Category: A Man Like None Other

Chapter 722 How Is That Possible

As the minutes passed and the strength to retaliate started to fade, Lyanna’s face was flushed and her breathing became pants for air.

Poison King savored the sight of Lyanna writhing with discomfort on his bed as he sipped the bottle of wine at a leisurely pace.

“You look exactly like her,” he repeated. “You have no idea how much that turns me on. You’ll be begging for me to take you any moment now.”

Poison King was in no hurry. He knew that the drug needed time in his victim’s system to reach its full potency. When it does, she will be my very own nympho.

The fever arising from the pit of her stomach was beginning to cloud her judgment. For some reason, Poison King was beginning to look irresistible to her. Lyanna felt a mad impulse driven by a vast, urgent emptiness within her to pounce on him and have him fill her void.

Clinging on to the last shred of her rationality for dear life, Lyanna resisted her urges. Her lips were bloody from being bitten down to overcome the impulse. Shaking uncontrollably, her hands began to claw at her collar to dissipate the suffocative heat around her neck.

“Keep going, girl. Let’s see how much longer you can fight it.” Poison King leered as he took another gulp of wine.

At that same moment not far away, Jared stood up slowly and smiled in satisfaction at the corpses of the poisonous creatures that littered the floor.

Although he had not managed to break through to the next level, it had brought him much closer by allowing him to replenish his elixir field.

“I wonder how Lyanna is doing,” he muttered to himself as he gazed about the room, realizing with a start that he had completely lost track of time.

With a ferocious kick, he removed the metal door from its hinges only to realize via a glimpse at the outside world that night was already upon them.

Circumventing the sentries, Jared arrived stealthily at her bedroom to notify her of his wellbeing.

To his surprise, her bedroom was empty.

It’s the middle of the night. Where else could she be?

With a sudden sense of foreboding, Jared dashed out of Lyanna’s bedroom and headed straight for Poison King’s chambers.

Meanwhile, Lyanna had already removed her top. Poison King’s eyes gleamed with suspense at the sight of her red undergarments.

“Hahaha! Twenty years of work!” he proclaimed, his eyes remaining fixed on Lyanna. “All for this moment.”

Lyanna was drenched in sweat from the sheer exertion of controlling her lust. Succumbing to the effects of the aphrodisiac, she found the last traces of her resolve slipping from her grasp.

In her desperation, she had even considered committing suicide by biting her tongue. Unfortunately, she no longer had the strength to do so.

The drug had saturated her bloodstream. Her pale skin was so flushed with anticipation that even a breeze would send her over the edge.

Just as Lyanna was about to remove the last of her undergarments, the sound of glass shattering preceded Jared’s sudden arrival, to Poison King’s shock.

Were my poisonous creatures unable to even make a dent on him? How is that possible?

Jared ignored Poison King. Instead, he strode over to the bed where Lyanna lay, almost completely naked, and grabbed her hand to initiate the transfer of spiritual energy into her body.

Lyanna lost control the moment she saw Jared. “Give it to me!” she moaned as she threw herself on him and kissed his neck. “Give it to me, please! I can’t take it anymore!”

Driven mad with lust, Lyanna clawed at Jared’s clothes, ripping them to shreds.

Chapter 721 Twenty Year Old Grudge

“My mother?” repeated Lyanna, stunned. “How did you know my mother?”

“Your mother and I were childhood friends. Your grandfather, her father, was once the Poison King of Mapleton. After sustaining heavy injuries during a battle with the Empyrean Sect, he betrothed your mother to me in addition to naming me his heir to the throne as he knew that he did not have long to live.”

Poison King paused to drain another glass of wine before continuing. “On the eve of our wedding night, your mother ran away with another man from Mapleton. It took me a year to track them down before I learned that your mother was pregnant. Imagine my fury when I found out. After all, she was meant for me! Backing out of our wedding and carrying another man’s child was all the insult I can bear.”

As he spoke, the cold glint in his eyes became more pronounced. It was obvious that the passage of time had done little to assuage his resentment.

Lyanna’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Did you have my parents killed?”

Poison King nodded after recovering from his momentary surprise. “That’s right, I did. When I found out that your mother was pregnant, I ordered for them to be hunted down like dogs in my rage. In the end, after being wounded by my wasps, I found out that she had already given birth to a girl. I brought the child back and raised her as my own. I think you’re smart enough to piece the rest of the story together.”

Lyanna was nonplussed. “If you hated my parents so much, why didn’t you have me killed back then? Why bring me back?”

“You will find out very soon,” replied Poison King with a leer which sent a shiver down Lyanna’s spine.

