Chapter 174: Face To Face With The Shelbys

Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Face To Face With The Shelbys

"You’re becoming more and more unreasonable, Liam! As your elder brother, I can’t keep watching you behave this way. Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson!"

"Are you deliberately trying to drive your mother to her grave? Your father is still bedridden, and you have the nerve to bring that cursed girl back here? Liam Shelby, have you completely lost your mind?"

"Liam, I’m Charles Shelby, the patriarch of this family. Come here immediately!"

Four people stood in the flying boat’s path, making it impossible for the group to proceed toward the Shelby Family manor.

Two of them were familiar faces to Liam. One was his elder brother, Peter Shelby, while the other was their mother, Eleanor Shelby.

The remaining two were also important figures within the family.

The middle-aged man standing at the front wore a black tunic suit. His expression was stern, and his entire bearing carried the authority of someone accustomed to giving orders. He appeared to be around fifty years old.

This was Charles Shelby, the current patriarch of the Shelby Family. His cultivation had reached the Eighth Star of the Star Sea Realm.

Standing beside him was a thin, elderly man holding a halberd. He remained silent, his face completely expressionless.

He was the Shelby Family’s Seventh Elder, a powerful martial artist at the Third Star of the Divine Power Realm.

Their appearance was no coincidence.

Two nights earlier, after Liam had openly confronted his mother, brother, and other family members over Maya’s situation, they had immediately reported everything to Charles.

Not long afterward, Liam had secretly left Groundcrest without informing anyone.

Unfortunately for him, the flying boat he used belonged to the Shelby Family. It was equipped with a tracking function, allowing the family to monitor its location.

Once they discovered that Liam had traveled to Valemont, they guessed what he intended to do.

They had therefore arranged to intercept him before he could bring Maya into the family manor.

However, Liam wasn’t intimidated by the people standing in front of him.

He looked at his mother, elder brother, and the patriarch with an irritated expression.

"How exactly am I being unreasonable? I think I’m being perfectly reasonable!"

He spread his hands.

"All I did was bring my niece home. What does that have to do with any of you? Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Adrian’s face darkened.

"How can you say it has nothing to do with us? Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you’ve caused?"

He pointed angrily at Liam.

"Your actions have already attracted Desmond Hale’s attention. He hasn’t made an issue of it yet because he still considers the Shelby Family’s position. But if you bring Maya back, you’ll completely provoke him. Do you understand what that means?"

Eleanor immediately joined in.

"Exactly! Do you think our eldest son-in-law is someone we can afford to offend? He’s one of the most important connections the Shelby Family has. Are you seriously willing to destroy everything we’ve built just because of some unlucky girl?"

She raised her voice, looking at Liam as though he had committed an unforgivable crime.

"Do you want Desmond Hale to turn against us? Do you want the Mountain Venerable to become our enemy? Are you trying to ruin this family?"

Charles stepped forward. His expression was even colder than before.

"Liam, do you still consider yourself a member of the Shelby Family?"

He stared directly at his younger son.

"For the sake of a niece you’ve never even met, you’ve chosen to go against the wishes of the entire family. Is this how you repay everything we’ve done for you? Have you forgotten the family’s expectations and all the resources we’ve invested in your growth?"

He shook his head in disappointment.

"You have truly let me down."

The three of them took turns reprimanding Liam, surrounding him with accusations from every direction.

One was his mother, another was his elder brother, and the last was the patriarch who represented the entire family.

The Seventh Elder remained silent, but his presence made the threat clear. If Liam refused to cooperate, the old man was prepared to use force.

Under normal circumstances, such pressure would have been difficult for anyone to withstand.

But Liam wasn’t an ordinary person.

He was a martial arts fanatic. The only thing capable of making him nervous was a difficult battle against a powerful opponent.

As for family pressure and verbal intimidation?

Those things meant absolutely nothing to him.

In fact, after hearing them repeatedly insult Maya, his anger only grew.

"You keep calling her unlucky. Who exactly are you talking about?"

Liam’s eyes swept across the three people in front of him.

"Even a child in kindergarten understands that family members should look after one another. Yet you people are willing to abandon your own granddaughter and direct blood relative, leaving her to suffer outside, all because her mother fell in love with a farmer instead of accepting the marriage you arranged!"

His voice grew louder.

"Tell me, do you have any humanity left? How can you treat your own flesh and blood this way?"

Adrian’s expression changed, but Liam didn’t give him a chance to respond.

"And what about Desmond Hale? So what if he’s the son of the Mountain Venerable? Are we supposed to bow our heads and beg for his approval? Even if the Mountain Venerable himself stood here, would that mean the Shelby Family had to crawl at his feet?"

He gave a cold snort.

"If you hadn’t come out here today, I might have continued to respect you. But after hearing what you’ve said, I can only say that you’re worse than animals!"

Liam had completely let loose.

He had already grown fond of Maya. Although they had only met recently, he had begun thinking about how to protect her and become someone she could depend on.

He had even been trying to figure out how to earn her affection and eventually replace the two men who currently occupied the most important places in her heart: her master and martial uncle.

Yet the moment he brought her home, his own family greeted him with insults and accusations.

