Chapter 685: I Thought We Were Brothers, But You Want to Be My Son-in-Law

‘Stir-fried demonic ants? With extra chili peppers?’

‘Is this really meant for human consumption? Oh, my dear sister! If you’re trying to kill me, just say so.’

“Um…”

Aaron Sinclair took a step back, quickly raising a hand to stop her. “No, no, that’s okay. My Demonic Qi has been a bit unstable lately, so I’m on a restricted diet. Sis, let’s skip the stir-fried demonic ants for now, shall we?”

“We’re not eating it?” The little girl was quite agreeable. She nodded slightly. “Okay! Well, if you ever want to eat it, just let me know, Brother. I’ll be sure to make it for you.”

Hearing this, Aaron Sinclair gave a dry laugh and silently took another step back.

‘As for the “dark cuisine” his sister comes up with, he figured he would never, ever be in the mood for it. Anyone who can stomach her cooking is a real tough cookie. He’d forced some down with tears in his eyes before, so he supposed that made him one of them.’

‘His sister was as pretty and cute as a little dumpling, but her brain was just wired completely differently from everyone else’s.’

‘His sister must have inherited her father’s sense of aesthetics. Their preferences were astonishingly similar. They both liked bizarre and strange things. For example, given a choice between a beautiful dress and a rabbit with several heads, she would definitely pick the multi-headed rabbit.’

Celeste Grant held her daughter and looked over at her son. Seeing his deadpan expression, she couldn’t help but laugh.

She teased, “Son, your life must be just full of sunshine these days.”

Hearing his mother’s teasing, Aaron Sinclair threw his hands up in a gesture of helplessness. He said in a low voice, “Oh, yeah. My sister takes great care of me. That ‘Stargazy Blackwater Salted Fish’ completely redefined my concept of fish.”

‘When his sister grows up, she’ll probably earn a resounding reputation as a culinary assassin.’

Hearing her son, Celeste Grant raised an eyebrow.

‘Stargazy Blackwater Salted Fish?’

‘From the name alone, Celeste Grant could already picture the horrific scene: a toxic soup exuding black fumes, with several salted fish heads sticking straight up. The dark broth would be gurgling with black bubbles, and probably some venomous insects.’

‘Just imagining it made her want to light a candle for her son.’

Holding her daughter with one arm, Celeste Grant walked over to her son. She patted his shoulder, chuckled, and said, “Son, this is the little sister you’ve always wanted. You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.”

Aaron Sinclair’s gaze fell upon his sister. Looking at her chubby little face, he thought she was just so cute and pretty. In an instant, his heart melted all over again.

He reached out, cupped her little face, and gave it a gentle squish. He said softly, “For the sake of my sister being so adorable, I can accept her having a few… eccentric tastes.” ‘She’s the sister I’ve always wanted,’ he thought, ‘I have to spoil her, even if it brings me to tears.’

“Brother, don’t squish my face.”

“Hahaha, I’m gonna squish it!”

Celeste Grant chuckled softly.

“All right, that’s enough! You’re a grown man, stop acting like a child.”

The little girl huffed. “Did you hear that? Brother, you’re so immature.”

“Hey, sweetie, how can you call me immature? Your brother is very powerful, you know.”

Seeing this, Elder Lawson and the others couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hahaha… Our little Princess is just so adorable.”

“She’ll surely be the pride of our Demon Realm one day.”

Nerida, who was standing nearby, waved them over. “Don’t just stand there, come and sit down. Everyone’s here, so we can start eating.”

“Aeron, bring over the sliced meat.”

“Yes, sister.”

Aaron Sinclair trotted over.

“Aunt Nerida, let me help.”

“I don’t need your help. You all go sit down, it’ll be ready in a moment.”

That evening, as everyone gathered around, night quietly fell. The courtyard was brightly lit, and the sounds of conversation and laughter filled the air.

Seeing that everyone was seated but Javier Sinclair had yet to appear, Nerida, who was already at the table, voiced her confusion. “My Lady, why isn’t The Exalted One here?”

They hadn’t seen any sign of The Exalted One since they’d arrived in The Ninefold Abyss.

“Where’s my daddy?” Little Elise Sinclair looked around as she spoke, then called out, “Daddy… Daddy, it’s time to eat! We’re having hot pot!”

Celeste Grant’s hand, holding her chopsticks, paused. She glanced at her daughter with a smile and said, “Ellie, your daddy had to go out for something. He’ll be back in a while.”

Nerida looked puzzled and couldn’t help but ask, “Where did he go? My Lady, has something happened?”

At her words, everyone turned to look.

Celeste Grant waved her hand dismissively.

“No, no, don’t worry.”

To keep them from worrying, she didn’t reveal what Javier Sinclair was doing. She just said, “He’s gone on a long trip and will be back after a while. Hehe, you’ll find out later.”

‘How mysterious. Could it be a surprise? Or maybe The Exalted One is preparing a surprise for his wife. That’s also possible.’

It sounded like a private matter between The Exalted One and his wife, so it wasn’t their place to pry. As long as he wasn’t in any danger, that was all that mattered. Then again, this was The Exalted One. ‘Surely there’s nothing in heaven or on earth that could possibly get the better of him.’

With that in mind, the topic of conversation quickly shifted back to the food.

The fragrant steam rising from the half-and-half hot pot before them was far too tempting.

Nerida spoke up. “Let’s not talk about it anymore. Since The Exalted One isn’t here to enjoy this, it just means more for us!”

Aaron Sinclair said with a grin, “I’ll eat my dear old dad’s share for him.”

Celeste Grant burst out laughing.

“What a filial son you are.”

Laughter echoed through the courtyard.

「Meanwhile.」

On the other side, Javier Sinclair had already traversed the river of time, arriving in the Ancient Times.

In this era, there was no Empyria, no Demon Realm. It was a world where Greater Demons and Banebeasts ran rampant, and Gods and Demons walked the earth. It was a world of both great opportunity and great peril.

The world was shrouded in a hazy mist.

Javier Sinclair’s figure materialized from the void.

The moment he appeared, he saw a colossal azure bird in the sky, locked in battle with a giant serpent. The two beasts fought with lethal desperation, each trying to devour the other, neither yielding an inch.

Blood rained down from the sky. The scene was brutal.

Such a spectacle would be a rare sight in later ages, but in the Ancient Times, it was nothing unusual. It was a daily occurrence. Races fought to the death over territory and resources.

Perhaps sensing the terrifying power of Javier Sinclair’s aura, the battling azure bird and giant serpent abruptly froze in mid-air, turning to stare warily in the direction he had appeared.

“Who are you?”

It was the azure bird that spoke.

As Javier Sinclair’s gaze swept over them, the giant serpent and the azure bird felt their very Divine Souls quake. Their bodies began to tremble instinctively.

“My lord, spare us!”

“Great one, spare our lives!”

As the saying goes, discretion is the better part of valor. The azure bird and the giant serpent shifted into human form and immediately dropped to their knees, begging for mercy. The power radiating from this newcomer was far beyond anything they could hope to oppose.