"The Divine Beast, the Vermilion Bird."
"The Young Master has co out of seclusion."
"He must have ended his seclusion early to celebrate the madam’s birthday."
The disciples of the Bloodfiend Den chattered excitedly amongst themselves.
When Aaron Sinclair appeared, everyone dropped to one knee in unison.
"We welco the Young Master."
He waved his hand.
"Rise."
"Thank you, Young Master."
Their shouts shook the heavens.
Aaron Sinclair had calculated the timing perfectly, ending his seclusion early just to celebrate his mother’s birthday.
Standing on the Vermilion Bird’s back, he snapped his fingers. Magic flared in the sky, forming countless hearts for his mother.
"Love you, Mother."
Then, he began to sing "Happy Birthday" to her.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you... Happy birthday, Mother. I’ll love you forever, muah."
The birthday song.
It was the song Celeste Grant had sung to him when he was very young.
He still rembered it.
Celeste Grant smiled.
She held out her hands.
"My good boy, Mother loves you too."
From high in the sky, Aaron Sinclair leaped down, flew toward Celeste Grant, and threw himself into her arms.
Hugging her, Aaron Sinclair said, "Mother, a day apart feels like three years. I’ve missed you so much while I was away."
Looking at the son in her arms, Celeste Grant reached out to stroke his head. Then she bent down slightly to hug him back. "Mommy loves you too, my treasure."
Celeste Grant didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She tapped him lightly on the forehead. "Didn’t you say you were going into seclusion and wouldn’t co out until you broke through to the Golden Core stage? Why are you out now?"
Aaron Sinclair chuckled. "Hehe, what’s Cultivation compared to celebrating my mother’s birthday?"
Celeste Grant pinched his cheek.
"You and your sweet words."
’They’re celebrating my birthday tonight, so my parents must be here too.’
’Why don’t I see them?’
Celeste Grant looked puzzled.
She murmured under her breath,
"Strange, where’s your uncle and the others?"
Nerida, standing beside her, pointed into the distance and said, "Your family is over there, Madam. Please look."
She heard Nerida wave her hand and give a command.
"Beat the drums."
The mont she finished speaking,
Celeste Grant heard a burst of spirited drumming.
The next mont, an area in the distance lit up.
Celeste Grant looked over and saw that not far from the sea of flowers where she stood, red silk had been strung up in the air, adorned with countless lanterns.
A high platform appeared before her, giving off the feeling of a sacrificial altar. A wave of traditional, ancient style washed over her.
A large drum, painted with complex runes, was placed vertically in the center of the platform. All over the altar were many strange, ghoulish masks.
Just then, several people appeared on the platform.
She recognized the person at the very front, dressed in the attire of the Witch Clan, as Elder Sawyer. They were all wearing uniform Witch Clan clothing and exaggerated masks, with small gongs and drums hanging from their waists. She could recognize Elder Sawyer because he was the only one in the entire Bloodfiend Den with white hair.
’Then the smaller one in the middle must be my younger brother.’
’In that case, the two beside him must be my parents. And the two at the very end must be Yvonne Sawyer and Victor Rhodes.’
Elder Sawyer, leading the group, had already begun to dance with the others. They looked quite synchronized.
Elder Sawyer’s dance was the most intricate. He chanted an ancient spell, and as he did, nature’s spiritual energy began to converge on their location.
She couldn’t understand the words of the spell, but the sound had an ethereal quality that could purify the soul.
Everyone present felt a sense of peace and comfort.
Celeste Grant didn’t understand what she was seeing either, but she knew it had to be so kind of powerful magic.
Celeste Grant whispered to Nerida, "What dance are Elder Sawyer and the others performing? It feels so sacred."
Nerida leaned in and whispered back, "You may not have seen it before, Madam. This is the Prayer Dance of the Witch Clan."
"A Prayer Dance?"
"No wonder it felt like it was purifying my soul."