How was he supposed to tolerate that?

Yes, he loved fighting. He spent most of his time challenging powerful opponents and improving his swordsmanship.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t fight with words.

In fact, Liam had a special talent for this particular kind of battle. He had reached a level where he could leave his opponents completely speechless without drawing his sword.

Three sentences were enough to make Adrian tremble with anger.

The usually dignified elder brother was so furious that he couldn’t even find the words to respond.

Eleanor staggered slightly. Her face turned pale, and she looked as though she might faint at any moment.

Charles’s expression was even worse. His face had darkened completely, and his eyes seemed to lose their focus as he struggled to contain his rage.

After a brief silence, he finally spoke.

"Liam! I thought you were simply being immature. I never imagined you would become so defiant that you no longer recognize the authority of your elders!"

His voice was filled with fury.

"Very well. Since you refuse to listen, there’s nothing more to discuss. Seventh Elder, enforce the family rules!"

The elderly man holding the halberd immediately shifted his stance.

Liam’s expression changed.

He had expected another round of arguments, but Charles had actually decided to use force.

"I strongly advise you not to make a mistake!"

Liam raised his voice before the Seventh Elder could move.

"Don’t assume I’ve come here alone with Maya. Take a good look at the two people standing beside me. Do you even know who they are?"

He wasn’t foolish.

Arguing with his family was one thing. Allowing them to attack him and the people accompanying him was another matter entirely.

If things turned physical, the consequences could be far more serious.

Xavier and Victoria had remained silent throughout the confrontation. However, their expressions had grown increasingly cold.

They had already figured out the identities of the people blocking their way.

Two of them were Maya’s blood relatives. One was the patriarch of her mother’s family, while the other was an elder of the Shelby Family.

These people should have been among the closest relatives Maya could rely on.

Yet they had repeatedly referred to her as an unlucky girl and treated her existence as a disgrace.

Even Xavier, who had no personal connection to the Shelby Family, found their behavior disgusting.

Victoria was equally displeased.

Behind them, Maya had already recognized the people standing ahead. She understood that they were members of her mother’s family, and hearing them speak about her that way had deeply wounded her.

She quietly lowered her head and wiped away the tears gathering in her eyes.

The situation was now on the verge of turning violent.

Neither Xavier nor Victoria intended to stand by and watch Maya or Liam get hurt.

Charles noticed Liam’s warning and finally turned his attention toward the two strangers beside him.

He raised one hand, signaling the Seventh Elder to hold his position.

"Who exactly are these two?"

He asked cautiously.

Liam might be straightforward and reckless, but he wasn’t someone who casually brought strangers into important family matters. If he treated these two people with such confidence, they were probably not ordinary martial artists.

Victoria stepped forward first.

"Victoria Quill."

Xavier followed in a calm voice.

"Major."

Charles froze for a moment.

As the patriarch of the Shelby Family, he naturally knew who Victoria was.

In the past, he wouldn’t have paid much attention to her. Even at her peak, she had only been a peak Star Sea Realm martial artist. The Shelby Family itself had roughly ten experts at that level.

But everything had changed a few days earlier.

News had spread that Victoria had successfully survived the Nine Heavenly Tribulation and broken through to the Divine Power Realm.

Her future potential was now extraordinary.

More importantly, she held an official position within the Extraordinary Department. Even a powerful family like the Shelbys couldn’t afford to offend her carelessly.

However, the other man’s identity was even more troublesome.

Two days earlier, Major had been virtually unknown to Charles. He had never considered the young man someone worth paying attention to.

But the events in Destiny Space had changed everything.

News of Major’s achievements had spread rapidly through the Star Sea Realm and Divine Power Realm martial arts circles.

He had spent high-grade pills as though they were ordinary goods. Despite supposedly being only at the Third Star of the Star Sea Realm, he had defeated Mark, a Divine Power Realm expert.

He had also fought Liam three times and won every match.

Even more astonishing was his mastery of the Phantom God-Slaying Sword Technique, which had led many people to suspect that he was connected to the Highland Sword Emperor.

After investigating further, Charles had discovered that Major was an A-level member of the Extraordinary Department whose primary profession was alchemy.

In other words, he was an exceptionally powerful martial artist and an alchemy grandmaster at an incredibly young age.

Charles had been hoping to establish a good relationship with someone like that.

There was no way he would willingly make an enemy of him.

His expression immediately changed.

"So you’re General Quill and Master Major. It’s an honor to meet you both."

He greeted them politely before turning back toward Liam.

"Liam, what’s the meaning of this? Why are General Quill and Master Major accompanying you?"

Liam gave him an annoyed look.

"General Quill thinks highly of my niece, while Master Major is her martial uncle. What do you think?"

Charles was stunned.

He hadn’t expected Maya to have such powerful people supporting her.

This changed the situation considerably. The family could no longer treat her as an insignificant girl who had no connections or influence.

However, Charles still hesitated.

The main reason he had opposed Maya’s return was Desmond Hale. The man was the Shelby Family’s eldest son-in-law, and his father was the Mountain Venerable.

Offending him could bring serious consequences upon the entire family.

Now, with Victoria and Major involved, the situation had become even more complicated.