Chapter 56: Sudden change
Not all mana potions were created equal.
Although low-grade mana potions were sufficient for warriors in the Nascent Trainee Realm, their effects became considerably weaker once a cultivator stepped into a higher realm. For someone like Cole, who had already reached the Moon Knight Realm, drinking a low-grade potion would be little better than drinking ordinary water.
At his current level, he needed at least mid-grade mana potions.
The liquid inside these potions possessed a distinct crimson-red color, resembling blood illuminated beneath sunlight. Even through the transparent glass bottles, Cole could sense the dense mana contained within them, causing the surrounding air to fluctuate faintly.
Cole stared at the pile of flickering red bottles before him.
For a moment...
His previous irritation toward the mysterious attackers quietly disappeared.
To be honest, he was beginning to get annoyed with these fellows.
They appeared out of nowhere.
They attacked him without warning.
They chased him through the city.
And they had nearly interrupted his journey to the Saint Family several times.
But now...
Looking at the pile of valuable mana potions lying before him, Cole suddenly felt that being attacked by some unknown murder hobo wasn’t actually that bad.
"...That is..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...as long as they keep giving me these goodies."
Unfortunately, Cole wasn’t stupid enough to remain in the same place simply because he had obtained some useful resources.
He quickly checked the remaining items once more, making sure he hadn’t overlooked anything valuable before putting everything away. The moment he finished, his expression returned to its usual seriousness.
Whatever organization these people belonged to...
They had already found him twice.
Staying here would be nothing short of asking them to come and kill him again.
With that thought in mind, Cole immediately moved.
His figure shot out from the abandoned building like a phantom, his feet barely touching the ground as he accelerated toward the Saint Family compound.
Lightning faintly crackled beneath his soles.
The surrounding scenery blurred rapidly as he moved through the streets at terrifying speed.
Perhaps his speed had increased too much after the bloodline fusion.
Or perhaps the previous attackers had already lost track of him.
Whatever the reason...
The remainder of his journey passed without another attack.
No black-robed assassins appeared.
No arrows descended from the darkness.
No strange formations suddenly activated beneath his feet.
Before long...
The familiar outline of the Saint Family compound finally appeared in the distance.
Cole’s gaze gradually became colder.
The enormous estate stood beneath the night sky like a sleeping beast.
Tall walls surrounded the compound.
Powerful formations faintly shimmered across its surface.
Guards stood at regular intervals, their expressions solemn and their weapons already drawn.
Cole slowed his pace.
His breathing remained steady.
The closer he came...
The heavier the atmosphere felt.
Finally...
He stepped through the entrance.
The moment his foot landed inside the Saint Family compound...
Cole’s eyes suddenly narrowed.
Several figures were already walking toward him from the distance.
Their footsteps were orderly.
Their movements were disciplined.
And every single one of them carried a powerful aura.
Cole’s expression immediately turned cold.
At the front of the group...
Was a familiar face.
Amorpheus Saint.
His cousin.
The moment Amorpheus recognized Cole’s figure, his expression changed dramatically.
For the briefest instant, surprise flashed through his eyes.
Then...
That surprise transformed into something else.
Righteous indignation.
A faint, vicious smile slowly appeared at the corners of his lips.
It was the expression of someone who had finally found the person he had been waiting for.
He raised his hand and pointed directly toward Cole.
"Guards!"
His voice suddenly echoed throughout the compound.
"Here is that disgraceful criminal!"
"Quickly!"
"Capture him!"
His words had barely fallen...
When the surrounding guards immediately moved.
Whoosh!
Their figures shot forward from every direction.
The previously scattered warriors instantly formed a coordinated formation, their movements swift and precise as they surrounded Cole from all sides.
One group blocked the path behind him.
Another sealed the sides.
Several powerful warriors advanced from the front.
Within only a few breaths...
Cole was completely surrounded.
The cold gleam of weapons reflected beneath the night sky.
The surrounding guards stared at him with hostile expressions, their killing intent faintly spreading through the air.
Cole stood quietly in the center.
His gaze slowly swept across the encircling warriors.
Then...
A faint smile appeared on his face.
So this is how the Saint Family welcomes its runaway young master?
The smile contained no warmth whatsoever.
Only coldness.
And beneath that coldness...
A faint trace of killing intent slowly began to rise.
Cole was completely dumbfounded.
