"These are the Venomveil Tribe's rules. Choose between your mother and your lover."Vivianne's face turned ashen, her body trembling slightly. She never imagined being forced to choose between her mother and Frederick.Her eyes instinctively sought Theodore's. He met her gaze but remained silent, a bitter expression marring his face.Though yearning to reunite with his wife, Theodore couldn't bear to ask Vivianne to sacrifice her happiness. He could only leave the decision in her hands. Recognizing her father's helpless turmoil, Vivianne's mind churned, recalling how Frederick had risked his life against Miaofeng to protect her.To find a man willing to make such a sacrifice was a rare blessing. Yet, her mother's unknown fate tormented her.How could she turn away?Vivianne bit her lips and declared, "I'll go with you!"…Meanwhile, Sylvester grew increasingly astonished as he reviewed Frederick's file, which only contained records of his return to Salmasian and his childhood
Inside the Imperial Suite, Frederick lay quietly in the hospital bed while Vivianne stood beside him, reluctant to say goodbye."Frederick, I'm leaving for the Venomveil Tribe and may not see you again. Please take care of yourself, and don't give your ex-wife another thought. She's truly awful."Master Vipersage expected a quick farewell and grew impatient as Vivianne lingered. "Goddess, we must hurry back to the Venomveil Tribe."Understanding it was time to go, Vivianne bent down and kissed Frederick on the lips with tears flowing from her eyes.That kiss might be their last, with no certainty of when they would meet again.Master Vipersage witnessed this intimate moment. He was heartbroken and quickly shielded his eyes.How could the sacred Goddess kiss a mere mortal?He knew that she would need to purify herself with holy water upon returning to the Venomveil Tribe.While Master Vipersage's eyes were covered, Vivianne discreetly slipped something into Frederick's arms befo
A tremor coursed through Frederick as he read the note.The Goddess of the Venomveil Tribe held a position of immense power and prestige, poised to inherit the tribe's leadership.Within the tribe's sanctuary, Vivianne would undoubtedly be safe.However, Frederick knew that venturing into the Venomveil Tribe alone was impossible with his own strength sealed, let alone rescuing Vivianne.His path to redemption lay in restoring his cultivation, gradually absorbing the evil energy to amplify his own power, and ultimately purging the darkness that plagued him.As Frederick stirred, the remaining Venomveil Tribe members discreetly withdrew. Rising, he made his way to Scarlett's room, but his repeated knocks were met with an unsettling silence. He reached for his phone, only to find it shattered from his battle with Kendrick. He threw the phone away and saw a staff member from the Monroe family."Where are my companions?" Frederick demanded urgently.Having witnessed Frederick's d
Frederick cut Sylvester off and stepped forward to ask, "Tell me, what role did the York family play in my father's death?"Sylvester was caught off guard. Frederick was investigating the cause of his father's demise and had even cast suspicion on his own family. Seeing the anger radiating from Frederick, Sylvester reluctantly reached into his inner pocket.Frederick instantly tensed, prepared to defend against any sudden attack.Slowly, Sylvester withdrew a slightly faded photograph and offered it to Frederick.After a moment's hesitation, Frederick accepted the photo.His eyes widened in astonishment.The photograph depicted a group of people, men and women of various ages, gathered joyfully in a grand mansion. Despite the passage of time, the scene remained vivid. Frederick immediately recognized his father, and the man standing beside him seemed strangely familiar.A realization struck as Frederick glanced at Sylvester. This must be a younger Sylvester.The photograph hin
A flicker of recognition crossed Sylvester's eyes as he observed Frederick.Years ago, Ambrose had uttered similar words. Despite Sylvester's numerous attempts to bring him back to Jenaire City, Ambrose had stubbornly refused. As a result, Ambrose ultimately met a tragic end without the family's protection. Sylvester was determined not to let history repeat itself with Frederick."If you're willing to complete the family's trial, I can share some information about your father's death. But if you refuse, you're free to leave. If you choose not to return to the York family, then we are strangers, and I cannot divulge any family secrets."Frederick's fists clenched involuntarily, but he slowly released them, struggling to contain his anger.If the York family had killed his father, he would have fought them to his last breath. But now, with the possibility that his father's death was unrelated to the Yorks, he couldn't justify resorting to violence merely for the sake of uncoverin
