Chapter 78: The Trail To Mira’s Mother

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: The Trail To Mira’s Mother

The moment he learned that his youngest son had been taken, he had rushed over with ten of the academy’s strongest fighters.

"Who are you?" Steven’s voice boomed across the abandoned area.

"Let my son go. If you do, I’ll consider sparing your life."

He was around fifty years old and wore a black martial arts uniform.

His broad shoulders and muscular frame made it clear that he was a seasoned martial artist.

Behind him stood ten men, every one of them a Foundation Establishment martial artist from the Renewal Martial Academy.

Steven had initially assumed that some insignificant gang from Constance District had kidnapped Bernard.

It was not the first time something like this had happened.

Someone had once tried to kidnap his eldest son as well, and that incident had ended badly for the kidnappers.

Steven had personally hunted down the people responsible and wiped out their entire organization.

So when he arrived and saw that only one man was waiting for him, his anger quickly turned into contempt.

Someone in Constance District actually had the nerve to kidnap his son? They clearly had no idea who they were dealing with.

Steven did not bother wasting words. He simply raised his hand.

"Take him," he commanded.

The ten martial artists immediately charged forward.

Then a single punch landed, and the first man exploded where he stood.

Before the others could react, Xavier moved. Another punch. Another body collapsed. Then another. Within seconds, the empty ground beside the Dolly River had become a scene of carnage.

Every one of Steven’s men was killed by a single blow. There was no prolonged battle. No opportunity to fight back. Just overwhelming strength.

Less than thirty seconds later, all ten Foundation Establishment martial artists were dead.

Steven stood frozen. His face had lost all its color. The confidence he had arrived with disappeared completely. He finally understood the difference between them.

Spirit Platform. There was absolutely no other explanation.

The man standing before him had to be a Spirit Platform martial artist. Why would someone at that level come all the way to a neglected place like Constance District?

Steven had no idea, and he did not care. His survival instinct had already taken over.

He dropped to his knees.

"Please, spare me," he begged.

Xavier looked at him calmly.

"I have no personal grudge against you or your son," he said, glancing at Bernard.

"If you cooperate with me, both of you can leave here alive."

Steven’s breathing gradually steadied. He swallowed before asking carefully, "What do you want me to do? I’ll do whatever you ask."

"Tell me everything you know about the Bloodshadow Cult," Xavier said without hesitation.

Steven’s face immediately changed.

"The Bloodshadow Cult?" For a brief moment, fear flashed through his eyes. He quickly tried to hide it.

Steven was a member of the Cult’s intelligence network.

He had joined its information gathering team two years earlier and had been extremely careful about keeping his involvement hidden.

He had not even told Bernard. How had this stranger discovered it?

But that was not what frightened him most. The real problem was what Xavier intended to do with the information.

If he handed over the communication channels he used to contact the Bloodshadow Cult, the organization would eventually discover what he had done. And the Cult did not forgive betrayal. If they learned that Steven had exposed them, they would not just kill him. His entire family could be erased.

Steven’s eyes shifted rapidly as he tried to find a way out. Finally, he forced himself to speak.

"The Bloodshadow Cult is a nationally wanted assassination organization," he said.

"Nobody knows the true identity of its leader. From what I’ve heard, its assassins are divided into three ranks, Bronze, Silver, and Gold."

He began reciting information that could easily be found through public sources, speaking slowly and carefully choosing his words.

It was obvious that he was trying to give Xavier just enough information to make it appear as though he was cooperating.

Xavier immediately saw through him. He did not interrupt. He simply drew his sword.

Before Steven could understand what he intended to do, Xavier swung once toward Bernard.

A flash of light passed through the air.

Bernard screamed.

"AHHHHH!"

His left arm dropped to the ground. Blood sprayed across the dirt as he collapsed and clutched the severed limb.

Steven’s face turned white.

"Don’t waste my time," Xavier said, his voice cold.

"If you continue lying to me, the next thing I cut off will be your son’s head."