“By the way,” he added, “how did you find out that your parents died by my hand?”

“When I was in Horington to capture Jared, I met a woman who look exactly like me. She turned out to be my younger sister. My mother had given birth to twins back then. You didn’t know that, did you? You’d only managed to steal away one! They’d put her up for adoption when they were on the run from you. I found out that my sister’s adoptive parents were killed by wasp venom native to Mapleton. So, I put two and two together.”

Lyanna gazed coldly at her godfather with sudden and intense mistrust. The man who raised me turned out to be the one responsible for the death of my parents.

Poison King was stunned. “You have a sister? No wonder your parents didn’t seem too upset about leaving you behind after sustaining heavy injuries! Turns out there was another girl. They must have abandoned you to protect your sister, Lyanna.”

“I believe the choice to leave me behind must have been a difficult one to make,” she said curtly, bristling with rage. “I’ve made my peace with their decision. Your words are not going to hurt me.”

Since he’d shown his hand, I’ll show mine too.

“I do regret not being more thorough in my investigation,” Poison King lamented. “If I had, I would have two of you who looked exactly like your mother.”

There was suddenly something primal in his gaze upon his goddaughter.

Lyanna became deeply uneasy. Turning around with the intention to leave, she slumped over as soon as she got up which necessitated her to brace herself against the table for support.

“What was in that wine?” she gasped with a terrified gaze at him.

“Oh, just something to loosen you up. You asked me why I kept you for twenty years instead of killing you along with your parents, didn’t you? Well, it’s for this very moment. I will have you please me in your mother’s place.”

By that moment, the maniacal glint in Poison King’s eye was no longer fleeting. His lust was becoming insatiable.

“You scum!” Lyanna’s eyes blazed with fury as she attempted to raise her hand to slap him. To her horror, her body failed to obey her.

“Calm down. We have all night,” Poison King crooned as he scooped her up and dumped her on the bed. “Soon, you will be begging to be ravished. After waiting twenty years, I’m not going to let my hard work go to waste by letting Carlos have the pleasure of deflowering you. I’ll have my way with you before delivering you, used and degraded, over to him. Treat me well tonight and you might get to keep your life. If you don’t… I’m sure you’re aware of what the parasites are capable of.”

Chapter 720 None Shall Escape

A man sat cross-legged in the middle of the room, seemingly unbothered by the innumerable poisonous creatures biting and gnawing at him.

Instead of killing him, the toxic energy released into the room was being absorbed into his body at a rate visible to the naked eye. The creatures found their fangs and claws shattering against his skin.

Jared’s body was, at that moment, impervious to anything. Despite the myriad of poisonous creatures unleashed onto him, none was successful in piercing his skin.

His eyes were lightly shut as his entire being was held at attention on the Focus Technique. Initially lethal and relentless, the poisonous creatures were soon scurrying away from him to hide in the shadowy corners of the room now that they had been rendered harmless and disarmed. Some that were desperate for survival crawled their way up to the sealed windows only to fall back down with a disappointing thud.

“None shall escape!” Jared proclaimed as his eyes gleamed greedily. The bugs are valuable training resources. It’ll be a waste to let them go!

Smashing them open one at a time, Jared inhaled the venomous essence that was released with relish before transmuting it into spiritual energy and storing it carefully away in his elixir field. Soon, the pile of dehydrated remains of the creatures grew to a small mountain.

By nightfall, the poisonous creatures that were locked up with Jared had greatly dwindled in number. Given the faith an average member of Mapleton had in the potency of their monarch’s critters which they held in such high regard, they would have been undoubtedly shocked and insulted to see how Jared had unceremoniously crushed such a large number of them.

At that very moment, Lyanna was pacing anxiously in her own bedroom. As worried for Jared as she was, the men standing guard outside her door made checking up on Jared impossible.

Just when Lyanna was about to lose her nerve and consider an escape, Weston opened the door a crack and poked his head through. “Ms. Lyanna, Poison King requests your presence.”

“Godfather wants me there?” Lyanna asked, her brow creasing warily.

“Yes. Right away, he specified.”

Without waiting for an answer, Weston withdrew his head, threw open the door, and strode ahead.

Lyanna jogged to keep up with him as they headed in the direction of Poison King’s chambers.

Upon reaching the landing of the second floor, Weston pointed at a set of doors at the far end of the corridor and instructed, “You’re expected to go in alone. He’s waiting for you.”

Without another glance, Weston descended the stairs and left Lyanna rooted to the spot. He has never allowed me into his chambers until now. Why today? Could he have found out about what I did yesterday?

