Seven days ago, the Evermore estate was alive with celebration. Nearly a hundred people filled the grand halls and courtyards, their voices blending into a symphony of joy and festivity. Children darted about, their laughter ringing through the air, while older children sparred under the watchful eyes of their elders. Conversations flowed freely, with compliments and admiration exchanged as naturally as the wind.
“Senior Liam, it seems that dragons are truly born in the house of dragons, it is not a lie,” someone remarked, their tone full of respect.
“Indeed,” another agreed, nodding. “I reckon this is a once-in-a-millennium type of talent.”
Liam Evermore, the patriarch of the Evermore family and father to Anissa, stood among his guests with a gracious smile. Though a man of remarkable power—nearing the Heavenly Eye realm—he remained humble. Had he been part of the Heavenly Divine Demon Sect, he would undoubtedly have been an elder. Yet, he always downplayed his achievements.
He bowed slightly to those who greeted him, a gesture of his modesty. “It has nothing to do with me,” he said, his voice warm and self-effacing. “I have mediocre talent and was merely lucky enough to reach the Heavenly Eye realm within seven hundred years. How can I possibly compare to the guest of honor today?”
As he spoke, his eyes turned upward toward the grand staircase where Anissa was gracefully descending, her presence commanding the attention of everyone in the room.
“Brother Liam,” one of the guests began, “I wonder if you could give me some pointers on how to raise children. My useless son is nearing two hundred years old and still hasn’t reached the Actualized Ethereal Core.”
Another chuckled, adding, “I figured no one in this family could approach Brother Liam’s talent, but it seems your daughter is dead set on becoming the next family head.”
As Anissa reached the bottom of the staircase, she was instantly surrounded by her eager relatives.
“Cousin, please come look at my sword technique!”
“No, no, me first!”
Anissa found herself overwhelmed, unsure how to respond to the sudden flood of attention. Thankfully, her father approached, and his mere presence was enough to scatter the crowd.
“RUN, IF THE SWORD DEMON CATCHES YOU, HE’LL PUNISH YOU TO REVIEW YOUR SWORD TECHNIQUES FOR TEN YEARS!” one of the fleeing family members shouted in jest, causing Liam to pause in surprise.
Was he really that intimidating? He hadn’t realized the extent of his reputation within the family. It was true that, despite being a loose cultivator, he had managed to establish his own faction and raise his family from mere soldiers of a mortal kingdom to a power nearly on par with a small sect. His rise to glory had required many displays of his formidable swordsmanship to keep enemies at bay. After all, as the saying goes in the cultivation world, “To grow the reddest rose, you must feed it blood.”
“How are you feeling?” Liam asked, his voice softening as he addressed Anissa. “Is your cultivation stable now?”
“Yes, Father,” Anissa replied, her tone respectful. “I’ve successfully consolidated my divine sense.”
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Divine sense was a significant milestone, a qualitative upgrade from spirit sense. It allowed a cultivator to extend their perception up to five hundred meters in the Quasi-Spiritual Awakening realm and attack an opponent’s mind directly. Its applications varied, depending on the creativity and skill of the user.
“I’ve heard you’ve also perfected the fifth form of the Ocean Splitting Sword,” Liam said, his voice carrying a note of pride.
Anissa drew her sword and demonstrated the precise movements of the fifth form. Each motion was executed flawlessly, a testament to her dedication and skill. Watching her, Liam’s usual stern expression softened into a rare smile. For a moment, he allowed himself to imagine a future where he could retire and live peacefully by a lake, knowing the family was in capable hands.
“I—” He began to speak, but his words were cut short as his divine sense picked up something rapidly emerging from the ground.
“EVERYONE BACK UP!” he shouted, his voice laced with urgency.
Before anyone could react, a figure shot out of the earth with a speed that defied description. The sheer presence of this newcomer was overwhelming, suffocating. It wasn’t just the raw power that radiated from the figure—it was the oppressive pressure, an aura so intense that it knocked people out cold.
“A Dao Lord…” Liam muttered, his face twisting in frustration and fear.
The figure, now fully emerged, was a man clad in dark red robes. That was all Liam could discern; even for him, a cultivator nearing the Heavenly Eye realm, it was impossible to look directly at a Dao Lord exerting their full aura.
“Could I ask who this venerable one is?” Liam asked, falling to one knee. He knew that in the face of a Dao Lord’s wrath, pride was worth less than nothing.
Anissa, forced to her knees by the crushing weight of the Dao Lord’s presence, could only watch as her father humbled himself before the intruder. Never in her life had she seen him bow to anyone, let alone submit. She had heard stories of him defeating opponents in higher realms, but this was different. This was beyond anything she could comprehend. She wanted to cry out, to tell him to stand and fight, but a small hand grabbing her leg stopped her.
Looking down, she saw her little sister, trembling uncontrollably. In that moment, Anissa understood—her father wasn’t bowing out of fear for himself. He was doing it for them, for his family. She could only grit her teeth and watch, powerless to do anything else.
“Those I deem worthy address me as Dao Lord Fury,” the figure said, his voice resonating like thunder in their minds. Even the sound of his words seemed to clash against their very souls, as if capable of shattering them with a mere whisper.
“Dao Lord Fury, wha—” Liam began, but his words were abruptly silenced by a sharp, distinct noise. A sickening thump echoed through the estate as Liam’s arm was severed from his body, falling to the ground with a dull thud. The strike had been so clean, so swift, that it took a moment for anyone to realize what had happened.
Anissa wanted to scream, but a mental transmission from her father stopped her.
“Don’t say anything, or he’ll kill everyone. Stay calm.”
The message was broadcast to every member of the family present, a desperate plea for silence. Anissa did all she could to shield her little sister’s eyes from the horrific scene.
“Seems you have a listening problem,” Dao Lord Fury continued, his tone devoid of any empathy. “Don’t question me—just answer. Where am I?”
“You are on the dark side of the Etheria continent, governed by the three great demonic sects,” Liam replied, his voice strained. “They all have Dao Lords presiding as their leaders. This place is the Evermore estate.”
“I see. Well, that was helpful. Unfortunately for you, I don’t need anyone to know of my existence just yet.”
Liam turned to look at Anissa, his eyes filled with a fierce intensity. In that moment, Anissa saw her father’s soul manifestation appear before her—a shield, an aquamarine shield radiating life. It was his deepest desire made manifest, the desire to protect his daughter.
But Dao Lord Fury merely flicked his sleeve, and that was the last thing Anissa remembered.
When she awoke hours later, the estate was in ruins. Bodies lay everywhere, the air thick with the stench of death. Her sister, who had been in her arms, was no longer breathing. Her entire family, everyone she had ever loved, was gone. There was no trace of her father, not even a corpse to bury.
In a single, brutal moment, Anissa had lost everything. A century’s worth of love was torn away, replaced by an eternity’s worth of hate.