"Where is Ethan?" Seth Vernal asked lightly.

Lightly—yet the entire Blood Tavern trembled as if the question carried a blade's edge.

"Ethan…"

Everyone present stiffened.

Nine years had passed since Ethan, Zeon, and Magnus left the tavern with the Blood Marquis. Since then, not a whisper of their presence remained in the world. No return. No message. No trace.

It was as though the four had stepped into an abyss and vanished.

The only one who might know their whereabouts was Uga. Even Rain, Asher's own sister, knew nothing of where her brother had taken Ethan.

Rain's expression remained calm as she faced the two intruders.

"I don't know where you two are from," she said quietly, "but why are you looking for Ethan in our tavern?"

Seth Vernal's face instantly darkened.

"I ask you where Ethan is, and you just answer me where Ethan is. Why do you speak so much nonsense?"

His cold gaze swept over Rain with disdain.

"Who do you think you are?"

He sneered.

"Beauty is not enough qualification to talk to me. Strength is."

A deep hum reverberated through the tavern. Spiritual energy surged from his body like a rising tide, flooding the entire Blood Tavern with suffocating pressure.

The members' expressions paled.

This… this presence…

A Supreme Realm powerhouse!

And not just one—the man standing silently behind him possessed an aura even stronger.

Rain's brows tightened.

"Two Supremes?"

Solara trembled behind her, but Rain raised her hand protectively.

"Solara, go with the uncles. Don't act rashly."

She stepped forward, her posture steady, her tone icy.

Their motives weren't hard to guess.

They came for Ethan.

And they came with hostility.

But the Blood Tavern was not a place where anyone could run wild.

"The two of you speak however you like just because you are Supremes," Rain said coldly.

"Do you think our Blood Tavern is easy to bully?"

Before her words faded, a deep boom echoed beneath the tavern.

Countless blood-red symbols lit up as the protective formation activated—Asher's personal handiwork.

Even when controlled by Mahayana Realm cultivators, the formation's power could obstruct a Supreme expert.

Seth Vernal's eyes narrowed.

"Formation?"

He let out a disdainful snort. "Little girl, you think you can stop the two of us with a formation presided over by a few ants from the Mahayana Realm?"

"Whether it can stop you or not," Rain replied with a faint sneer, "you will know once you try."

There was not a hint of fear in her expression.

Her Blood Tavern had no cowards.

Carlos Vernal finally spoke, his tone low and heavy.

"Although your Blood Tavern has a deep foundation, my Vernal clan is not one to be trifled with either. Ethan killed three of my Vernal clan members—including the sixth young master of my clan."

His gaze sharpened.

"The blood feud will be repaid with blood."

"Hand over Ethan, and my Vernal clan will stop here. Otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless."

His offer was clear—a temporary peace, if they surrendered Ethan.

Rain listened silently.

Sixth Young Master… Bram.

Memories flashed.

She remembered the arrogant young master who had provoked Ethan in Myriad Treasure Pavilion.

She remembered how Bram had challenged Ethan at Azure Origin Dao Sect and been humiliated.

She remembered how Bram came to Noble Sun City seeking vengeance, only to provoke Ethan again—and die as he deserved.

"Bram went looking for trouble again and again," Rain said, chuckling coldly.

"He lost at Azure Origin Dao Sect, then came here wanting to kill Ethan to wash away his shame. If he died in Ethan's hands, that was the fate he invited."

"This world of cultivation is one of life and death. If you want to kill someone, you must be prepared to be killed."

She met Carlos Vernal's gaze without flinching.

"You two, of all people, should understand that."

The tavern shook again as Seth Vernal's aura intensified.

"You are right," he spat.

"But my Vernal family is not someone a yellow-haired brat like Ethan can kill without consequence."

His killing intent burst like a blade unsheathed.

"He doesn't deserve it."

Rain stepped forward, meeting the pressure head-on.

"And yet he still died."

"Hand over Ethan," Seth said coldly, "or tell us where he is."

Rain did not blink.

Ethan had vanished for nine years.

No one knew where he was.

But even if Rain did know, she would never hand him over.

She smiled—a chilling, fearless smile that belonged only to the Blood Tavern.

"You want Ethan?"

Her voice cut through the tension.

"Even if Ethan were standing here, he wouldn't lower his head to the likes of you."

Her spiritual energy surged, blending with the blood-red formation beneath their feet.

The tavern's Mahayana cultivators stepped out, each activating their portion of the formation.

Blood-red light swirled, forming a vortex of killing intent.

In that moment, the Blood Tavern resembled a beast baring its fangs.

Seth Vernal's killing intent collided fiercely with the formation's rising power.

The air trembled.

Cracks formed in nearby tables.

Wind howled inside the closed tavern.

The atmosphere neared the verge of collapse.

Carlos Vernal's eyes narrowed.

He hadn't expected such resolve from this little girl.

But he also had his own calculations.

If they could obtain Ethan, everything else was irrelevant.

The treasures on Ethan's body… The divine artifact he reportedly obtained… The mysterious fortunes he accumulated…

They were assets that could elevate the Vernal clan to unprecedented heights.

They had no intention of sharing with Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.

"Rain," Carlos Vernal said slowly, "don't force us to do something unpleasant."

"You cannot protect Ethan."

Rain sneered, unfazed.

"You are welcome to try."

Her eyes glinted with frost.

"In my Blood Tavern, Ethan is family. No one touches him."

A long silence followed—one filled with murderous intent from the Vernal duo and unyielding defiance from Rain.

The storm was on the brink of eruption.

Seth Vernal's killing aura intensified once more, shaking the tavern beams.

"Hand over Ethan, or tell us the whereabouts of Ethan."

A/N:

Extra chapters

100 power stones - 1 Extra chapters

200 power stones - 2 Extra chapters

Massage Chair - 1 Extra chapters

Luxury Car - 2 Extra Chapters

Dragon - 5 Extra Chapters

Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters

...

Thanks for the Magic Castle: @DaoistKryQyc

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