With a growing sense of trepidation, Lyanna walked up to the door and knocked.

“Is that you, Lyanna? Come in.” Poison King’s voice came from within.

The door swung inward at her slightest touch. It was several moments before she realized that he was having his dinner at a table laden with several dishes and a bottle of wine.

Lyanna entered the room and closed the door behind her softly.

“You wanted to see me, Godfather?” she asked, approaching him timidly when he beckoned.

“Have a seat. Join me for dinner.” He indicated a stool next to him.

Lyanna said nothing as she sat down. He poured her a glass of wine.

“Have a glass with me,” he said, as he slid the glass toward her.

Unable to find the words to reject him politely, Lyanna took the cup and drained it out of sheer awkwardness.

Poison King’s smile widened as the last drop disappeared down her throat. “You’re the one who took the photographs on the table, didn’t you?” he asked casually.

Lyanna shuddered before resigning herself to the fact that he must have already known from his strange tone. Unable to keep the lie going any further, she decided to come clean.

With a resigned nod, she placed the photographs on the table. “Who is the woman in the photograph, Godfather? Why does she look so much like me?”

“Of course she does,” Poison King replied, “she’s your mother, after all.”

Chapter 719 It Does Not Matter

“Poison King, who is he?” Carlos questioned grimly.

“Oh! He’s just a foolish punk…” Poison King explained hastily. He then yelled out, “Bring him away and lock him up!”

Without hesitation, Weston and the others stepped forward to grab hold of Jared and drag him out.

Jared struggled frantically, putting on a show that he seemed to have lost every bit of his martial energy.

“Let go of me! Lyanna is mine!” he continued to squeal at the top of his lungs, but nobody gave any hoots to him. Moments later, he was dragged away by Weston and the others.

When Carlos did not sense anything amiss, a faint smile broke out on his face. “It seems many others have fallen head over heels for Ms. Lyanna!”

“Ah! Mr. Xuereb, how can those small fries be comparable to you! Three days later, I’ll ensure Lyanna is glamorously dressed before waiting for your arrival!” Poison King smiled gleefully.

Other than him, only a few members of Mapleton knew that Lyanna was born with the aptitude to bewitch. Hence, he would continue to keep mum about it to Carlos.

“Hahaha! I’d better go back now for the necessary preparations. Please excuse me.” Carlos rose and waved to Poison King respectfully.

“See you, Mr. Xuereb. Kindly see yourself out,” Poison King replied courteously.

Once Carlos stepped out of Mapleton, his lips contorted into a smirk as he mumbled triumphantly, “Haha! The aptitude to bewitch is undoubtedly awesome. Look at how that foolish fellow is bewitched by the Seduction Technique! After absorbing Lyanna’s life force energy later, I’ll be able to reach the level of a Martial Arts Grandmaster!”

Meanwhile, Lyanna was on pins and needles. Her hands were intertwined as she feared that Jared would not be able to endure it when the venomous creatures in the room attacked him.

Even though Jared’s combat prowess had not been affected by the dissipation powder, all the venomous creatures in the room were deadly. Thus, Lyanna was worried sick that he would not be able to withstand them for long.

Soon, Weston and the others were back and updated Poison King, “Poison King, we’ve locked the brat up in the room. He’s yowling inside now, but we wonder if he can endure it for seven days!”

“It doesn’t matter if he can stand it. As long as I can break through my current stage and become a Martial Arts Grandmaster, it won’t be any issues even if I can’t cultivate the cadaver king successfully.” Poison King smiled placidly.

“Poison King, don’t you doubt if Carlos Xuereb is trustworthy? Why do they need to talk us into allying with them when they have slowly come to prominence lately? Not to mention, they still have their mystical water from the magic spring! Could it be he’s not solely thinking of marrying Ms. Lyanna?” Weston asked warily. Somehow, he sensed something awry.

“Hahaha! Do you think I’ll be easily fooled by him? Regardless of what kind of ulterior motive they have, I’ll get Lyanna to delude him with the Seduction Technique after they get married. It will gradually drive a wedge between him and his father, causing them to turn on each other. When the Empyrean Sect is in an absolute mess without its leader’s guidance, it will eventually fall into our hands!” Poison King guffawed.

His eyes glistened with utter anticipation as though he was already standing on the peak of the mountain where the Empyrean Sect was located.

“Poison King, you’re indeed our ray of hope!” Weston and the others buttered him up hastily.

“Lyanna, you’re not allowed to step out of Mapleton these few days. Stay at home obediently till I wipe out the Empyrean Sect. By then, I’ll surely upgrade your prowess!” Poison King tried to reassure Lyanna.