Celeste Grant was surprised.
"Elder Sawyer knows how to do this?"
’It seems the Demonic Sects are full of talented people.’
Nerida nodded.
"Elder Sawyer is from the Norgath Witch Clan."
Celeste Grant had heard a little about the Norgath Witch Clan, but she didn’t know much about them.
Nerida began to explain.
"Because the people of the Witch Clan are skilled in both Curse Forbidden Techniques and Blessing Skills, the Righteous Immortal Sects have always considered them heretical. Two hundred years ago, the Six Pris Sect dispatched countless cultivators to exterminate those on Mt. Norgath. They were utterly ruthless, sparing not even won and children, claiming the clan was the root of all evil and that they were purging this scourge for the good of the world. In reality, I heard that an ancestor from the Six Pris Sect wanted to use a treasure from Mt. Norgath to break through to his next stage of cultivation."
Elder Lawson, always one for gossip, sidled up and added in a low voice, "I know about this. The Exalted One and I happened to be passing by Mt. Norgath at the ti and saw the sky ablaze. It was The Exalted One who personally struck down two Nascent Soul Stage elders from the Six Pris Sect and saved them. Because of that, rumors spread that The Exalted One was a wanton murderer of the innocent, claiming he slaughtered countless Six Pris Sect cultivators overnight, which earned him the condemnation of the Righteous Immortal Sects. In reality, our Exalted One only killed two Nascent Soul cultivators... Ptooey! Those vipers. The rest of the people from the Six Pris Sect were actually killed by the Witch Clan, who rose up and fought back."
"Elder Sawyer went on a rampage, breaking through directly from the Golden Core stage to the Late-stage Nascent Soul. Not a single one of the Six Pris Sect cultivators who took part in the attack on the Norgath Witch Clan made it back alive. They all died there."
Celeste Grant comnted coolly,
"Impressive."
’That’s just how it is in the Cultivation World.’
’You kill to steal treasures.’
’So you’d better be prepared to be killed.’
The Six Pris Sect was annihilated, but they brought it on themselves.
Celeste Grant was curious.
"So he joined the Demonic Sects after that?"
’After being pushed that far...’
’If it ans protecting your family, what does falling to the Demonic Path matter?’
Apparently, she had guessed right.
She heard Nerida say, "Yes. Afterward, Elder Sawyer led the people of the Norgath Witch Clan to join our Demonic Sects. After that, he beca the Law Enforcent Elder of the Bloodfiend Den."
Celeste Grant nodded slightly.
"I see."
anwhile, the Prayer Dance on the platform continued.
The ancient spell struck a chord in the hearts of all who heard it.
The ritual dance had a very dignified and solemn feel.
Celeste Grant saw golden runes appear on the platform.
Just then, Elder Sawyer, standing at the forefront of the platform, muttered a few indecipherable words and made a hand sign. Amidst the sound of gongs and drums, a light shone from his hands, illuminating the surroundings. Then, the divine effigy of the Witch Clan appeared in the air above him.
The mont the effigy appeared, Celeste Grant felt a power descend upon her.
She raised her hand.
Celeste Grant paused, stunned.
’This feeling...’
"Is this... luck?"
The last ti she had inadvertently nded the rules of this world, the Heavenly Dao had blessed her.
At that ti, she had gained the rit and luck bestowed by the Heavenly Dao.
Luck was a wonderful thing. One only had to look at how hard it was to kill Jocelyn Grant to understand. Once your luck was strong enough, you couldn’t die even if you wanted to.
Now, after Elder Sawyer’s prayer, her luck had grown stronger. Although it wasn’t as much as the Heavenly Dao had granted, every little bit counted. ’Hehe, I wouldn’t mind a little more,’ she thought.
Celeste Grant could feel it—the shackles that bound her as the villainess of the book were breaking.
’Perhaps in the future...’
’...it won’t be so certain who the real heroine is!’
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