After Frederick agreed, Sylvester's expression turned serious as he took out another photograph.The image displayed a peculiar symbol."Memorize this, I've spent a long time investigating your father's case. I'm certain this symbol belongs to a powerful, secretive organization, and they're connected to your father's death."Frederick solemnly accepted the photograph. He recognized the symbol as representing a rather obscure Dawnward demon. Its use as an organizational emblem pointed toward Western origins, a realm Frederick wasn't familiar with.His time in Motheca had been devoted to cultivation and dealing with their god-level experts, leaving worldly affairs to Blazeheart.Trusting Blazeheart to investigate the symbol's significance, Frederick pocketed the photo.Sylvester's concern was evident as he continued, "This organization is incredibly secretive. I've found nothing after years of investigation. Should you uncover anything, inform me immediately. Don't act alone."To
Frederick was astonished to discover that his consciousness was linked to the ring he held. With a mere thought, the ring had absorbed the Spirit Vessel.It was a spatial ring—no wonder Sylvester referred to it as a spirit ring. Even Frederick, well-versed in the world of cultivation, had never encountered such a treasure for spatial storage. He promptly stored his silver needles as well.This spirit ring would undoubtedly make his life much more convenient. After securing the Violet Spirit Vessel, Frederick swiftly departed the Monroe family's cruise ship and made his way to the station to catch a bus back to Jenaire City.As night fell, Frederick arrived in Jenaire City.Gazing at the brightly lit cityscape, a wave of emotion washed over him. He had believed he might never return, yet here he was, destined to remain for another year or so. With phone stores closed for the night, Frederick couldn't buy a new device. His first instinct was to visit Tyger's house to check on Sca
After much hassle, Frederick arrived at the Phantom Bar at 10:00 pm, just as the night was beginning to pulse with energy.As soon as he reached the entrance, he spotted Scarlett's bright red Ferrari. His eyes lit up instantly—Scarlett was indeed here!Inside the bar, the usual cacophony of music and dancing enveloped him. He made his way to the bar and casually inquired of the bartender, "Is Scarlett here?"The bartender paused with a smirk playing on his lips. "Are you looking for that ugly freak?"Frederick was dumbfounded by the bartender's remark. Did someone dare call Scarlett ugly? Were they blind?"Check the restroom, you'll find the ugly freak there," the bartender sneered. Restroom? Frederick's brow furrowed with concern. What had happened? He swiftly made his way toward the restroom, ignoring the bartender's taunts.Inside, a drunken brute was berating a woman scrubbing the floor."Damn ugly freak, scaring the piss out of me! You've ruined my fun!" A group o
Mary's case was the most severe, while Ivan's symptoms were the mildest, and Frederick could roughly deduce the sequence of transmissions among them. It was clear that Mary infected Nigel, who then passed it to Kimberly, then finally passed it to Ivan. Frederick also saw that Ivan was actually a decent person who unfortunately ended up being betrayed and infected. However, Nigel was primarily worried that Ivan might start trusting Frederick, as he wanted Ivan to believe in his capabilities to carry out his plan.Originally, he intended for Mary to insult Frederick for being poor and unskilled, but she ended up attacking him for having an unpleasant odor, which backfired when Frederick exposed her for contracting syphilis. Now, Nigel had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, he then said to Frederick, "Hehe, Frederick. We all know Ivy is a director, what exactly do you do to be worthy of her?"Nigel assumed that Frederick was just a low-level salesperson, something
Hearing Frederick's words, Kimberly jumped with joy and stopped crying. While wiping her tears, she pointed at Mary, laughing and said, "You're covered in syphilis, yet you're making fun of me.""Slut, I wonder how many people you've slept with!" After being pointed and insulted, Mary was furious and she was ready to fight Kimberly. "You bitch! I am going to teach you a lesson!" At this moment, Nigel felt terrible. If Mary was diseased, he'd be the first victim. He grabbed Mary and shouted, "Bitch, let me teach you a lesson first. Now I know why you always wanted the lights off! I thought you were shy, but you just didn't want me to find out."In a fit of anger, Nigel slapped Mary hard across the face. Just as Mary was about to explain, she was interrupted by another slap. Holding her face, she yelled angrily, "Nigel, how dare you hit me?! Do you want me to expose all your little schemes and tricks?"Nigel froze in horror; if Mary exposed him, it would have been disastrous.