“Noted, Godfather!” Lyanna dared not retort or go against his will.

“All of you must keep an eye on her. Don’t let her sneak out!” Poison King instructed Weston and the others, fearing that Lyanna would flee at any moment.

Consequently, Lyanna did not manage to check on Jared’s condition as she could not even step out of her room.

In the meantime, dozens of venomous creatures were darting hither and thither in an enclosed room in Mapleton.

The room was pitch-black, and a toxic gas suffused it.

Chapter 718 He Intends To Marry Lyanna

The moment Poison King twisted open the bottle cap, he was greeted by a whiff of sweetness and felt refreshed instantaneously.

“Poison King, don’t drink it impulsively!” Nevertheless, Weston stopped him when he was about to take a sip.

Weston could not help but snort inwardly. Mapleton and the Empyrean Sect have been harboring grudges against each other for such a long time. How’s it possible for both parties to mend the relationship with just a few words? If the water was poisoned, Poison King would only be putting himself on the line if he takes it!

“Haha! Master Weston, you’re really cautious. Who could know better than all of you from Mapleton about poison in the whole southwest region? Anyone who dares to challenge you on that must have lost their minds!” Carlos mocked and took the bottle back. After that, he took a mouthful to convince them.

Meanwhile, Poison King reprimanded Weston, “Get out of my way now!”

He was flattered by Carlos’ words. Hmph! Those who dare to poison us must be digging their own graves!

“Mr. Xuereb, please excuse my subordinate’s rudeness,” Poison King said in embarrassment.

Next, he took the glass bottle and gulped down the water.

Seconds later, he felt refreshed and even sensed an instant ripple of warmth flowing continuously in his elixir field.

“Poison King, how do you feel now?” Carlos asked, flashing him a smile.

“Wow! It’s indeed a goody!” Poison King gasped, tossing away his earlier doubt of Carlos’ words.

“Poison King, I’ll bring you more next round since you like it. I believe it’s a matter of time for you to break through your current stage and become a Martial Arts Grandmaster with the help of this magical water.” Carlos chuckled.

“Mr. Xuereb, you’ve brought us such a wonderful treasure. We feel bad if there’s nothing to give you back in return. Just tell me right away if there’s anything you wish to obtain from us.” Poison King cut to the chase.

He was sure as h*ll that the Empyrean Sect had an ulterior motive for offering him something so miraculous.

Carlos cast a look at Lyanna alongside him before his lips curved into a smile. “Poison King, I’ve fallen for Ms. Lyanna ever since I first set my eyes on her many years ago. Now that we’ve grown up, I hope you can grant my wish to marry her. By then, the Empyrean Sect and Mapleton will be in-laws. Isn’t that fabulous since we’re going to form an alliance?”

Poison King furrowed his brows as he threw a glance at Lyanna. Undeniably, he had long since treated her as his woman after bringing her up painstakingly for twenty years. Now that Carlos had requested to marry her, he was reluctant to let go of her.

Nevertheless, the miraculous water from the mountain spring was irresistible for Poison King. Prevailed by his desire to break through his current stage and become a Martial Arts Grandmaster, he eventually gritted his teeth. “Okay! Mr. Xuereb, I’ll grant your wish. When do you plan to escort her back to the Empyrean Sect?”

“Three days later!” Wearing a look of sheer triumph, Carlos held out three fingers.

Even though Carlos was seemingly an eligible bachelor, Lyanna did not like him. Her heart thumped when Poison King gave in to Carlos. The next moment, she knelt in front of him and pled, “Godfather, I feel that I’m still young. I wish to be by your side forever, so I don’t feel like marrying anyone…”

Poison King glared at her and snapped, “The decision lies in my hands. Lyanna, are you planning to go against my will, huh?”

“No! Godfather, I would never have such an intention!” Lyanna yelled out apprehensively. She had no choice but to bite her lip as she got to her feet and stepped backward.

On the other hand, Jared had been scrutinizing Carlos all this while. He was astounded that the latter seemed to be emanating negative energy. His gut instinct told him that Carlos must have gone through Demonic Cultivation. Hmph! This fellow must have something up his sleeve since he insists on marrying Lyanna!

“Lyanna is mine! How dare anyone requests to marry her?” he suddenly fumed and wrapped his arms around Lyanna. There was even surging fury in his eyes.

The sudden twist caught Lyanna off guard. Carlos was also flabbergasted. Initially, he assumed Jared was just an ordinary member of Mapleton. It never came to his mind that the latter would dare to hug Lyanna, claiming that she was his woman in front of everyone!

