Chapter 71: The Blood Demon’s End
The Blood Demon’s End
[Ding!! Family Quest Triggered: Annihilate the Crimson Abyss Sect—the first-ranked hostile force of the Salvatore Family.]
[Quest Reward: Contribution Pavilion, Martial Arts Tower, Fifth-Rank Spirit Field, Mana Vein Ascension Card!]
The familiar ethereal notification echoed softly inside Victor’s mind.
His expression, however, remained as calm as an undisturbed lake.
He barely spared the system notification a second glance.
In his eyes, the destruction of the Crimson Abyss Sect had already become an unavoidable certainty the moment they chose to provoke the Salvatore Family.
Whether the system issued a quest or not made little difference.
Still...
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Victor’s lips.
The timing couldn’t have been better.
The previous family mission already required the Salvatore Family to relocate onto a powerful Mana Vein. Now this new quest perfectly overlapped with that objective.
Destroy one enemy.
Claim an entire Mana Vein.
Complete two family missions at once.
The Eternal Legacy System truly knew how to reward efficiency.
Not bad.
Far below, silence blanketed the Salvatore Family estate.
Every clansman looked toward the figure standing proudly in the heavens.
Unlike before...
There was no longer surprise.
No panic.
No disbelief.
Only absolute faith.
To them...
Their Patriarch was an existence that could accomplish anything.
No matter what impossible feat Victor displayed, it simply felt... natural.
Their eyes shone with almost fanatical devotion.
Some clenched their fists until their knuckles turned white.
Others stared upward with tears glistening in their eyes.
At that moment, if Victor commanded them to march into the depths of hell itself...
Not a single member of the Salvatore Family would hesitate.
They would gladly offer their lives.
Because every one of them believed the same thing.
Their Patriarch...
...would never lead them toward defeat.
Only a short time ago...
The Salvatore Family had been insignificant.
A weak clan struggling merely to survive within Aurelia City.
Even becoming servants beneath the Crimson Abyss Sect would have been considered an honor beyond their station.
The sect had viewed families like theirs no differently than weeds growing beside the road.
Disposable.
Forgettable.
Yet now...
Everything had changed.
The mighty Sect Master of the Crimson Abyss Sect...
A Great Perfection Heavenly Genesis Realm expert...
Had been killed by Victor with nothing more than a single punch.
His head still rested in Victor’s grasp.
Meanwhile...
The remaining elders were trapped inside an endless cycle of death and rebirth, suffering an eternal punishment that made even death seem like mercy.
Such a scene...
None of them would have dared imagine in their wildest dreams.
Standing among the crowd, Magnus Salvatore remained frozen.
His rugged face was completely blank.
His mind simply couldn’t process everything unfolding before him.
Originally...
He had only hoped the main family possessed enough resources to heal Austin.
Perhaps...
If fortune smiled upon them...
The Patriarch might even preserve the dignity of the Blackstone City branch.
That alone would have exceeded his greatest expectations.
But reality...
Reality had shattered every limit of his imagination.
Victor hadn’t merely protected the family.
He had personally ripped the head from the Sect Master of the Crimson Abyss Sect.
With his bare hands.
That terrifying image replayed endlessly inside Magnus’ mind.
A Great Perfection Heavenly Genesis Realm expert...
Reduced to nothing more than a corpse before the Patriarch.
Magnus slowly lowered his head.
The reverence filling his heart reached heights beyond words.
Just then...
Victor slowly descended from the heavens until he stood above the ancestral square.
His black robe embroidered with golden dragons fluttered gently in the wind, while his long black hair swayed behind him. His golden eyes swept across every face before him—elders, deacons, branch representatives, and young disciples alike.
The entire Salvatore Family instinctively straightened their backs.
Not a single voice could be heard.
Only silence.
Victor spoke calmly, yet every word carried unquestionable authority.
"From this day forward..."
"Every branch of the Salvatore bloodline shall return home."
"No matter where they have settled..."
"No matter how many generations have passed..."
"They remain members of the Salvatore Family."
"They are our flesh and blood."
"The era of scattered branches ends today."
His gaze slowly shifted toward the senior elders standing at the front.
"Elder Council."
"Prepare the ancestral records."
"Update every family register."
"Send trusted elders and Imperial Pawns to every branch city."
"Deliver my decree personally."
"Inform every branch patriarch..."
"The main family calls them home."
"Anyone bearing the Salvatore surname is welcome to return."
"No branch shall be abandoned."
"No clansman shall be forgotten."
The elders immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"As you command, Patriarch!"
Victor gave a slight nod before continuing.
"Every returning branch will receive equal protection."
"They shall cultivate beneath the same sky."
"Share the same resources."
"And carry the same honor."
"The Salvatore Family will never again be divided."
Magnus Salvatore’s entire body trembled.
His breathing nearly stopped.
His eyes gradually reddened.
For countless generations...
Every branch family had dreamed of hearing those words.
Today...
Their Patriarch had personally fulfilled that dream.
Victor continued.
"As for Blackstone City..."
"The honor of the Salvatore Family cannot be tarnished."
"Damien."
"Nux."
"You two will lead a group of Salvatore Family disciples and accompany Magnus back to Blackstone City."
"A broken engagement..."
Victor gave a faint, almost amused laugh.
"...Such a shallow trick is hardly worth mentioning."
"The Whitecliff Family..."
"...has no reason to continue existing."
"Understood, Patriarch."
Damien stepped forward immediately.
His voice was steady.
Beside him, Nux grinned fearlessly before bowing respectfully.
"This disciple accepts the order."
Neither of them questioned Victor’s decision.
If the Patriarch wished for the Whitecliff Family to disappear...
Then its destruction had already become inevitable.
Magnus felt his vision blur.
His eyes reddened.
The branch families had existed for generations.
Although they shared the same bloodline, they had gradually become separated by distance and time.
Deep down...
Every branch dreamed of returning to the ancestral home.
Returning to where their lineage had first begun.
Yet they never dared hope such a day would truly arrive.
Now...
Victor had personally invited them home.
Not only that...
He was dispatching Damien and Nux—the two greatest young prodigies of the Salvatore Family—to help reclaim Blackstone City.
Actions spoke louder than words.
This single decision revealed everything.
Victor had never considered the branch families outsiders.
To him...
Every Salvatore carried the same blood.
Every Salvatore belonged beneath one banner.
Magnus suddenly dropped to one knee once more.
His voice trembled with overwhelming gratitude.
"This humble member..."
"...thanks the Patriarch!!"
His words echoed throughout the estate, carrying every ounce of sincerity in his heart.
At that moment...
Many elder clansmen quietly wiped away tears.
They finally understood.
The era of scattered branches...
Had come to an end.