Steven stared at Bernard in horror.

"Yes!" he gasped, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "I’ll talk!"

He understood the situation immediately. If he told the truth, there was at least a possibility that the Bloodshadow Cult would never discover his betrayal.

If he refused, this terrifying Spirit Platform martial artist would kill him and Bernard right here. There was no real choice.

Steven gritted his teeth. Then he began speaking.

"I joined the Bloodshadow Cult’s information network by chance two years ago," he said, his voice trembling.

"The person who recruited me used the codename Tea House. He became my direct contact. When the Cult received an assassination contract, Tea House would contact me. My job was to send people under my command to investigate the target. We usually collected information about their daily movements, where they lived, who they associated with, their habits, and the places they frequently visited."

Steven continued.

"My first assignment involved investigating a bank vice president," he said, and proceeded to recount the other assignments he had received over the past two years.

Every detail. Every target. Every piece of information he had gathered.

Xavier listened without interrupting. He had plenty of time. There was no reason to rush the interrogation.

Eventually, Steven reached his most recent assignment.

"My latest order came about a week ago," he said, swallowing. "I was told to locate a woman named Helena."

Xavier’s expression remained unchanged.

"I was told she used to be involved with the former head of the Sinclair family," Steven continued, pausing. "Edmund Sinclair."

Xavier’s eyes narrowed.

Helena. That name immediately meant something to him. Mira’s mother.

The Bloodshadow Cult was looking for Mira’s mother?

That could not be a coincidence. Had the Sinclair family secretly hired them? Xavier’s thoughts raced, but his expression remained calm.

"What did you discover about Helena?" he asked.

Steven’s eyes flickered. He immediately realized something. Helena was not merely another target.

She had a connection to the mysterious man standing before him. Otherwise, he would not have reacted so quickly.

Steven’s mind began working. This could be my chance. If Helena was important to him, perhaps he could use that information to negotiate. Maybe he could trade what he knew for his life.

Steven had not even finished forming the thought when Xavier’s expression turned cold.

"You really don’t know when to stop," he said.

Xavier raised one hand. Two extremely thin strands of chaotic energy condensed between his fingers, and with a flick of his hand they shot forward.

The needle like strands pierced Steven’s chest and right elbow before disappearing beneath his skin.

Steven’s eyes widened.

"What—" he started.

Xavier closed his hand.

Steven’s right arm suddenly exploded. Blood and shattered bone sprayed across the ground.

"Aaaargh!" Steven collapsed, clutching the ruined limb as unbearable pain tore through him.

This was a technique Xavier had only recently become capable of using.

After reaching the Spirit Platform rank and allowing his Chaos Body to develop into its middle to late growth stage, his control over chaotic energy had improved tremendously.

He could now compress it into extremely fine strands and force them directly into an opponent’s body. Once inside, the energy could be detonated at will. It was essentially a bomb that Xavier could trigger whenever he pleased.

For anyone who could not absorb and refine chaotic energy like Lydia, such energy was terrifying.

Chaotic energy represented one of the highest levels of energy in existence, which made this technique an extremely effective means of controlling weaker opponents.

There was, however, a limitation. The technique could only be used reliably against people weaker than Xavier.

Against someone with sufficient defensive power, the condensed energy might not even penetrate their body.

His current control also was not refined enough to detonate large amounts of chaotic energy at once, so for now he could only use tiny quantities.

Xavier found that limitation somewhat frustrating, but there was no need to rush. As his Chaos Body continued to develop and his own cultivation increased, his control over chaotic energy would naturally improve.

So would the destructive force of this technique.

Steven was barely able to think through the pain.

"Please, spare me!" he screamed. "I’ll tell you everything!"

He no longer dared to negotiate. He no longer dared to hide anything. He quickly revealed everything he knew about the assignment.

"Two days ago," Steven’s voice shook, "my men found Helena. She was taken away by people from the Dolly Bridle Evil Faction"