Kimberly heard her laughter, and body odor had always been a sensitive issue for her; a wound she'd tried to cover up over the years. For Frederick to bring it up in front of everyone felt like rubbing salt into an open wound. Yet what hurt even more was Mary's laughter; as a fellow woman, it felt like salt to the wound, then roasting it. Kimberly was furious, pointed at Mary and said, "What are you laughing at? Do you want me to come over there and shut you up?"Mary felt wronged, she had only let out a reflexive laugh, but now Kimberly's anger was directed at her. "Did I laugh at you? What proof do you have that I laughed at you?""You're the one with body odor, yet you're taking it out on others. You're such an unreasonable woman!"Kimberly grew even angrier after hearing Mary's retort. "You're the one with body odor, your whole family has it!" "Look at what you're wearing, it's like you just threw on two pillowcases. You're a shameless woman, just trying to show off t
When everyone heard Ivy's words, they laughed even more. Her words effectively confirmed that Frederick did indeed have an unpleasant odor. It wasn't entirely her fault as Kimberly's words had been a bit of a trap. "Haha, if you smell, just take a shower and don't embarrass yourself here.""With all that cheap stuff on, no wonder he has a smell."Hearing this, Frederick simply gave a slight smile and then asked Mary and Kimberly, "Are two really that fragrant?"Mary and Kimberly lifted their heads proudly after hearing Frederick's words. "Why don't you ask everyone here, ask them if we smell good or not?""Exactly, go ahead and ask."Both of them considered themselves beautiful, and of course, they would smell pleasant. The men around them quickly chimed in, especially those eager to admire Mary, who was dressed in a way that gave them a bit of eye candy. "Of course, they smell good. How could these two beautiful ladies not smell good?""Hehe, Frederick with his cheap, th
In a hidden corner, Nigel said to Mary, "Damn it, that bumpkin Frederick keeps stealing my spotlight. I am worried that our plan won't go well later.""You should help me humiliate him properly, and Ivan's girlfriend will back you up."Mary pursed her lips and said to Nigel, "Every time something comes up, you just ask me to handle it. My bag hasn't been bought yet, and you've lost 300 thousand dollars"Although Nigel was annoyed by Mary hitting a sore spot, he kept his tone calm and replied, "Help me humiliate Frederick and talk him down in front of Ivan. After that, leave the rest to me. Once it's done, I'll get you more than one bag, I could get you ten bags and it wouldn't be a problem. I don't care about that small amount of money. You saw that Porsche just now, right? I wouldn't mind burning it if I had to." Hearing this, Mary was delighted and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, babe." She hadn't realized that Nigel was so wealthy and even had a Porsche. Up until th
Knowing Martin as someone who knew a lot about wood, everyone immediately looked as though they were ready for a good show. They were convinced that the Saint George statue couldn’t possibly be made of anything valuable.Martin let out a strange exclamation. "What the hell!"Kimberly, thinking that Martin was angry, quickly said, "Mr. Lawson, tell us what’s so disastrous about this wood. Are you saying it’s just a piece of junk?"Contrary to expectations, Martin replied angrily, "I’m saying that whoever preserved this Saint George statue was a jerk. This is genuine sandalwood, and yet it’s completely neglected, covered in dust."Most of the group had no idea what sandalwood was worth, but judging by the name alone, it sounded impressive.Kimberly asked curiously, "Mr. Lawson, are you saying this is really antique wood?"Martin examined the statue carefully, scrutinizing every detail. "Judging by the texture, this carving must have been made at least 150 years ago."Everyone was
"The Saint George statue was indeed a fitting choice for a karaoke." Nigel chuckled, turning to Ivy.“Why didn’t you just go on Amazon and buy a new one for a few dozen bucks? This one is obviously second-hand. Or was it picked up from some junk stall?”Frederick heard Nigel’s mockery and nodded in agreement, a faint smile on his lips. “You’re not wrong. This statue actually was picked up from a street stall.”“At the Treasure Hall in the antique trade market, no less. And yes, it’s an antique.”The truth was, the statue was from the Victorian era. Even the owner of Treasure Hall, Dominic, had recognized its age but dismissed it as worthless, tossing it onto a stall outside.Frederick had picked it up casually, thinking it would come in handy one day, and now it was the perfect gift for Ivan.Hearing this, Nigel burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. “An antique? Treasure Hall? You’re really trying to fool us.”Kimberly chimed in, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she glance
The group’s attention was fully captured by Frederick’s words, their eyes all on him. Nigel, knowing that Kimberly had informed Ivy at the last minute and that she likely didn’t have a gift, sneered at Frederick."Well, if you’ve got a gift, go ahead and show it.""Considering Ivy and Kimberly’s relationship, the gift should be pretty decent, right?"Everyone was now staring at Frederick with anticipation, curious to see what kind of gift he could produce.Ivy, on the other hand, was completely flustered. She hadn’t handed any gift to Frederick, though she understood he was trying to help her out of a tough spot. But wasn’t this making things even more awkward?Nigel continued to press him, "Where’s the gift? Come on, take it out already.""After all this time, you still can’t take it out. Don’t tell me you don’t even have one."Frederick glanced at Nigel with a calm smile. "Oh? Are you planning to bet 300 grand with me again?"Nigel froze. There was no way he had another 300 t
Ivan was deeply moved, feeling as though all the unpleasantness from their school days had been swept away. A sense of childhood nostalgia, unique to old classmates, welled up within him.The crowd continued to shower Nigel with praise, giving him thumbs up one after another."A gift worth 10 grand is no small amount. Nigel is truly generous.""That’s right. These days, even classmates hesitate to prepare gifts, but Nigel has shown such generosity.."Most of the attendees had come because of their connection with Kimberly. Each had prepared gifts with costs ranging from a few hundred dollars. Compared to Nigel’s grandiose gift worth 10 thousand, their contributions paled in comparison.Hearing the compliments, Nigel waved his hand dismissively, feigning modesty. "It’s nothing, really. After all, Ivan and I are good friends from way back."Then, Nigel’s expression shifted slightly as he added, "Speaking of good friends, I’m sure it’s not just me and Ivan here who share a special b