Chapter 106 – Evil Cultivator Crone, Sudden Shocking Change

“This is too much!”

“Utterly outrageous!”

Feeling the powerful presence emerging from the third floor of Floating Dream Pavilion, the Level 2 cultivator’s expression darkened.

He turned to look at his Dao companion, his anger barely restrained, his breathing heavy with fury.

Many onlookers had expected him to fight to the death—but instead, the Level 2 cultivator suddenly abandoned his Dao companion, his gaze filled with pure hatred as he glared at Lord Fred.

“The shame of this day… I will remember it.”

“You will regret this… all of you will.”

With those final words, his body transformed into a streak of light, vanishing from Floating Dream Pavilion in an instant.

Cultivators were pragmatic by nature.

Especially those who had reached the Level 2 realm—they understood when to fight and when to retreat.

Only the ignorant or the privileged would throw their lives away for something trivial.

Even reckless cultivators who acted purely on emotion were unlikely to survive beyond the Body Tempering stage—much less Level 2.

“H-Husband…?”

The abandoned female cultivator stared blankly, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

“Heh heh heh…”

“Seal her cultivation and bring her to me.”

Lord Fred paid no mind to the fleeing man’s threats.

His gaze never left the woman’s body, his desire undisguised.

To him, a mere Early Level 2 cultivator was nothing.

Lord Fred embodied the very definition of an arrogant, lawless noble.

The Elders’ Indifference

Watching the scene unfold, the three Albigensians Sect elders could only shake their heads and sigh.

At this moment, a streak of lightning-fast energy burst forth from the third floor of Floating Dream Pavilion—

A figure moved at an astonishing speed, charging straight toward the fleeing Mountain-Moving Sect cultivator, intent on subduing him.

“Mountain-Moving Sect… how dare you trespass in Albigensians Sect’s domain?”

Arius’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the figure—

A young man, his body crackling with arcs of lightning.

Although his appearance was youthful, his eyes carried an ancient depth, revealing a seasoned, battle-hardened soul.

His aura was overwhelmingly oppressive—even though he hadn’t activated any spells, his mere presence alone was enough to distort the skies over the entire Pyrenees Mountain Prefecture capital.

There was no doubt—this young man’s cultivation was already extremely close to Peak Level 2!

His loyalty, however, was not to Lord Fred, nor did he hold any deep devotion to Albigensians Sect.

His motivation was simple—

Capturing a Mountain-Moving Sect cultivator and delivering them to the Sea Sand King would earn him a hefty reward.

The moment the Mountain-Moving Sect cultivator revealed his identity, the youth had already decided to act.

He had merely waited for the right opportunity—but hadn’t expected his target to flee so decisively.

After chasing him for nearly fifteen minutes, the lightning-wreathed cultivator eventually returned, his face filled with frustration.

“Tsk… what a shame.”

“Didn’t expect him to have a speed-enhancing flying vessel.”

A trace of disappointment flashed across his face.

Despite activating Pyrenees Mountain Prefecture’s defensive formation, he had still been a step too late.

A New Threat Emerges

With the incident over, the onlookers gradually dispersed, leaving only Lord Fred and his guards behind.

The Level 2 woman, her cultivation sealed, was now completely helpless—about to fall into Lord Fred’s grasp.

But just as she was about to be handed over, an ominous black wind suddenly swept through Floating Dream Pavilion.

The air turned cold, carrying with it an eerie, ghostly presence.

Within the rolling black mist, a hunched figure emerged—

An elderly woman, draped in tattered gray robes, holding a dimly glowing lantern.

Her skin was paper-thin, almost mummified, as if she were barely alive.

Every step she took seemed to sap the warmth from the room.

“Tsk tsk tsk…”

“What an unexpected surprise.”

“Grandmaster Severus’s first disciple… how interesting. How… very interesting! Hehehe!”

Her chilling laughter echoed through the room, sending shivers down the spines of everyone present.

