Chapter 3: You Call That Kindness?

Landon Showyer's throat was locked in Seth Santee's grip, and real fear surged up from the pit of his stomach. "If you kill me, the head of the family and Evelyn won't let you get away with it!" Landon roared, voice cracking. "They already wanted me dead." A cold, murderous glint flashed through Seth's eyes. "You think you can threaten me with them? What a joke." Crack! Seth's five fingers tightened with casual ease. Landon's neck snapped in an instant, and his body slumped sideways like it had been cut loose. Seth tossed the corpse aside as if it were a dead dog. Landon's eyes stayed wide even in death, packed with unwillingness. Wasn't he supposed to be the one trampling the top genius of Farwind City from back then? Why did he end up dying instead? "Who dares run wild in Showyer Manor!" Seth had barely stepped out of the room when several figures strode in. The man at the front glared at him, fury burning in his stare. "The fifth elder, Kellan Showyer." Seth met his gaze without flinching. This was someone of the same generation as Jace Showyer. Among the elders, he was considered young, with a chance of pushing into the Ninth Level of the Bitter Sea Realm. "You killed Landon?" Kellan barked. "Where's that old dog Jace Showyer?" Seth asked, voice like ice. "Insolent! You dare speak the head of the family's name with that filthy mouth?" Kellan took one step forward, and the Aura Pressure of the Eighth Level of the Bitter Sea Realm erupted! In the blink of an eye, a savage, tyrannical force descended on Seth, heavy and terrifying like a mountain trying to crush him into the ground. The Heavenly Art surged within Seth. His Dao Bone flared, holding back the pressure, and his spine remained straight. A flicker of surprise crossed Kellan's eyes. Wasn't Seth supposed to be a cripple? How could he still withstand Aura Pressure like this? "All these years, you and your sister lived in Showyer Manor. The Showyer family treated you well. Yet you dared harbor filthy intentions toward Evelyn and even killed members of the Showyer family." Kellan's voice turned colder with every word. "Looks like we were blind, raising a thankless wolf." "Treated me well?" Seth let out a harsh laugh. They murdered his parents, stole his Dao Bone, and married his sister off to a demon. That was "treating him well"? "Save your breath. Move." Seth's shout rang through the corridor. "Trash. Your time's up!" Kellan raised a hand and struck with a palm, rage rolling off him in waves. In Farwind City, there were only a handful stronger than Kellan, let alone Seth, who was rumored to have lost his Cultivation Level. Yet Seth answered with ruthless force. His own palm shot out, meeting Kellan head-on. "Still has leftover Primal Force?" A trace of astonishment flashed in Kellan's eyes, but he dismissed it at once. Even at his peak, Seth had never been his match. What did a little remaining Primal Force matter? Boom! The two palms collided. As expected, Seth was blasted backward. In a single night, he had cultivated to the Third Level of the Bitter Sea Realm. It was monstrous speed, but compared to Kellan at the Eighth Level, the gap was still enormous. Kellan stood with his hands behind his back. "With that leftover Primal Force, how long can you last?" "How long can you?" Seth's lips curled slightly. A bad feeling crawled up Kellan's spine. He opened his mouth to speak, but in the next instant, a mouthful of black blood sprayed out, shocking everyone present. "Fifth Elder!" the others cried out. Kellan's aura weakened drastically. "Kill… kill him!" Kellan pointed at Seth, voice trembling. "Yes!" The guards surged in, surrounding Seth as they unleashed their own fierce presence. The next moment, black mist exploded outward in a wild spread. The guards who charged in breathed in the Poison Mist, their faces turning a sickly blue. They collapsed to the ground, clawing at their throats, writhing in agony. Kellan had already been poisoned. After inhaling the Poison Mist, even burning all his strength to resist did nothing. "Tell me." Seth grabbed Kellan by the collar and hauled him up. "Where's my sister?" "Sent… sent to Old Demon Cutmore. Just a moment ago." Death pressed close enough that Kellan didn't dare hide anything. Bang! Seth flung him away. Kellan's body slammed into a tree in the courtyard and went limp, unconscious. "Ember!" Seth's heart burned with panic. His figure blurred as he shot toward the city, racing for Old Demon Cutmore's residence. As for Kellan and the rest, Seth didn't worry. Surviving the Poison Emperor's Poison Arts was never easy. He had always disdained using poison, but to reach Ember in time, he couldn't afford pride. Old Demon Cutmore's real name had long been forgotten. People only knew he was an alchemist, and that he was vicious beyond reason. Every wife he had taken ended up tortured to death. The thought of Ember being delivered into that monster's home made Seth's chest feel like it was being carved open. At the same time, inside Farwind City, at Old Demon Cutmore's residence- "I'm begging you, please let me go!" A young girl sobbed, tears streaking her face as she stumbled back in terror. "Don't be afraid." Old Demon Cutmore's eyes stayed fixed on her, greedy and unblinking. "I'll be very gentle." A pretty little thing sent from Showyer Manor. Excellent. He could savor her first, then toss her into the Alchemy Furnace. His alchemy methods differed from other alchemist. Besides various herbs, he also needed a living person as an Alchemy Catalyst, wicked to the core. His withered hand reached for her. The girl retreated again and again, shaking. "My brother is Seth Santee! He won't let you off!" "Seth Santee?" Old Demon Cutmore burst into laughter. "That cripple from Showyer Manor who lost his Cultivation Level? If he comes, I'll throw him into the Alchemy Furnace first." "No… that's impossible. My brother couldn't have lost his Cultivation Level!" She shook her head wildly, refusing to believe him. Yet fear gnawed at her all the same. These past days, the Showyer family had never allowed her to see her brother. "Why… why did it turn out like this?" She covered her face, voice breaking with pain and helplessness. She couldn't understand how, in only a few days, her and her brother's fates had been overturned so completely. And Evelyn… the Evelyn she had always trusted… why had she sent her here at dawn, straight into a devil's hands? "What are you crying for?" Old Demon Cutmore kept closing in, smiling thinly. "I'll make you taste pleasures beyond imagining." He lunged. Ember darted aside, but he grabbed her outer garment and ripped it clean off. "The scent of youth." He lifted the fabric to his nose and inhaled, eyes half-lidding in intoxication. "It's irresistible." "Come any closer and I'll kill myself!" Ember snatched up a pair of scissors from the table and pressed the sharp tip to her own throat. "You ungrateful little bitch!" Old Demon Cutmore's expression turned icy. His sleeve swept out. A thick surge of force slammed into Ember, sending her fragile body flying. The scissors clattered to the floor. "I'll take very good care of you." He wore a twisted smile as he walked toward her in the corner. Boom! His steps halted. The front door had been blasted open. "Which suicidal bastard dares ruin my fun?" Old Demon Cutmore's cold eyes swept toward the entrance, killing intent leaking out. The boy in the doorway first saw Old Demon Cutmore's waxy, sickly face. Then he saw Ember on the floor. Rage detonated inside him. A terrifying aura burst forth, flooding the room. "Old Demon Cutmore, I'll kill you!"