Chapter 717 Water From The Spirit Spring

“Sure! We’re more than happy if the Empyrean Sect is willing to reconcile with us!” Poison King replied at once, over the moon.

After all, there were countless sects other than Mapleton and the Empyrean Sect in the whole of the southwest. Subsequently, everyone fought over the limited resources for cultivation and expanding their turfs. That explained why Poison King had discreetly instructed Fabian to work his way to Jazona.

Since Mapleton and the Empyrean Sect had been battling against each other and sustaining losses for decades, other sects had benefitted from it. In other words, their members had steadily been gaining tremendous advancement in their combat prowess, whereas the martial prowess of Mapleton had been stagnant.

Nowadays, most of the members from the other sects had become Martial Arts Grandmasters one by one. Nonetheless, Poison King was still stuck at Top Level Senior Grandmaster without the slightest sign of having a breakthrough. As a result, he was feeling pressured and anxious.

That was the reason he wished to cultivate a cadaver king desperately. He presumed the other sects would not be a threat to Mapleton any longer if they could cultivate one successfully.

“Poison King, since you have no objection, it’s time the Empyrean Sect and Mapleton let bygones be bygones. To express our utmost sincerity, I’ve brought some goodies exclusively for you this time around,” Carlos uttered earnestly.

The next second, one of the subordinates standing behind him whipped out a glass bottle containing crystal-clear water.

Poison King looked at it and asked quizzically, “Mr. Xuereb, it looks like ordinary water from mountain springs. How could it be an invaluable treasure?”

“Poison King, since the Empyrean Sect and Mapleton will mend their relationship and form an alliance, I’ll not keep things under wraps from you. Do you know how we’ve become stronger so fast within these few years? So far, there are almost twenty new Senior Grandmasters in our sect. Moreover, my father even became a Martial Arts Grandmaster within a short span after being stuck at Top Level Senior Grandmaster for ten years!” Carlos stated, smiling mysteriously.

Poison King shook his head. “I’ve no idea. Mr. Xuereb, can you tell me why?”

Poison King could hardly wait to know how the Empyrean Sect became that much stronger. All the other members of Mapleton perked up their ears out of curiosity too.

In the meantime, only Jared kept his eyes glued to the glass bottle. He racked his brain on why he could seem to detect spiritual energy from it.

There was no way for the glass bottle to contain spiritual energy. Thus, he was convinced that it was from the water in the bottle. But how is it possible for the water to contain spiritual energy? Ah! Could it be water from the spirit spring?

As Jared was deep in thought, Carlos continued to explain, “Poison King, let me be frank with you. Three years ago, a mountain spring suddenly appeared somewhere near our base on the mountain. Initially, there was nothing unusual about this mountain spring. But somehow, all our disciples love to drink the water from there because of its natural sweetness. Not long after that, we gradually discovered that it could strengthen our bodies and health. Furthermore, consuming the water long-term boosts our combat prowess other than curing our injuries and illness. My father had great advancement and finally became a Martial Arts Grandmaster after consuming the miraculous water too!”

Poison King was dumbfounded. Meanwhile, Weston and the others wore a look of sheer disbelief. There are many mountain springs on our turfs too. Moreover, the water from those mountain springs forms a stream that flows across our land. Hence, most of us from Mapleton has been consuming the water from the mountain spring. Yet, why didn’t we feel anything after consuming it?

“Mr. Xuereb, you’re not bluffing me, are you? Do you mean to say that water from a mountain spring is able to enhance our health and let us achieve a breakthrough?” Poison King asked in bewilderment.

To him, it did not make sense that water from a mountain spring could do miracles. How is it possible for someone stuck at the same level for ten years to gain a breakthrough abruptly after drinking the water from a mountain spring?

“Poison King, what’s the point for me to lie to you? I’ve brought some water from the mountain spring. If you don’t believe me, you can give it a try yourself.”

Next, he handed the glass bottle to Poison King.

Chapter 716 The Empyrean Sect

“Let Mr. Xuereb enter. Remember to show him great hospitality,” Poison King instructed the member of Mapleton who had come to update him on Carlos’ arrival.

The latter nodded respectfully and left. Meanwhile, Poison King huddled over with Weston and the others as though they were discussing something.

Jared grabbed the opportunity to sound Lyanna out by putting on a quizzical look. “What is so special about the Empyrean Sect? All of you from Mapleton seem to be terrified of them!”

