Chapter 301: Damian’s Fake Death Pays Off

Inside the hidden roof space, silence lingered for several seconds. A moment later, Esmeralda turned her head toward Damian.

She chuckled softly. "I could be mistaken, but I’m pretty sure I read her lips correctly. She said, ’Damian, I hope you can finally rest in peace.’"

Damian’s face stiffened.

Esmeralda’s grin widened as she patted him on the shoulder. "It seems you seriously need to think about what you’re going to do when you meet her again."

Damian clicked his tongue. "Yeah, yeah. I fucking know."

Damian’s expression became complicated.

On one hand, Cassandra genuinely believed he was dead. She had apparently been carrying that grief with her all this time, which made Damian feel a little guilty.

On the other hand...

Damian was also rather pleased. The fact that she had grieved for him meant that she truly cared about him.

Her favorability toward him must have risen tremendously since the Sword Tomb incident. Perhaps it was even already close to the maximum.

At that thought, Damian’s lips slowly curled upward.

Esmeralda immediately noticed. "Why are you suddenly smiling so suspiciously?"

Damian coughed. "It’s nothing. I’m just thinking about what I should say to her when we meet again."

Esmeralda narrowed her eyes at him, but Damian ignored her and continued watching the show.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the VIP area, Cynthia and the other three women had also witnessed everything.

Helena stared at Cassian’s headless corpse. "Well... she’s quite strong."

Linsey’s eyes practically sparkled beneath her mask. "Yeah, and more importantly, she loved Master enough to avenge his ’death.’ "

Cynthia remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding. "Strength, talent, loyalty... and apparently genuine feelings for Master."

Helena folded her arms. "I hate to admit it, but she’s pretty damn qualified."

Evelyn gave a short nod.

Linsey immediately grinned. "I approve too. After all, I’ve been wanting some juniors around here."

Cynthia smiled faintly beneath her mask as she turned her attention back to Cassandra. "If that’s the case, then Cassandra Valeira can enter your forbidden immortal harem."

She then glanced toward the roof where Damian was hiding. "Let’s just wait until Master takes down this treasure."

---

The death of Cassian Valeria instantly threw the entire Valeria Family into chaos.

"Patriarch!"

"The Patriarch is dead!"

"How the hell did this happen?!"

Several elders rushed toward Cassian’s corpse while others stared at Cassandra with fear and hatred.

Their patriarch, a Second Stage Nascent Soul cultivator, had just been killed by a Peak Golden Core cultivator.

Aldren Valehart frowned deeply. "Impossible."

His eyes remained fixed on Cassandra. "Cassian was a fucking Nascent Soul cultivator. Even if you are talented, the difference between your realms is too enormous."

Then his gaze suddenly shifted toward Cassandra’s sword. The moment he sensed its aura, his pupils contracted. "That sword... it’s King Grade, isn’t it?"

Cassandra looked at Aldren and smiled faintly. "Good eyes. You even managed to recognize its grade."

She drew her sword and allowed its aura to erupt freely. "After everything I experienced... the hatred, the grief, and everything else I poured into this sword..."

She lightly ran her fingers along the blade. "It successfully advanced into a King Grade sword."

Her gaze swept across both families as her killing intent erupted. "And with this... I’m going to kill every last one of you."

Hearing that, Aldren showed neither fear nor surprise. Instead, he suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahahaha!"

Cassandra raised an eyebrow.

The shock on Aldren’s face had already been replaced by greed. "That might have worked if I hadn’t discovered the sword’s grade."

His eyes remained fixed on the King Grade sword. "But now that I know the source of your strength... I’ll simply kill you and take that sword for myself."

Cassandra stared at him for several seconds before pointing her sword directly at him. "Go ahead, if you can. Even Cassian failed to kill me."

Aldren’s grin vanished. He raised one hand toward the Valehar elders. "Activate it."

Several elders immediately understood. Their expressions turned serious as they simultaneously formed a series of hand seals.

HUMMMMM!

The entire festival grounds suddenly trembled, and for the first time, Cassandra’s calm expression finally cracked.

Golden formation lines rapidly spread across the entire festival grounds.

HUMMMMM!

One after another, massive pillars of Radiant Sword Qi rose into the sky, surrounding Cassandra from every direction.

Aldren slowly stepped forward, spreading his arms proudly. "This is my family’s private formation, the [Eight Radiant Sword Sealing Formation]."

His grin widened as he continued explaining. "Once activated, it suppresses movement, disrupts qi circulation, and greatly strengthens every cultivator carrying the Valehart bloodline within its range."

He pointed directly at Cassandra. "This formation was originally created to suppress powerful enemies who dared attack the Valehart estate. So rejoice... we’re using it on you."

A crushing golden pressure instantly descended upon Cassandra, forcing her feet slightly into the stone floor beneath her.

Aldren laughed as his Nascent Soul aura erupted. "With this formation active, even your King Grade sword won’t save you."

His eyes sharpened with killing intent. "And now... I’m going to kill you."

[Radiant Phantom Sword Step]

Aldren vanished in an instant.

Golden afterimages immediately surrounded Cassandra from every direction.

Cassandra’s eyes sharpened. A moment later, she suddenly looked up.

Aldren had already appeared above her, and without hesitation, he swung his sword downward.

[Radiant Sunfall Sword]

A massive golden sword descended toward Cassandra.

Although the formation made even the slightest movement difficult, Cassandra still forced herself to raise her sword.

CLAAAAANG!

The impact sent her sliding backward several meters, causing Cassandra’s expression to finally change.

This formation was far more troublesome than Cassandra had expected. Not only was it suppressing her strength, but that bastard Aldren was becoming even stronger inside it.

Before she could recover, Aldren gave her no chance to breathe. He moved again and appeared atop the platform.

[Heavenly Radiance Thousand Swords]

Hundreds of golden sword projections materialized above the arena before descending simultaneously toward Cassandra.

Cassandra forced herself to swing her sword and defend, but a single blade could only cover so much. Several of the golden swords slipped past her guard and pierced into her body.

By the time the rain of swords finally ended, Cassandra was still standing.

Unfortunately for her, the formation continuously replenished Aldren’s qi, allowing him to unleash the same technique again without giving her any time to recover.

Seeing Cassandra’s miserable condition, Aldren burst into laughter. "What happened? Weren’t you going to kill us all?"

Cassandra slowly raised her head, and her eyes were ice-cold. "Don’t get excited just yet..."

She tightened her grip around her sword. "I’m not finished yet."

And in the next instant, the aura around her began to change.