Chapter 6

The grand hall was filled with the elders of the Yardleys.

Clyde was at the front of the hall, presiding over the meeting. He knew exactly why the Ashcrofts had come. Given the current strength of the Yardleys, they had no choice but to submit.

Even if Sebastian openly declared that he wanted to take Liliana as his mistress, they could only sacrifice her for the sake of the family.

However, he hadn't expected the return of Theodore who had been the Ashcrofts' son-in-law for thirteen years!

If not for the corpses strewn across the floor and the thick stench of blood lingering in the air, they would have thought they were dreaming.

After a long silence, a wail of despair broke out.

"They're dead… No… The Yardleys are done for! We're dead meat now!"

It was Carson who spoke. His face turned pale as he stared at the lifeless bodies on the floor. The expressions of the other elders were just as grim.

"If Liliana had become Sebastian's mistress, it could have bought us some time… But now, that damned fool killed Sebastian! He has even killed so many of the Boltons' guards! We are doomed..."

A chorus of anguished cries erupted in the hall. They all knew their family was now teetering on the brink of annihilation.

"Theodore, have you… have you advanced to the Postnatal Realm?"

Amidst the wailing, a voice filled with concern rang out. It belonged to the middle-aged man who had earlier knelt beside Liliana to plead for her.

Theodore found him familiar, but he could only recognize him after a moment. It was his second uncle, Austin Yardley.

Anthony, who had been lying on the floor, had also regained clarity. "Not just the Postnatal Realm—he's at the peak of it. The Yardleys now have a Peak Postnatal Realm cultivator!" He informed the others.

Upon hearing that, the Yardleys finally grasped what was happening. They recalled what Jayden had said and stared at Theodore in disbelief.

The whole city was saying that Theodore's energy core had been destroyed and that he was now a cripple. They were shocked that he suddenly became a Postnatal Realm cultivator.

"Hmph! So what if he's at the Peak Postnatal Realm? He still hasn't reached the Innate Realm. Richard Bolton, the patriarch of the Boltons, is an Innate Grandmaster!" A sharp voice cut through the murmurs.

At some point, Clyde had taken his seat at the front of the hall once again.

As they heard that, the flicker of hope that had just begun to rise in the Yardleys' hearts was quickly extinguished, plunging them back into despair.

"That's right. What's the point of being at the Peak Postnatal Realm? The Boltons' patriarch is an Innate Grandmaster! One Innate Grandmaster is enough to fight ten Postnatal Grandmasters. Richard alone is more than capable of wiping out the Yardleys, you fool!" Carson roared as he glared at Theodore with resentment.

"Thirteen years ago, the Yardleys almost met their end because of you. And now, you've returned only to bring disaster upon us once again! Will you only be satisfied when the entire family is completely wiped out?"

He exhaled angrily, then added, "You and your sister are nothing but harbingers of misfortune!"

Slap!

A loud smack echoed through the grand hall once Carson had finished speaking. He was sent sprawling to the ground from a single slap.

Everyone stared in shock at Theodore, who now stood over Carson.

"I am your third granduncle! You disrespectful brat, how dare you hit me?" Carson bellowed.

"You're damn right I dare!"

Theodore stared at Carson coldly.

"You! You—you—"

Carson had been raging, but his confidence wavered under Theodore's intense gaze. Although he was only eighteen, Theodore's gaze was like someone who had experienced a lot in life; one could feel his oppressive force. Even as an elder, Carson felt a chill creeping up his spine.

"What? If I hadn't married into the Ashcrofts to protect the Yardleys thirteen years ago, would you have the chance to act all high and mighty now?" Theodore stared at him and continued with a straight face, "With your pathetic character, you don't deserve to be my granduncle. Why don't you take a good look at yourself? You owe me your life."

Pfft!

Carson was so enraged that he coughed up a mouthful of blood and nearly passed out.

"Theodore..." Liliana, who was standing behind Theodore, tugged at his sleeve.

"Theodore, you've gone too far," Austin reprimanded.

"Is that so?" Theodore cast a cold glance at him and added, "These old fools call themselves elders of the family, yet they don't act like one. How could they force Liliana to take the hit for them? Don't they have any idea what kind of man Sebastian is?"

Austin remained silent. The storm was raging outside, but there was dead silence inside the hall.

"He's right. Thirteen years ago, if it weren't for Theodore's Solarborn Physique, the Yardleys would have been wiped out. We wouldn't even be here today." Anthony struggled to his feet and glanced coldly at Carson who was on the floor. "It's true that they are not worthy to be our elders."

"I'll admit that the Yardleys survived because of you thirteen years ago. However..." At that moment, Clyde, who was seated at the front of the hall, finally spoke. "You are still an outsider. Since you're the Ashcrofts' son-in-law, they have to be responsible for everything that happened here today—it has nothing to do with the Yardleys."

"Yes, that's right! He married into the Ashcrofts long ago; he is no longer one of us. We shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of the disaster that he has caused. The Ashcrofts are responsible for this!"

"One should take responsibility for their actions. Since you're married into the Ashcrofts, you're no longer a Yardley. You should bear the consequences of today's incident alone."

The elders in the grand hall latched onto this reasoning like drowning men clinging to driftwood. Everyone nodded fervently in agreement.

The way they looked at Theodore no longer held any trace of kinship. It was as if they were looking at an outsider. The only thing that they hadn't done was to drive him out of the grand hall.

Theodore's heart sank at their indifferent gazes. He had intended to save them some face, but now he knew that there was no need for it.

He swept his gaze over them, his voice cold as he said, "Don't worry. I'll bear the consequences, but you… you… you..."

He pointed at the elders who had spoken up, stopping at Clyde. "And you—have no right to strip me of my last name."

Clyde's expression darkened after he was being pointed at the nose. "Who says I don't? Your grandfather is in seclusion. As the acting patriarch, I—"

"Then, let's talk about what happened thirteen years ago!" Theodore cut him off. "Who leaked the Yardleys' secret and brought disaster upon us? Was it you? Or you guys? Or was it… you?"

As Theodore's finger landed on him again, Clyde's face turned red with anger. "How dare you slander me? The Seraphic Swordplay has always been in the hands of the family's direct lineage. How could I have leaked it?"

"So it was you!" Theodore's eyes burned with killing intent.

"Stop spouting nonsense!" Clyde tried to maintain his composure.

"Hahaha!" Theodore suddenly laughed. "Aside from Grandpa, no one in the Yardleys even knew the words Seraphic Swordplay. I only learned of it after marrying into the Ashcrofts!"

Clyde's face stiffened as realization struck. His eyes darted around uneasily. "Everyone in Philodorah knows about it now. What's so strange about me knowing it?"

At this, the entire hall fell silent as all eyes turned toward Clyde.

"The rumors in Philodorah only ever said that the Yardleys possessed a near-immortal sword technique. No one ever mentioned the words Seraphic Swordplay," Theodore replied, his piercing gaze fixed on Clyde.