Chapter 89: The Price Of Forbidden Power (2)

WHOOSH!

After a long while, a streak of crimson light tore through the distant sky, resembling a meteor descending from above as it rapidly approached Ashfall City.

Moments later, a powerful aura descended outside the city’s East Gate.

"Damn it! That Bastard!"

The crimson light gradually dissipated, revealing Gareth’s furious, twisted face.

"No matter the cost, I’ll tear you to pieces!"

However, the moment his feet touched the ground, his face suddenly turned deathly pale.

The powerful aura that had surrounded him moments earlier abruptly vanished, collapsing like a deflated balloon.

His legs buckled, and he staggered, barely managing to remain standing. His once-imposing figure now looked withered and frail, like a dried-up branch. In the space of a few breaths, he seemed to have aged considerably.

Even more horrifyingly, his cultivation plummeted from Origin Ascendant Realm Middle Stage all the way down to Origin Spirit Realm Initial Stage.

The strength he had gained through the forbidden art had completely vanished, leaving him with a cultivation realm even lower than the one he had possessed before the battle.

His condition was dreadful. His face and lips had taken on a pale, purplish hue, his vital energy was in complete disarray, and faint wisps of deathly Origin Energy lingered around his body.

Feeling the sorry state of his body, Gareth’s fury surged like a volcano on the verge of eruption. The overwhelming rage in his chest was so intense that he could barely catch his breath.

This hunt for Ryan had cost him far too much.

The most infuriating part was that he hadn’t even managed to kill his target.

He had suffered catastrophic losses without accomplishing a single thing. It was a complete and utter defeat!

Initially, Gareth had never intended to burn his essence blood. After all, he had believed that killing Ryan would be a simple task that hardly warranted resorting to such a costly forbidden art.

Who could have imagined that Ryan would turn the tables on him, forcing him into this desperate situation?

Now, he had paid a price far beyond anything he had anticipated.

His biological son, Wesley, was dead. His adopted son, Owen, was dead as well. Even the two loyal Black-Clad Elite Guards he had painstakingly trained over the years had perished.

And that wasn’t all.

To escape the Earth Tyrant Bear’s pursuit, Gareth had been forced to activate the forbidden art, Scarlet Flame Blood Burning Technique, granting him temporary flight and allowing him to flee the battlefield.

But the consequences had been devastating. The technique had severely damaged his cultivation foundation, crippled his strength, and significantly shortened his lifespan.

Worse still, to repel the relentless Three-Tier Peak Earth Tyrant Bear, he had been forced to unleash his strongest area-of-effect battle skill, Great Character Flame Kill.

He had barely mastered the technique, making its execution extremely demanding. To increase its power enough to repel the bear, he had even awakened his Fire Crow, which had been undergoing secluded cultivation in preparation for its breakthrough.

On the Crimson Expanse, there was an old saying: Interrupting someone’s opportunity is akin to killing their parents.

By forcibly interrupting the Fire Crow’s advancement, Gareth had effectively destroyed a rare opportunity for his pet beast to break through to Three-Tier. Such opportunities were exceedingly difficult to encounter, and there was no telling when another might arise.

However, Gareth had possessed no alternative.

Had he not awakened the Fire Crow, the combined attack might not have been powerful enough to repel the Earth Tyrant Bear. In that case, he could very well have ended up as the beast’s next meal.

He had been left with no choice but to sacrifice one opportunity to preserve his own life.

"All of this is because of that bastard! It’s all his fault!"

Gareth’s eyes burned with hatred.

Every sacrifice he had made, every loss he had suffered, and every drop of blood he had shed weighed heavily upon him. His resentment had reached such an extent that he wanted nothing more than to tear Ryan apart with his bare hands and devour his flesh.

"Damn it! That bastard escaped again amidst the chaos!"

His expression darkened further as he recalled what had happened after he unleashed the Great Character Flame Kill.

He had originally intended to deal with Ryan while he was at it. Unfortunately, the moment he searched the surroundings, Ryan was nowhere to be found.

The bastard had already fled to who knew where!

With more high-level exotic beasts potentially gathering in the area, Gareth hadn’t dared to linger. He had immediately fled toward Ashfall City, unwilling to risk his life any further.

"Hmph..."

Grinding his teeth, Gareth forcibly suppressed the rage threatening to consume him and began dragging his battered body toward the city gate.

Fortunately, despite his prolonged battle with Ryan and the numerous exotic beasts, it was still well past eight in the evening, far earlier than the city’s usual gate-closing time of between eleven at night and one in the morning.

As a result, he passed through the East Gate without difficulty.

Once inside, he hailed a Wind Wolf Express and hurried toward his mansion.

...

After some time, the Wind Wolf Express finally stopped outside Gareth’s residence.

Gareth climbed down weakly, his steps unsteady as he struggled to support his battered body.

"Oh? I was wondering who this sneaky figure was. So, it’s Uncle Gareth!"

An abrupt voice came from the side.

Gareth’s expression darkened.

Already seething with rage, he recognized the voice immediately. However, given his current condition, he couldn’t afford to lash out recklessly. He could only suppress his anger, his eyes turning cold as he glanced toward the approaching figure.

"Hmph! Derek, what are you doing here at this hour?"

"Heh, Uncle Gareth, why are you so temperamental?"

Derek, his distinctive red hair making him easy to recognize, strolled over with a mocking smile.

