Chapter 299: Ravion Returns in a Box

Cassian Valeria’s expression darkened immediately, a hint of anger creeping into his voice. "Cassandra... how dare you show your face here again?"

Cassandra glanced at him and let out a cold laugh. "Return? Don’t misunderstand, Father. I didn’t come home."

Her gaze swept across the festival grounds. "I came to visit the people who worked so hard to destroy mine."

Several Valeria elders instantly erupted.

"Insolent!"

"You traitorous bitch!"

"After everything the family gave you..."

Cassandra laughed even harder.

Yet somehow, the more she laughed, the more uncomfortable everyone around her became.

She turned her gaze toward the elder who had shouted. "Everything you gave me? You mean the cultivation resources you later used as an excuse to control me?"

Then she looked toward Valehart. "Or the marriage you arranged because selling me to the Valehart Family was politically convenient?"

The elder’s face turned red.

Aldren stepped forward. "Watch your words."

Cassandra’s gaze shifted toward him. "Oh?"

Her smile became colder. "Still ordering people around, Patriarch Valehart?"

Aldren’s expression stiffened.

Cassandra casually continued. "I suppose some habits never change."

Several Valehart cultivators immediately reached for their swords.

Brakk, standing nearby, almost laughed again.

Cassandra ignored them. "Relax."

She suddenly reached into her storage ring. "I actually brought a gift."

Cassian frowned.

Aldren’s expression became suspicious.

Cassandra slowly pulled out a dark wooden box, and the entire crowd fell silent once again.

She casually tossed it to the ground in front of Aldren, a faint smile curling across her lips. "For you, Patriarch Valehart."

Aldren stared at the box for several long breaths before one of the elders cautiously stepped forward and opened the lid.

The moment he saw what was inside, his face turned completely white. "RAVION!!!"

Inside the box was Ravion’s severed head.

Several members of the Valehart Family stared in shock, unable to believe that their young master had actually been killed by Cassandra.

Cassandra watched them without the slightest trace of emotion. "He got in my way inside the Sword Tomb, so I killed him."

She had been able to bring Ravion’s body back because, after Damian killed him and died shortly afterward, Cassandra had left the area, but not before taking Ravion’s corpse with her.

Cassandra tilted her head slightly. "I just thought his family might want him back."

Aldren’s killing intent erupted violently.

As a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, the sheer pressure he released was enough to make the entire VIP platform tremble.

Cassandra stared at Aldren for several breaths before letting out a soft sigh. "So you’re angry because your son died."

Her gaze shifted toward Ravion’s severed head inside the wooden box. "How touching."

Aldren’s eyes had already turned red with rage.

Cassandra’s expression remained completely calm. "But when I almost died?"

Her voice became colder. "When I was betrayed, accused, hunted, and cast away?"

She tilted her head slightly. "No one seemed this angry."

For a brief moment, something almost tired appeared in her eyes. "What was I to all of you, really?"

Silence.

Aldren’s killing intent surged again.

BOOM!

At almost the same moment, another powerful aura erupted beside him.

Cassian Valeria.

Metal Sword Qi spread through the VIP section, sharp enough to make nearby guests instinctively retreat.

Cassandra looked toward her father.

Cassian’s expression was cold.

There was hesitation in his eyes, but it lasted only a moment. "Cassandra... you were my daughter."

Cassandra’s gaze sharpened. "Were?"

Cassian clenched his fists. "But what you’ve done has gone too far."

He glanced toward the terrified members of the Valeria Family behind him. "I am the patriarch, and my responsibility is not only to you, it is to the entire family."

Cassandra remained silent.

Cassian continued, "If maintaining cooperation with the Valehart Family protects the Valeria Family, then that is the choice I must make."

Several Valeria elders immediately stood behind him.

Cassandra stared at all of them, the people she had known since childhood.

After a moment, a bitter smile slowly appeared on her face. "Actually, even if you hadn’t said anything, I already knew this would happen."

Her gaze swept across them coldly. "After all, you’re part of the reason I became like this."

Brakk’s grin disappeared. "Miss Cassandra..."

Cassandra raised one hand without looking at him. "Brakk."

Her voice was frighteningly calm. "Get away."

Brakk frowned. "What?"

Cassandra’s fingers slowly wrapped around the hilt of her sword. "I said, ’Get the fuck away from here.’"

SHING!

Her blade slid slightly from its sheath, and the entire arena instantly filled with terrifying sword pressure.

Brakk stared at her for a moment before finally realizing that this was no longer an argument.

It was a war waiting to erupt.

---

Several buildings away from the arena, Esmeralda finally found herself standing beneath the slanted roof of an old pavilion.

She stared around blankly before looking at Damian. "This is the amazing place you were talking about?"

Damian smiled proudly. "Yep."

Esmeralda pointed upward. "We’re literally inside a fucking roof."

Damian waved dismissively. "Oh, come on. Think about the advantages."

He pointed through a narrow opening between the roof tiles. "No one comes here, nobody can easily sense us, and we still have a perfect view of the arena."

Esmeralda looked through the opening, and unfortunately for her, he was right.

From their position, almost the entire festival grounds were visible.

Damian had even cleared away the dust and moved several wooden boards aside, creating enough space for them to sit comfortably.

Esmeralda stared at him suspiciously. "You actually prepared this?"

Damian shrugged. "I told you. My girls already explored this place."

He sat down casually. "I tidied it up a little afterward. Just bear with me for today, alright?"

Esmeralda sighed deeply. "Fine. Fine."

She carefully sat beside him.

Her gaze soon returned toward the distant arena, where Cassandra stood alone against the two families.

After a moment, Esmeralda asked, "Is she always like this?"

Damian blinked. "Cassandra?"

Esmeralda nodded.

Damian rubbed his chin. "Honestly... I don’t know."

Esmeralda looked at him.

Damian continued, "She was already pretty cold when I met her inside the Sword Tomb, but this..."

For once, Damian’s expression became slightly thoughtful. Perhaps too much had happened since their last meeting.

Perhaps Cassandra had simply stopped caring about hiding anything anymore.

Damian eventually shrugged. "Whatever."

He leaned comfortably against one of the wooden beams. "We can think about her personality later."

His grin returned as sword pressure continued rising in the distance. "For now... Let’s just enjoy the fucking show."