Lyanna stole a look at Poison King and the others before explaining to him, “The Empyrean Sect’s base is located around 5 kilometers from us, on the mountain in the south of Mapleton. Mapleton and the Empyrean Sect are mortal enemies, and I’ve heard both parties started to battle against each other as early as a century ago, resulting in great losses of lives. For some reason, there was suddenly a drastic increase in the number of strong disciples they had. All of a sudden, they have almost twenty new Senior Grandmasters. Even their sect leader has reached the level of Martial Arts Grandmaster. As a result, Mapleton has been oppressed by them these years.”

She paused, stealing another glance at Poison King and the others before adding, “That’s why Poison King intends to cultivate a cadaver king, so we won’t need to bow to the Empyrean Sect again. Earlier on, hundreds of martial trainees from the Empyrean Sect were killed after being bitten by our venomous creatures when they trespassed on our turf. Thus, we’re overwrought that they will settle the score with us!”

“Isn’t Mapleton famous for their expert use of poison? Regardless of how formidable the Empyrean Sect disciples are, you can easily wipe them out by poisoning them, can’t you?” Jared refuted in bafflement.

Lyanna could not resist laughing in exasperation. “You’ve overestimated Mapleton. After battling against us for more than a century, how could the Empyrean Sect be oblivious to Mapleton’s expertise at poisoning? They’ve long developed a way to deal with our poisons and venoms. Even the venomous wasp, deemed the deadliest creature in Mapleton, is nothing to them.”

“If they can cure your poisons and venoms, how’s it possible for hundreds of their members to be killed by you previously?” Jared questioned doubtfully. He could not fathom why those members from the Empyrean Sect still ended up losing their precious lives even though the sect had already found a way to deal with venoms.

“Those attacked were only the Empyrean Sect’s martial trainees, not their disciples. Thus, the Empyrean Sect didn’t try to cure them with their precious antidotes. Apart from that, they decided to go with the flow and make use of that incident as an excuse to strike against Mapleton,” Lyanna explained further.

Hearing that, Jared’s heart skipped a beat. My goodness! How could the Empyrean Sect be so inhumane and treat the martial trainees as though they were worthless and didn’t deserve to live? Those martial trainees held the Empyrean Sect in high regard, yet the sect had the heart to let the former meet their end without curing their poison. If the Empyrean Sect can treat their own people like that, I can’t even imagine how they would treat outsiders!

In the meantime, a long-haired young man in his early twenties dressed in a long-sleeved shirt showed up. He was none other than Carlos.

When he came into view, Jared could not help but let out a sigh of admiration. Undeniably, Carlos had stunning good looks, as if he was the male lead in a romance movie.

There were two subordinates following behind him, and both were Senior Grandmasters. Surprisingly, Carlos was already a Senior Grandmaster at such a young age as well. It implied that his potential was impressive beyond imagination.

The moment Poison King noticed Carlos, he hurried toward the latter. “Mr. Xuereb, welcome to Mapleton!”

Carlos flashed him a smile and greeted him courteously, “Poison King, sorry for disturbing you! I hope you don’t mind that I’m here without notifying you in advance.”

“Of course not. Mr. Xuereb, it’s a great honor to have you here. Please take a seat!” Poison King welcomed Carlos cordially and instructed his subordinate to pour him tea.

After being seated, Carlos instinctively glanced at Lyanna, who was sitting beside him. His eyes lingered on her for more than a moment.

Seeing that Carlos’ eyes seemed to be glued to Lyanna, Poison King’s expression darkened as he asked grimly, “Mr. Xuereb, may I know why you suddenly paid us a visit?”

Needless to say, he was hinting to Carlos to take his eyes off Lyanna. Deep down, he claimed Lyanna as his woman and would never let any man lay a finger on her.

Carlos finally retracted his gaze and smiled at Poison King. “Poison King, both the Empyrean Sect and Mapleton have sustained great losses battling against each other these years. Are you willing to let both parties reconcile and form an alliance?”

Chapter 715 Request For An Audience

Poison King chased Lyanna to the window and watched as she disappeared into the night. Glancing at the missing photo on his table, he grinned.

“Don’t be hasty. You’ll know everything soon enough come tomorrow night.”

His eyes glinted maliciously.

When Poison King turned from the window and returned to bed, a figure flashed across a dark corner. It was Jared.

Jared looked up at Poison King’s bedroom window with a cold look. “It looks like there is a relation between this old geezer and Lyanna’s parents somehow.”

Lyanna was already back in her room when Jared arrived. Seeing him returning from outside, she asked cautiously, “Where did you go?”

“To the restroom. I couldn’t keep it in. What? Am I not allowed to do that?” Jared let out a tired yawn and said, “Where did you go dressed in an all-black catsuit in the middle of the night?”

“I don’t need to explain anything to you.”