"Could it be that your revenge failed again? Did that fellow named Ryan-whatever his name is drive you mad? Or did something go wrong with your cultivation? How else would your strength have fallen so drastically?"

As Derek drew closer, he sensed the chaotic, weakened aura radiating from Gareth. His eyes immediately lit up, and his smile widened.

He hadn’t expected his Uncle to return in such a miserable state.

"What do you say? Should I help you deal with this Ryan fellow?" Derek asked, feigning concern. "I’m a very reasonable person. As long as you kneel and beg me, I’ll take care of such a trivial matter for you. Hahaha!"

Ordinarily, several circumstances could cause a cultivator’s strength to decline temporarily, including cultivation deviation, a failed breakthrough, and poisoning. Depending on the severity, recovery could take considerable time.

However, Derek had no idea what had happened to Gareth. He merely knew that his uncle’s aura had weakened dramatically, and he was more than happy to exploit the situation to ridicule him.

"You want me to beg you? Hmph! Keep dreaming!"

Gareth’s face twisted with anger.

"Don’t forget that I’m your Uncle! Show some respect when you speak to me!"

"Hmph! If you want me to respect you, then stop competing with the younger generation for cultivation resources."

Derek’s smile vanished, replaced by a cold sneer.

"How about handing over those family assets under your name and letting me manage them instead?"

"Those assets were allocated to me by the Patriarch himself! They’re what I rightfully deserve. Why should I hand them over to you?"

Gareth was so furious that he almost laughed.

"Enough nonsense. If you have nothing else to do, then leave. Stop standing here and making yourself an eyesore!"

He had no intention of entertaining Derek any longer.

Within the Sterling Family, Gareth had always occupied an awkward position. As a collateral family member with mediocre talent, he possessed little influence and had spent much of his life struggling to secure a foothold within the clan.

Only after reaching Origin Spirit Realm Peak and evolving his Bloodline to C-Grade Excellent had he finally earned the position of a minor collateral elder. This had allowed him to obtain a handful of operating assets and a portion of the clan’s cultivation resources.

He had fought hard to acquire what little he possessed. Naturally, he wasn’t about to surrender it to someone else without a fight.

This was also why he had never sought assistance from the Sterling Family when planning to kill Ryan.

First, he had underestimated Ryan. Initially, he had believed that dealing with someone from the Origin Sea Convergence Realm would be easy, making it unnecessary to involve other family members.

Second, the Sterling Family was hardly a place where relatives selflessly helped one another.

Everyone was competing for cultivation resources. Even if he asked for assistance, the others would likely demand a substantial price, take advantage of his predicament, or simply ridicule him for failing to handle such a trivial matter himself.

Under those circumstances, relying on his own strength had seemed like the better choice.

Unfortunately, reality had proven far more cruel than he had anticipated.

"Hahaha! Why should you hand them over to me?"

Derek burst into laughter as though he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. A mocking glint flashed in his eyes.

"My father—ah, I mean, your esteemed Patriarch—has instructed me to inform you that you must submit this month’s clan profits for his inspection within the next two days."

He looked at Gareth as though he were an especially foolish old man.

Even now, his Uncle apparently still failed to understand his place within the family. He clung stubbornly to the resources in his possession, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his position was becoming increasingly precarious.

Derek felt that someone needed to remind him of the cruel reality he faced.

"Hmph! Do you think I don’t know when to submit the clan profits? Do I need you to remind me?"

Gareth waved his hand dismissively and flicked his sleeve.

Without sparing Derek another glance, he turned and entered his mansion.

Within the Sterling Family, operating rights to public assets were allocated according to a member’s combat strength and standing within the clan.

The profits generated by these assets were divided into two portions. A member could retain part of the monthly earnings for personal cultivation, while the remainder had to be submitted to the clan.

This required contribution was known as the clan profit.

At present, however, Derek wasn’t particularly concerned about whether Gareth understood the rules.

His real objective was to provoke his uncle and, more importantly, remind him that his position within the family was far from secure.

Watching Gareth disappear into the mansion, Derek’s smile slowly faded.

A faint trace of killing intent flickered across his eyes.

"Gareth, oh, Gareth..."

He shook his head, a cold sneer spreading across his face.

"You’re already over forty, yet you’ve only just reached Origin Spirit Realm Peak. Your cultivation is barely any better than mine, despite the fact that I’m still in my twenties."

His tone was filled with contempt.

"With talent as poor as yours, you couldn’t even kill a mere nobody like Ryan, who’s only at the Origin Sea Convergence Realm. Tell me, how are you any different from a cripple?"

Derek paused, his eyes growing colder.

"Your Bloodline isn’t as powerful as mine, either. Unlike me, you didn’t perfectly inherit the family’s Heritage Bloodline. All you awakened was some worthless mutated Bloodline, and you’ve had to figure out its evolution path on your own. Your future is uncertain, and your chances of achieving anything significant are practically nonexistent."

He sneered.

"And yet, you still have the nerve to monopolize the family’s cultivation resources?"

Derek shook his head in disdain.

"My father is a good man in most respects. Unfortunately, he cares far too much about preserving the family’s reputation and treating his siblings fairly. Someone with talent as mediocre as yours shouldn’t be receiving so many resources in the first place. It’s nothing but a waste of the family’s wealth!"

His eyes narrowed as a cold smile returned to his face.

"Just wait. Before long, every cultivation resource in your hands will belong to me..."

With that thought, Derek turned around and strolled leisurely toward his own mansion, already anticipating the day his uncle would lose everything.