling rocks crashed down, leaving her dizzy and seeing stars.

However, she was a Golden Core Stage Cultivator, after all. Even with her cultivation sealed, mere falling rocks couldn’t kill her.

It was just extremely painful. With her cultivation sealed, she couldn’t resist. She was crushed and buried by the rocks, unable to move.

’Damn it, what the hell is happening outside? Could the sacrificial array be so powerful that its effects are reaching all the way here?’

"Is anyone there?"

"Help!"

’Buried and unable to move, this feeling of being half-dead was just awful.’

’Now, all I can do is wait for Silas Stowe to break through and come rescue me.’

Jocelyn Grant waited for a while. Just as she was getting impatient, she felt the Forbidden Spell that Silas Stowe had placed on her dissolve.

Jocelyn Grant’s eyes lit up.

’My sealed cultivation has been restored!’

’No... I can’t even sense the aura Silas Stowe left behind. What in the world is happening? Could something have happened to him?’

’Even though I don’t know what happened, getting my cultivation back is a good thing. I knew the heavens wouldn’t be so cruel to me.’

Gathering her cultivation in her hands, she pushed away the rocks burying her, broke through the cave wall, and flew out.

She hovered in mid-air.

Jocelyn Grant raised her hand and smiled.

"I’m finally out."

"From now on, I’ll never trust anyone so easily again."

’Silas Stowe is a liar.’

’He’s the one who tricked me.’

’And he imprisoned me for so long.’

"Ronan."

Thinking of the son she had yet to meet, Jocelyn Grant felt a pang of sorrow.

"Mother will be with you soon."

Now, she had to find a way to get her son’s whereabouts from Silas Stowe. Before Silas had brought her here, he’d told her that their son had gone out and never returned.

Jocelyn Grant didn’t believe him. He must have hidden her son away to use the boy as leverage against her.

’That treacherous villain, Silas Stowe.’

Then she remembered how Silas Stowe had beaten her at the slightest provocation during this time, and her heart filled with a deadly hatred.

"Silas Stowe, you forced my hand. Once I find out where my son is, I will kill you."

The very thought of facing that face like old tree bark and... and doing *that sort of thing* with him made her sick to her stomach.

This time, she wouldn’t hold back for the sake of their past relationship.

Just as she was about to fly away, she saw two figures standing by the pool below.

The figures, one in black and one in blue, were a bit too conspicuous.

Seeing them, Jocelyn Grant recoiled instinctively, nearly falling out of the sky. Thankfully, she managed to steady herself and didn’t fall.

Down by the pool, Celeste Grant saw her, smiled faintly, and waved a greeting.

"What are you doing way up there? Come on down and play."

"We meet again! How have you been? My, my, it’s been a while. Seems like you’ve been living the good life. But what’s with the bird’s nest on your head? Is that the new style? HAHAHAHAHA."

’My bad.’

She couldn’t help but put her hands on her hips and laugh.

’Just that arrogant.’

When Celeste Grant had arrived earlier, she had already seen the collapsed cave buried under rubble, so she knew that’s probably how Jocelyn got that messy mop of hair.

But you have to hit people where it hurts, especially someone as proud as Jocelyn Grant.

Seeing them, Jocelyn Grant’s face filled with terror.

"C-Celeste Grant... What are you doing here?"

’Damn it!’

’How could Celeste Grant be here?’

Every time she met her, she suffered terribly. Now, the mere sight of Celeste Grant made Jocelyn Grant’s hands, feet, and even her bones ache.

On top of that, she saw that Demon next to Celeste Grant was also there. This time, she’d learned her lesson. Instead of retorting, her first instinct was to turn and run.