Changing out of her catsuit, she climbed back into bed, holding onto the photo tightly. She decided to confront Poison King about the girl in the photo the next day.

Lyanna led Jared to Poison King’s cabin the next morning. Stepping through the threshold, they saw many others had gathered around waiting in the living room.

“Pretend as though you’ve lost all your powers later. Make sure no one sees through your act,” Lyanna instructed.

“Why?” Jared asked.

“Don’t ask so much. Just do as I say.”

Lyanna shot him a glare.

Jared nodded his head and followed Lyanna into the living room.

She didn’t dare to meet Poison King’s gaze, feeling guilty after sneaking into his room the other night. On the other hand, Poison King acted as though nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Noting his gesture for her to approach, she quickly strode to his side with downcast eyes and a bowed head.

“Have you fed Jared the dissipation powder?” he asked.

“I did, Godfather. I watched him consume it with my own eyes. He has completely lost his powers now. He just a commoner.” Lyanna nodded her head.

“Excellent! I won’t forget about your efforts after I succeed in turning him into a cadaver king.”

Poison King patted her shoulder with satisfaction, then waved her away.

At that moment, a subordinate rushed into the living room urgently and reported, “Poison King, Mr. Xuereb has requested a meeting with you.”

Poison King shot to his feet at the news. The five leaders stood up nervously too.

Lyanna, who was about to leave, paused mid-stride.

Jared noticed the nervous look on their faces and speculated Mr. Xuereb must be a powerful figure for Poison King to be anxious about his arrival.

“How many men did Carlos bring with him?” Poison King asked.

“He brought only two guards with him. Mr. Xuereb said he wanted to discuss some matter with you. He wasn’t here to seek revenge,” the subordinate reported.

Poison King frowned with suspicion. “Discuss some matter with me? What is there to discuss? Could it be a trap?”

“We have poisoned over hundreds of Empyrean Sect’s martial trainees, so it was likely he was here to seek revenge. I suspect his request for a meeting is a trap. We should gather everyone this instant and defend against the Empyrean Sect’s attack,” Weston suggested.

“Since Carlos came here personally with only two guards, I think we don’t have to be scared of him. We can just let him in. Even if he plans to trap us, we can always catch him and blackmail the Empyrean Sect,” Evron suggested.

“Evron is right. There’re only three of them. What is there to be afraid of?”

“Let them come here. We can surely take on the three of them.”

The other leaders also concurred with allowing Carlos to come inside.

Chapter 714 Sneak In

“Don’t worry. I’m a gentleman. I won’t force you. In fact, I want you to do it willingly if I ever want to sleep with you.”

Jared flashed her a confident smile as he arranged his mattress on the floor.

“Who in the world will want to sleep with you,” she muttered softly.

With a roll of her eyes at him, Lyanna climbed into bed without changing out of her clothes.

She didn’t tell Jared about the dissipation powder because she wasn’t planning on feeding it to him. Aware that he would be nothing more than an average man awaiting his death if he lost all his powers and recovered them after twelve hours.

She lay in bed for a long while and couldn’t fall asleep. Hearing Jared’s carefree snore, she sat up feeling frustrated. “Oh my, how can you still sleep so soundly knowing you will turn into a cadaver king soon?”

She changed into an all-black catsuit, then snuck out of the room. Since she couldn’t ask Poison King directly, she would have to poke her nose around to search for clues about her parents.

Right after she shut the door to her room, the snoring Jared opened his eyes immediately. With a curl of his lips, he followed her out.

She made a beeline for the second floor where Poison King sleeps. After having stayed there for twenty years, she was familiar with the cabin and the timing of the guards’ patrol. It was a piece of cake for her to dodge all the patrolling guards.

Soon, she made it to the second floor. She didn’t find anything after sneaking around the common area. She knew the secrets of Poison King would be locked in his bedroom, but there was a strict rule that nobody could enter his bedroom without his permission.

Never once had she entered his room in the twenty years she had stayed in Mapleton. She was never curious about his bedroom until now when she needed to search for clues about her parents.

Hiding under the window to the room, she carefully peeked inside. Her eyes widened after a glance at the interior of the room. The entire room was decorated festively with a red blanket and fairy lights as though it was for a newly married couple.

She didn’t hear anything about Poison King taking a bride during her stay in Mapleton, so why would he decorate his room in such a way?

The decorations seem recent. Is he planning to take a bride soon?

She filed away the thoughts at the back of her mind and pulled her focus back on her mission. Once she was sure Poison King was asleep, she sneaked into his room.

With light fingers and feet, she began to search around.