For several breaths, he simply stood there, staring at Amorpheus as though he had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.
Disgraceful criminal...?
What crime had he committed?
He had only just returned to the Saint Family compound, yet before he could even ask about Trisha’s condition, he had somehow become a criminal awaiting execution.
The situation was so absurd that even Cole couldn’t immediately understand what was happening.
However, the confusion lasted only for a brief moment.
His expression gradually became cold.
Whatever they wanted to call him...
It didn’t matter.
Criminal.
Traitor.
Disgrace.
They could pile as many accusations onto him as they wanted.
For now, Cole wasn’t here to argue with Amorpheus.
He wasn’t here to settle old grudges.
He wasn’t even here to defend his reputation.
There was only one thing he wanted to know.
Was Trisha safe?
As long as she was alive...
Everything else could wait.
Cole’s gaze slowly settled upon Amorpheus’s arrogant figure.
His eyes became increasingly cold.
"Amorpheus..."
His voice wasn’t loud, yet the warning contained within it was unmistakable.
"Don’t push things too far."
Amorpheus merely let out a cold snort.
The disdain within his eyes grew even stronger.
He looked at Cole as though he were staring at something filthy beneath his feet.
It wasn’t merely hatred.
It was absolute repulsion.
Like a human looking down at a dung beetle crawling through the dirt.
"So..."
His lips curled into a mocking smile.
"This trashy criminal is now going to tell me how I should carry myself?"
The surrounding guards immediately revealed faint smiles.
Some looked at Cole with ridicule.
Others watched him with cold indifference.
None of them appeared to consider the possibility that the accusation might be false.
Amorpheus took another step forward.
His voice became louder, deliberately ensuring that everyone nearby could hear his words.
"Cole Saint."
"You are under arrest for colluding with the Abyssal Races."
The moment those words fell...
The atmosphere surrounding Cole instantly changed.
Amorpheus continued, his expression becoming increasingly vicious.
"The Elder Council has already passed judgment."
"Your execution will be carried out before the entire Saint Family."
His eyes flashed with malicious satisfaction.
"You will serve as a warning to everyone."
"From this day onward, if any traitor even dares to consider defecting to the other side..."
His voice became colder.
"...their hearts should tremble even in the afterlife."
Silence.
For a brief moment...
Cole simply stared at him.
Colluding with the Abyssal Races...?
His mind went completely still.
Then...
The gears inside his head began turning rapidly.
He carefully replayed every word.
Every accusation.
Every expression.
Every reaction.
Collusion with the Abyssal Races?
Why had he never heard anything about this?
More importantly...
When had he ever interacted with the Abyssal Races?
The answer was obvious.
Never.
Cole’s eyes gradually narrowed.
Then...
A cold realization surfaced within his mind.
So that’s how it is...
He would have been a complete idiot if he still failed to understand what was happening.
This wasn’t a misunderstanding.
It wasn’t an investigation.
It wasn’t even a trial.
He was being framed.
Someone had deliberately fabricated a crime and placed it upon his head.
And now...
The Saint Family intended to execute him for it.
A chill slowly crawled down Cole’s spine.
Until this moment, he had always understood that Amorpheus hated him.
He knew that his cousin had repeatedly schemed against him.
He knew there had been countless hidden attacks and covert attempts to suppress him.
But those actions had always remained concealed.
They had never dared to openly move against him.
Now...
Everything had changed.
They weren’t hiding anymore.
They were standing directly before the entire Saint Family and openly declaring him a traitor.
They had even announced his execution.
What had changed?
What had given Amorpheus the courage to act so brazenly?
Countless possibilities flashed through Cole’s mind.
His thoughts raced faster and faster.
Someone had to be supporting this.
Someone with enough authority to silence the Elder Council.
Someone capable of ensuring that even the consequences of killing him wouldn’t matter.
Cole’s pupils slowly contracted.
Don’t tell me...
Uncle...?
The thought surfaced.
His heart immediately turned cold.
Markovich.
The current head of the Saint Family.
The man who had always maintained a distant relationship with him.
Cold.
Stern.
Difficult to read.
Yet...
Until now, Markovich had never openly displayed any intention of harming him.
Even when Cole had been treated as trash by almost everyone in the family...
Even when Amorpheus repeatedly acted against him...
Markovich had never personally stepped forward to suppress him....