Free Web NovelChapter 28: The Fall of the Ashthorn Ancestor
The Fall of the Ashthorn Ancestor
The cheers gradually faded, but the excitement burning within every member of the Salvatore Family only grew stronger.
Across the shattered courtyard, Tobias Ashthorn lay motionless in a pool of his own blood.
His once-arrogant face was now pale with terror.
Every meridian in his body had been destroyed.
His bones had been reduced to fragments.
Even breathing had become an agonizing struggle.
Never in all his years had he imagined that someone who had only recently stepped into the Astral Manifestation Realm could possess such overwhelming strength.
He looked up at Victor with trembling eyes. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
The young Patriarch stood beneath the clear sky, his black robe embroidered with golden dragons fluttering gently in the breeze. His shoulder-length black hair danced behind him, while those calm golden eyes remained utterly indifferent.
There was no excitement.
No pride.
No joy after victory.
To Victor, defeating Tobias Ashthorn had been no more difficult than crushing an insect beneath his foot.
Fear completely swallowed the old man’s heart.
"Patriarch Victor..."
His voice shook violently.
"P-Please... spare me..."
"I beg you..."
"I’ll sign a Clan Blood Contract."
"The Ashthorn Family will become servants of the Salvatore Family."
"The men will become slaves."
"The women will become maids."
"So long as you spare my life..."
Unlike Harrier Ravencreast, who had sought a future for his clan...
Tobias cared only about surviving.
His dignity had long since vanished.
His pride had been shattered together with his cultivation.
Victor merely looked down at him.
Disgust flashed through his golden eyes.
"Nux."
His calm voice echoed across the courtyard.
"Yes, Patriarch."
Nux immediately stepped forward.
His black hair swayed lightly as his crimson eyes locked onto Tobias Ashthorn.
The simple saber at his waist slowly slid from its sheath.
A chilling metallic ring echoed through the silent courtyard.
Victor spoke only two words.
"Kill him."
Nux’s pupils contracted slightly.
He immediately understood Victor’s intention.
His Abyssal Bodhi Slaughter Physique grew stronger through slaughter.
To personally execute a Half-Step Heavenly Genesis Realm cultivator would provide unimaginable benefits.
Without the slightest hesitation, he lowered his head respectfully.
"Understood."
The blade in his hand reflected a cold silver light.
Seeing death drawing ever closer, Tobias Ashthorn’s expression twisted into madness.
"VICTOR!"
"I am a disciple of the Crimson Abyss Sect!"
"A Seventh-Rank Sect!"
"Our elders are all Heavenly Genesis Realm experts!"
"Our Sect Master has already reached the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Genesis Realm!"
"I accepted an important mission from the sect before leaving seclusion!"
"If you kill me..."
"The Salvatore Family will be wiped from existence!"
His frantic roar echoed throughout the estate.
Several younger disciples instinctively looked toward Victor.
Even Nux paused for a brief moment.
A Seventh-Rank Sect...
For a family within Aurelia City, it was a monstrous existence.
Yet Victor’s expression never changed.
He simply glanced at Tobias Ashthorn as though looking at a barking dog.
"Too noisy."
Only three quiet words.
Nothing more.
Nux instantly understood.
The hesitation in his eyes disappeared.
His gaze became ice cold.
A single step.
A single slash.
A streak of dazzling saber light flashed across the courtyard.
"Wai—"
Before Tobias Ashthorn could finish speaking—
His voice stopped abruptly.
Blood burst into the air like crimson rain.
His head separated cleanly from his body.
It rolled several meters across the stone floor before finally coming to a stop.
Silence returned.
For Nux, the principle had always been simple.
If the Patriarch ordered someone killed...
Then that person deserved to die.
Questions were unnecessary.
The instant Tobias Ashthorn’s life ended, an astonishing surge of insight flooded into Nux’s body.
The murderous aura surrounding him intensified.
The spiritual power within his meridians surged violently.
His cultivation, which had only recently stabilized, began showing signs of another breakthrough.
Meanwhile...
Thousands of miles away...
Inside a blood-red cavern hidden deep beneath the earth...
A single black soul flame flickered weakly.
Then—
It quietly went out.
The surrounding cave instantly fell into complete silence.
Moments later...
A pair of sinister crimson eyes slowly opened within the darkness.
A chilling voice echoed throughout the cavern.
"Heh..."
"A mere insignificant family dares to kill a disciple of my Crimson Abyss Sect?"
"They truly have a death wish."
"Tobias Ashthorn may have been trash..."
"But before the Secret Realm opens..."
"He still had some value."
The figure slowly rose.
An overwhelming killing intent spread through the entire cave.
"Very well."
"The sect’s five Blood Pools are still insufficient."
"Since someone doesn’t know their place..."
"We’ll simply create another."
Back at the Salvatore Family...
Victor quietly looked toward the distant horizon.
"The Crimson Abyss Sect?"
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"If they fail to recognize what’s good for them..."
"I don’t mind giving the Salvatore Family another stepping stone."
His tone remained calm, as though discussing something utterly insignificant.
Then he slowly turned toward the countless excited members of the Salvatore Family.
Both the Ashthorn Family Patriarch...
And the Ravencreast Family Patriarch...
Were dead.
From this day onward...
Only one ruler remained in Aurelia City.
Victor’s calm voice echoed across the courtyard.
"Aurelia City only needs one voice from now on."
"When this battle ends..."
"Rewards will be distributed according to merit."
The crowd instantly erupted. freewebnøvel.com
"YES, PATRIARCH!"
At that exact moment, the familiar voice of the Eternal Legacy System echoed within Victor’s mind.
[Ding!]
[Family Mission Triggered: Unify Aurelia City.]
[Mission Reward: Eternal Heavenly Rune Codex.]
[Mission Reward: Clan Artifact — Primordial Blood Refining Cauldron.]
[Mission Reward: Nameless Sword Invitation.]
Victor’s eyes flickered with interest.
The system had once again delivered its rewards at precisely the right moment.
Before anyone could react—
The great gates of the Salvatore Family swung open with a thunderous boom.
Like a tide of iron and steel, hundreds of Salvatore disciples rushed forward carrying gleaming weapons.
Their battle cries shook the entire estate.
At the front of the army...
Several elite disciples carried two freshly severed heads.
One belonged to Tobias Ashthorn.
The other to Harrier Ravencreast.
Their destination was clear.
The Ashthorn Family.
The Ravencreast Family.
Tonight...
Aurelia City would witness the rise of a single supreme family.
Max Salvatore stepped forward and respectfully cupped his fists.
"Big Brother."
"I’ll personally oversee the battle."
His emotions were still turbulent.
The cultivation technique Victor had given him had already transformed him beyond recognition.
Although he had no idea of its true rank...
He knew one thing with absolute certainty.
It was a priceless inheritance that countless experts would kill to obtain.
Yet Victor had entrusted it to him without hesitation.
Victor nodded gently.
Then his golden eyes shifted toward a small boy still hanging awkwardly from Max’s grip.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Leave that little fellow here."
The little fellow...
Was none other than Damien Salvatore.
