Lauren quickly assessed the situation. A fourth-grade Explosive Spirit Talisman wouldn’t do much to Timothy at all. As for fifth- or sixth-grade ones… the protective formation wouldn’t survive the blast. Timothy didn’t die, and her own people would.

  She had to draw him out of the city. Or—

  An idea flashed through her mind.

  She activated a Hidden Breath Talisman and closed in silently. When she was close enough, she erupted with a full-power sword strike aimed straight at Timothy’s back.

  His entire focus was on smashing the formation. He never sensed her coming.

  The blow landed cleanly. His armor exploded apart inch by inch, and the phantom roar of his dragon soul shook the air in fury.

  But in the end, the killing power of her strike was completely swallowed by that damned armor.

  Still—shattering it in a single blow was already a win.

  Lauren instantly pulled back, replenished her spiritual energy, and shot away into the sky to widen the distance.

  Timothy’s face twisted with rage.

  “It’s you again.”

  Below the barrier, everyone stared in stunned disbelief at the sudden arrival.

  “That’s… that’s Lauren!” Preston’s hands were shaking with excitement.

  “Lauren’s back!”

  “My daughter!”

  “Fourth sister…”

  Lauren looked at her long-lost family and at the shattered ruins around them. The sight stirred a storm of emotions in her chest.

  She had finally made it back in time.

  Taking a slow breath, she turned her gaze on Timothy, her eyes cold.

  “Timothy, I can pretend I never saw you attacking the Evercrest family. But I will settle accounts with the Wolfden family.”

  Timothy’s heart lurched. A strange unease crept into him. Why was he so determined to wipe out the Evercrests in the first place?

  The Evercrest family was small—but they had Lauren.

  He wasn’t afraid of her strength. But if she targeted the Wolfdens… wouldn’t that mean dragging his entire clan into a disaster?

  “You’ve misunderstood,” he said stiffly. “I never meant to attack the Evercrest family. We only came to discuss your sister’s place in the family registry.”

  “Bullshit.” Lauren’s eyes flashed. “You think I’m blind or deaf? I heard you say you’d destroy my family, and I watched you smash the formation with my own eyes.”

  Timothy gripped the sledgehammer in his hand and felt dizzy. The evidence was literally still in his grasp—how the hell was he supposed to explain this away?

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  He stood there at a loss when Indiana suddenly appeared at his side.

  “Senior Brother,” she cried, pointing at Lauren, “she’s trying to kill me! She was the one who lured me into the cave last time!”

  Timothy’s confusion vanished in an instant. His gaze hardened into killing intent.

  This woman had injured him again and again—and now she’d even tried to murder his junior sister. She was already their sworn enemy.

  If it came down to it, it would be her death or theirs. What use was morality now?

  “Fine,” Timothy said coldly. “Our personal feud doesn’t need to drag our families into it. If you’ve got the guts—come with me.”

  Lauren raised an eyebrow. That was exactly what she wanted.

  Timothy shot into the sky, and Lauren immediately followed.

  Indiana hovered above the city and looked down at the terrified faces beneath the barrier, her heart overflowing with disgust.

  Why did they have to exist?

  Why did they insist on dragging her back to the Evercrest family?

  Why wouldn’t they accept her when she was also an Evercrest by blood?

  Her parents’ sins had nothing to do with her. She never asked to be born. Why should she suffer for it?

  If only they were all gone… she would rather have been an orphan.

  Painful memories flooded her mind.

  The whispers behind her back.

  The word whore stabbed into her ears again and again like a blade.

  It was all the Evercrest family’s fault.

  It was all Lauren’s fault.

  If not for them, she would have been a flawless, celebrated genius—pure, admired, untouched by shame.

  Hatred festered in her heart, feeding her inner demons. She glared murderously at the people behind the protective barrier.

  They should all die.

  Indiana slowly took out a Sound Transmission Talisman and sent a message to several of her closest allies:

  Timothy and I are in trouble in Mistvale. Come immediately.

  Timothy deliberately drew Lauren toward the outskirts of the city. But far from her family, far from any unwanted witnesses—only then could she fight without restraint.

  The moment they cleared the outer perimeter, Lauren didn’t hesitate.

  Whoosh.

  Two sixth-grade Explosive Spirit Talismans tore through the air.

  Timothy’s face turned a horrifying shade of purple as the blasts swallowed him. His newly equipped armor detonated on impact, cracking apart in violent shards.

  “Impossible…” he choked, staring at her in disbelief.

  Sixth-grade Explosive Spirit Talismans simply did not exist in the Cultivation Realm.

  Unless…

  Could it be that Cornelius had already reached the level to draw sixth-grade talismans—and the news just hadn’t spread yet?

  That had to be it.

  Damn it.

  He was at the Nascent Soul stage. That was why he hadn’t feared Lauren’s fifth-grade talismans and had dared to lure her out alone. He never imagined she’d pull out something this terrifying.

  And she was using such priceless talismans like they were damn firecrackers.

  Enraged, Timothy lashed out. A storm of Dragon Soul Whips burst forth, filling the sky with whistling, tearing shadows and completely swallowing Lauren in a violent blur of attacks.

  She vaulted into the air and flung several more talismans in rapid succession. Explosions cracked like thunder, tearing through the sea of whip-shadows.

  Timothy froze in shock.

  How many does she even have?

  He didn’t dare gamble. What if she still had dozens left? Eighty? Even more?

  It was absurd. Completely impossible.

  And yet… this was Lauren. The woman who always made the impossible look routine.

  He turned and fled.

  Lauren: “…”

  He ran?

  This was not Timothy’s usual style.

  She immediately gave chase.

  “Timothy,” her voice rang out coldly, “you attacked the Evercrest family today. Even if I blew you into ashes, no one would say a word against it.”

  He knew that perfectly well—which was why he ran like his life depended on it.

  As she pursued him, Lauren sent rapid telepathic messages to Dante and the others. Only after confirming they were already on their way to Mistvale did she truly commit to the chase.

  Indiana was still in the city. She might not be able to break the formation, but who knew what kind of help she could summon?

  At that moment, Indiana stood outside the protective formation, confronting Preston and the rest of the Evercrest family.

  The formation had been damaged by Timothy’s assault, but even with her Core Formation cultivation, she still couldn’t break through it alone. She didn’t dare get too close either—one wrong move and an Explosive Spirit Talisman could blow her to pieces.