The furnishing within the room was simple. There was only a table, a closet, and the large safe beside it. Her gaze zeroed in on the metallic cube, assuming Poison King would keep all his confidential and important documents inside it.

A sense of helplessness filled Lyanna as she studied it. Even though she possessed martial arts skills, she didn’t have the skills to open the safe. She could open the safe by force, but that would risk Poison King finding out someone had snuck into his room.

Her gaze darted around the room as she contemplated, finally landing on a piece of photo on the table. Picking up the photo, she scrutinized it under the moonlight.

Her entire body stiffened when she saw the people in the photo. She could recognize the young man in the photo as Poison King when he was younger, but there was a young girl too. The girl looked familiar to Lyanna because she looked very similar to herself.

Despite the photo being slightly yellowed from its age, Lyanna was sure she was related to the girl in the photo for they looked too alike to deny any relation.

Still immersed in analyzing the photo, Lyanna didn’t notice Poison King had sat up. “Who is it?”

His shout startled her. She swiftly pocketed the photo and leaped out of the window.

Chapter 713 Love For Red

Poison King studied Jared and noticed the latter’s greed on his face and the intense look in his eyes. “It’s hard to believe this fellow is the one who killed Xander, a Martial Master. Reaching the level of a Martial Arts Grandmaster is very arduous. Xander had trained in isolation for several years to rise to the rank of Martial Arts Grandmaster, just to be killed by this fellow here.”

Poison King had slowly crossed the room to Jared as he spoke. He now stood near Jared and Lyanna.

Lyanna’s stomach tightened when she noticed Poison King assessing gaze directed at Jared. She was worried that he would catch any flaws.

“Lyanna, have him remove his shirt,” Poison King ordered out of the blue, snapping her out of her thought.

Lyanna was stunned at his sudden request. “Why the request, Godfather?”

Lyanna was puzzled as to why Poison King had asked for Jared to remove his top.

Jared’s heart lurched despite the lewd grin he maintained.

Is Poison King a pervert? What am I going to do if he likes men? I’m straight as an arrow!

Jared’s heart began to pound harder as he mulled. If this Poison King has a different sexual orientation, then I’ll make my move to kill him first. I’m not going to hand over my virginity to a man.

Poison King frowned at Lyanna’s question. “Follow my command! I don’t have to explain my actions to you!”

Noting the irritation in his tone, Lyanna instantly shut her mouth and cast a resigned look at Jared. “Jared, take off your shirt.”

Jared stared at Lyanna intensely at her request and shot her a wicked grin. “Why are you asking me to take off my shirt? Do you want to do it in front of an audience? Color me surprised! I didn’t take you for one to like doing it in front of an audience. Just thinking about it had me all worked up.”

Jared took off his shirt and revealed his well-toned body.

A satisfied gleam shone in Poison King’s eyes at Jared’s body. He reached out a hand toward Jared’s arm and squeezed it with a look of envy.

Feeling goosebumps all over his skin, Jared flung his hand away. “What are you doing? I don’t like men.”

“As expected, your body is tough. It won’t be long till the day when Mapleton will reign over the entire southwestern domain.”

Poison King laughed victoriously, then waved Lyanna forward. “Come here, Lyanna.”

Lyanna stepped closer to Poison King. The latter turned his back toward Jared, concealing his actions as he handed a small bag of powder to her. He whispered to her, “Put some of this dissipation powder into Jared’s meal later. Don’t let him touch you when you stay with him tonight. You know the consequences if you lose your virginity.”

Lyanna merely nodded her head silently as she accepted the small bag.

She wanted to ask about her parents but knew the danger she would put herself in if she asked directly. If the people of Mapleton had murdered her parents, she would never get any answers from him but would also risk her life.

“All right. It’s late. Rest up, everyone.”

Poison King waved his hand to disperse the crowd as he returned to his room.

The five leaders had a mocking smile on all their faces as they looked at the shirtless Jared. Even though the fellow is powerful, he still fell for Lyanna’s honey trap in the end. So much for defeating a Martial Master.

After everyone left, Lyanna led Jared to her room.

A waft of fragrance assaulted Jared the moment he stepped into her room. At a glance, the room was clean and tidy. A few of Lyanna’s undergarments were hanging by the window to dry.

Noticing his gaze on her undergarments, Lyanna blushed and frantically took them down and stuffed them into her closet.

“I didn’t know you love red bras,” Jared teased her with a smirk.

She didn’t rebuke his teasing and merely shot him a glare, then threw a set of blankets onto the floor. “You’ll be sleeping on the floor tonight. Don’t even think about crossing the line with me. I’ll make you pay if you do.”