Building an Eternal Dynasty: The Eternal Legacy System

Chapter 5: The Woman Behind the Fall

The Woman Behind the Fall

[Ding! You have completed the mission: The Salvatore Family Must Not Be Humiliated!]

[Reward Obtained: Gold-Grade Clan Member!]

The notification echoed within Victor’s mind.

At the same time, a new item appeared inside the Eternal Legacy System’s inventory.

Victor’s gaze immediately shifted toward it.

A faint golden radiance surrounded the item, giving off an extraordinary feeling.

[Gold-Grade Clan Member: Possesses the qualifications to contend for destiny, enjoys deep fortune and tremendous blessings. Upon use, a Gold-Grade clan member will be obtained.]

Victor’s eyes flickered slightly.

Even after seeing Nux’s Blue-grade destiny and sealed Abyssal Bodhi Slaughter Physique, he understood exactly how terrifying a Gold-grade destiny truly was.

Such a person was enough to become the foundation of an entire great power.

Without hesitation, Victor chose to use it.

The item dissolved instantly.

A flash of golden light appeared before vanishing completely.

Then...

Nothing happened.

The hall remained unchanged.

No mysterious figure appeared.

No heavenly phenomenon descended.

No system notification followed.

Victor raised an eyebrow.

"I wonder where this Gold-Grade clan member will come from." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

He pondered silently.

However, after obtaining the Eternal Legacy System, he had already learned one thing.

Anything produced by the system was extraordinary.

If it said a Gold-grade clan member would appear, then one certainly would.

Sooner or later.

Thus, Victor stopped dwelling on the matter.

Meanwhile, deep within the inner courtyard of the Salvatore Family—

A group of thirteen and fourteen-year-old youths had already gathered together.

Excited voices continuously echoed through the courtyard.

"The Patriarch has emerged from seclusion!"

"That’s wonderful! It’s the legendary Patriarch! The Patriarch who once swept across all of Aurelia City has finally returned!"

"Wuuu... The good days of the Salvatore Family are finally coming back!"

Many youngsters were practically jumping in excitement.

To them, Victor was more legend than man.

The stories of his achievements had accompanied their childhoods.

He was the hero every Salvatore child dreamed of becoming.

Yet among the celebrating crowd stood one young man who looked completely different.

His expression was dazed.

Confused.

As though his soul had been struck by lightning.

Black hair.

Black eyes.

Sharp features.

His name was Damien Salvatore.

"I’ve been reborn?"

The thought echoed through his mind.

His breathing became uneven.

Memories flooded into him like a broken dam.

"Damn it... Today is the day the Blackwood Family comes to our door!"

His eyes widened.

"The Salvatore Family hasn’t been destroyed?"

"What?"

"The Patriarch emerged from seclusion?"

His heartbeat accelerated.

"Wasn’t our Patriarch supposed to die during his breakthrough?"

Countless memories collided together.

His previous life.

His current life.

The future he remembered.

The reality before him.

Everything seemed completely different.

His consciousness became momentarily dazed.

Meanwhile— frёewebnoѵēl.com

Victor remained completely unaware that a reborn clan member had appeared within the family.

At this moment, his attention remained focused on the Salvatore disciples gathered before him.

Their eyes shone brightly.

Their spirits had been completely reignited.

Hope had returned.

Faith had returned.

And now they waited for only one thing.

Their Patriarch’s command.

Victor looked across the crowd.

Then he smiled faintly.

"Go."

His voice wasn’t loud.

Yet everyone heard it clearly.

"Take back every industry and business that once belonged to the Salvatore Family."

Excitement immediately flashed across countless faces.

Victor continued calmly.

"You must remember."

"They merely borrowed our property."

A dangerous smile appeared.

The same smile that had once made countless enemies tremble.

"And if something is borrowed..."

His golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"Then interest must be paid."

The atmosphere instantly changed.

Many younger disciples nearly laughed aloud.

Their Patriarch truly was their Patriarch.

Not only would they reclaim everything.

The debtors would pay interest as well.

His voice remained warm.

Gentle.

Like spring wind.

Yet everyone present understood the meaning hidden beneath those words.

Without hesitation, the disciples immediately began moving.

Some headed toward the city.

Others rushed toward family businesses.

None questioned the order.

If Victor said they could reclaim everything—

Then they would.

That was enough.

Nearby, Max released a soft cough.

"Cough... Cough..."

His complexion remained pale.

Yet compared to earlier, there was far more life in his eyes.

"Big Brother’s vision is as sharp as ever."

A bitter smile appeared.

"The Blackwood Family truly is just a dog."

Victor remained silent.

Max continued.

"A dog belonging to the Ashthorn Family and the Ravencrest Family."

The moment he mentioned those two names, coldness flashed across several elders’ faces.

The Ravencrest Family.

One of the Four Great Families.

For years they had quietly devoured Salvatore businesses.

"Now that you’re alive and have advanced into the Astral Manifestation Realm, those two old foxes won’t dare make a single move."

Max chuckled weakly.

"They’ll return all the family businesses."

"The things I spent years wanting to accomplish but couldn’t..."

His voice softened.

"You can achieve effortlessly."

Then he looked toward Victor.

Exactly as he had when they were children.

Filled with admiration.

Filled with trust.

"You’re truly worthy of being my elder brother..."

"Cough... Cough..."

Blood stained his handkerchief.

Victor’s expression darkened.

Watching Max like this caused a sharp pain in his chest.

This was his biological brother.

A genius who had entered the Celestial Gate Realm before thirty.