Each time she laughed, a blue ghostly flame flickered within her hollow eye sockets.

And inside her lantern, the twisted, agonized faces of countless souls flickered in and out of existence…

The old woman was clearly a demonic cultivator, and her power far surpassed the Level 2 realm.

In that instant, Arius’s heart sank.

A Level 3 demonic cultivator appeared in Pyrenees Mountain Prefecture at this time—this was a sign that something major was about to unfold.

Realizing the danger, Arius did not flee immediately.

Rushing to escape would only attract the old woman’s attention, leading to a swift and gruesome death.

And sure enough—

Outside the Floating Dream Pavilion, a Level 1 cultivator made the fatal mistake of attempting to flee.

The moment he set foot past the first floor, his head suddenly exploded into a mist of blood!

The entire process was brutally efficient—

The Level 1 cultivator didn’t even have time to scream before he died.

“W-What just happened…?”

Lord Fred’s face stiffened.

Though he lacked divine sense, making it impossible to see what had transpired, his keen spiritual perception told him everything he needed to know.

The sudden burst of blood-soaked energy sent a chill down his spine.

“You so-called righteous cultivators… you are truly laughable.”

The old woman continued her rambling monologue, her voice filled with mockery and scorn.

“That old monster Severus always proclaims himself as a paragon of righteousness…”

“Yet look at his first disciple—arrogant, corrupt, abusing his power, preying upon the weak…”

“And what does he do about it? Nothing. He hides behind empty justifications.”

“How disgusting. How hypocritical.”

“Unlike you pretenders, my ‘Path of True Return’ follows no such lies!”

“When I want to kill, I kill. I do as I please, without a care for the eyes of the world!”

As she spoke, her gaze remained locked onto Lord Fred, an eerie smile stretching across her skeletal face.

The moment she mentioned “Path of True Return,” many of the cultivators inside Floating Dream Pavilion paled in terror.

Everyone knew the truth—

Many demonic cultivators refused to acknowledge themselves as demons, instead calling themselves “cultivators of True Return.”

To them, “True Return” meant absolute freedom—unfettered by rules, morality, or restraint.

A life where they alone dictated what was right or wrong.

And in that ideology, mass slaughter was nothing more than an expression of true will.

“Senior… what do you intend to do?”

Feeling the crushing pressure radiating from the old woman, the three Level 2 elders standing by Lord Fred gritted their teeth, barely managing to keep their voices steady.

Even so, their fear was undeniable.

Despite knowing exactly why she was here, they still asked—

Partly out of desperation, hoping for a miracle, but more importantly, to buy time.

Meanwhile, Lord Fred himself was frozen in place.

He had heard stories about the ruthlessness of demonic cultivators—

But now, for the first time in his life, he was staring death in the face.

And worst of all—

From the moment the old woman arrived, her eyes had been locked onto him.

The mere thought of falling into her hands made his entire body tremble uncontrollably.

“Oh, nothing much.”

“Every member of the Albigensians Sect must die.”

“As for those not affiliated with the Albigensians Sect… swallow this pill, join my Velmorian Sect,’ and you may keep your lives.”

Standing amidst the whirling black mist, the old woman’s words carried an undeniable finality.

The moment she spoke, the three Level 2 elders flanking Lord Fred—despite having expected this—felt their stomachs drop into a pit of despair.

Against this old monster, they had zero chance of survival.

Even if all the defensive formations of Pyrenees Mountain Prefecture were activated—

Even if all eight major cultivation clans and every single member of Albigensians Sect stationed in the city rose to fight—

The result would be the same.

They would all be slaughtered.

A Power Beyond Level 3…?

The three Level 2 elders had encountered several Level 3 cultivators before—

But the aura radiating from the old woman wasn’t that of a mere early or mid Level 3 expert.

Her power was only slightly weaker than Grandmaster Severus himself!

Against an opponent of this level, seven or eight Level 2 cultivators were as powerless as rabbits against a lion.

There was no escape.