A man who should have stood proudly above Aurelia City.

Yet now...

His foundation was damaged.

His vitality depleted.

His future nearly ruined.

Victor slowly placed his hand against Max’s back.

Golden True Essence flowed gently into his body.

Immediately—

Victor frowned.

The condition inside Max was far worse than expected.

His extraordinary meridians were partially blocked.

Numerous injuries remained untreated.

Several internal organs leaked spiritual power constantly.

The situation could only be described as disastrous.

A few more years and Max might truly become crippled.

Victor withdrew his hand slowly.

His eyes grew colder.

"During the years I spent in seclusion..."

His voice became quiet.

"What happened?"

"And what happened to your cultivation?"

His gaze swept around.

"Where are the clan elders and family Guardians?"

Ten years.

An entire decade.

For someone in seclusion, it felt like a brief dream.

Yet outside, everything had changed.

There were too many questions.

Too many missing pieces.

The moment Victor asked—

Max’s expression immediately changed.

Guilt appeared.

Pain followed.

Then self-blame.

"It’s all my fault..."

His voice trembled.

He struck his own chest repeatedly.

Victor immediately stabilized him with True Essence.

"Second Brother, don’t rush."

His voice softened.

"Take your time."

"No matter what happens..."

Victor’s golden eyes remained calm.

"I am here. Tell me slowly."

The words carried immense reassurance.

Max slowly calmed down.

Then he began speaking.

"In the first few years after Big Brother entered seclusion, everything remained normal."

"With my Fifth Layer Celestial Gate Realm cultivation, the Salvatore Family stopped expanding, but we still firmly occupied the position of Aurelia City’s number one family."

Victor nodded.

That matched his expectations.

Max continued.

"But all of that changed after Rias disappeared..."

The moment those words left his mouth—

Victor froze.

A graceful figure appeared in his memories.

Long crimson hair.

Crimson eyes.

An elegant smile.

Rias Greamory.

Max’s wife.

Nux’s mother.

A truly remarkable woman.

Back then, Victor had never intended to marry.

His entire focus had been cultivation.

Strength.

The pursuit of higher realms.

Then one day Max returned from his travels.

Beside him stood a young woman with crimson hair.

Victor still remembered their first meeting.

Rias had possessed extraordinary intelligence.

Within months she understood every aspect of family management.

Business.

Trade.

Logistics.

Personnel.

Finances.

The family’s prosperity had increased dramatically because of her efforts.

Almost one-third of the Salvatore Family’s industrial expansion plans originated from her.

Even Victor himself had been impressed.

She wasn’t merely talented.

She was exceptional.

Back then—

Before she married Max—

She had once quietly asked Victor a question.

A question he never forgot.

And he had refused.

Not because he disliked her.

But because his heart belonged entirely to cultivation.

Afterward, Rias and Max gradually grew closer.

Eventually they married.

Over the years, Victor saw genuine companionship between them.

Not the fiery passion of young lovers.

Something steadier.

Something deeper.

Trust.

Respect.

Partnership.

A true family.

And now she was gone.

"Rias disappeared?"

Victor asked quietly.

"Yes."

Max lowered his head.

"In those days, Rias became increasingly anxious."

"Although she tried not to show it, we’d been husband and wife for many years. I naturally noticed."

A faint smile appeared.

Sad.

Nostalgic.

"She was always strong."

"Always taking care of everyone."

"The family."

"Nux."

"The businesses."

"Even me."

Then his smile vanished.

"Then one morning..."

"When I woke up..."

"She was gone."

The hall became silent.

"And at the time..."

Max clenched his fists.

"She was a little sick because she failed to break through."

Pain filled his eyes.

The wound clearly remained fresh despite the years.

"I was afraid something had happened to her."

"I searched like a madman."

"I even mobilized the entire family."

"The clan elders all joined the search as well."

Victor listened quietly.

His heart sank.

Because he already knew this story wouldn’t end well.

"But..."

Tears began falling.

"Not a single elder returned."

The hall fell completely silent.

"The few Guardians who survived eventually left the Salvatore Family."

"As for me..."

His fingers trembled.

"I was injured by a sword light in the wilderness outside the city."

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

"The person who struck me was at least..."

Max’s voice shook.

"Heavenly Genesis Realm."

The words stunned everyone present.

Even several elders inhaled sharply.

A Heavenly Genesis Realm expert.

Such a person could dominate entire regions.

A being capable of borrowing heaven and earth itself.

Crushing mountains.

Splitting rivers.

Destroying cities.

Yet such a figure had appeared because of Rias.

Max laughed bitterly.

"I always knew that Rias came from a powerful family."

"But I never imagined that even a Heavenly Genesis Realm expert would merely be a servant of her family."

The hall fell silent.

Victor’s eyes darkened.

A servant?

Then how powerful was the family behind her?

"Big Brother..."

Max lowered his head.

"I can’t continue dragging the Salvatore Family down because of me."

Even now—

He still remembered that sword.

That terrifying sword light capable of severing heaven itself.

He remembered the overwhelming despair.

The absolute power.

Yet in the end—

He survived.

Not because the enemy showed mercy.

But because someone begged.

Desperately.

A woman with crimson hair.

A woman willing to throw away everything.

For him.

For Nux.

For the family.

That cold voice still haunted his nightmares.

The voice of the old servant.

Emotionless.

Unfeeling.

Absolute.

"Young Lady."

"This old servant does not wish to make you sad."

"But how can an ant like this be worthy of accompanying you?"

"Please return with this servant immediately."