She wore a half-face mask, making it impossible to see her features or guess her age. The mask was shaped like a firebird, its beak covering the tip of her nose, revealing bright red lips below—very seductive. The mask could not hide her eyes, which gleamed with clear mockery under the night sky.

The woman known as Branch Master Taylor stood with her back to Charles Carter, dressed in a thick sable coat. At this moment, she covered her mouth and coughed softly, truly appearing somewhat asthmatic and frail. After coughing for quite a while, she finally spoke slowly: “This is Daxia.”

Between her words, footsteps sounded as other Blood God Cultists gathered around. One of the blood-robed men said in a deep voice, “All the Luo family’s kin have been executed, only Ethan Sullivan remains.”

“Thank you, Leader Bennett.” Griffin smiled and said, “Branch Master Taylor, we don’t know why you came alone, but your illness hasn’t healed, and you alone can’t protect the cripple behind you. If you throw your life away here, it would truly be a pity.”

Branch Master Taylor said nothing more, simply raised her sword and pointed it at them, resulting in a standoff.

Charles Carter thought to himself that this so-called Branch Master Taylor was likely some official position. He didn’t know why she had come alone—perhaps a large force was on its way. Judging by Griffin’s wary attitude toward Branch Master Taylor, if they could just stall for a while, maybe the authorities would arrive in time to save Ethan Sullivan.

Looking at Ethan Sullivan, who was dragging his injured leg and collapsed on the ground, Charles Carter was moved. Suddenly, he poked his head out from behind the courtyard gate and shouted loudly, “Who says it’s just one person? As long as Branch Master Taylor holds them off, we can carry the young master and escape!”

Beside him, David Sullivan was dumbfounded.

Everyone was stunned. Elder Griffin and the Blood God Cultists stared at him with icy eyes, even Branch Master Taylor glanced back at him.

Charles Carter had no time to care about those autumn-water-like eyes. He strode forward and helped Ethan Sullivan up. “Young master, I’ll carry you!”

“Just stay here.” Elder Griffin casually flicked out a streak of red light.

With a clang, Branch Master Taylor silently blocked it.

Seeing this, it really seemed possible to escape. Ethan Sullivan was overjoyed and leaned on Charles Carter to stand up. “Good, good, I always knew you were honest and simple… pu…”

Before he could finish, a long knife stabbed into his heart.

Ethan Sullivan’s eyes widened. He looked down at the knife in his heart, then along the blade to the hand holding it, and finally at its owner.

In the firelight, Charles Carter’s eyes were filled with ferocity, the complete opposite of “honest.”

So what if he was at the third level of the threshold? It’s not like he was invulnerable!

Charles Carter knew that Ethan Sullivan was a trained fighter. If he had approached with the knife directly, the other would have been on guard and he wouldn’t have succeeded. Only by putting on an act and lowering his guard could he land a fatal blow.

On the other side, both Elder Griffin and Branch Master Taylor stopped fighting, both a little stunned.

Charles Carter, panting, said in a low voice, “This is my token of loyalty for joining the cult… The Venerable won’t let the authorities take me away, right?”

“Right.” Griffin’s eyes sparkled, and she instead moved to shield Charles Carter.

Branch Master Taylor said coolly, “A traitor—what use is it for you to take him in?”

“Traitor?” Charles Carter laughed loudly. “He’s no master of mine!”

With that, he viciously drove the knife a few inches deeper. “When you slaughtered the Zhao household, did you ever think of this day?”

Ethan Sullivan gasped twice, a look of realization and regret in his eyes, but he couldn’t speak. Soon, he was dead.

Branch Master Taylor quietly watched Charles Carter, recalling the villages she had seen along the way, and understood. She sighed softly and said, “The gravity of this matter is beyond your comprehension. You… will regret it.”

Charles Carter pulled out the long knife and replied loudly, “My mind is clear—what is there to regret!”

“Enough.” Branch Master Taylor shook her head and asked, “Do you dare leave your name?”

“The killer is Charles Carter!”

Chapter 6: North Mang

The Luo family, a noble house of Daxia, was wiped out overnight by the Four Symbols Cult and the Blood God Cult—no one was spared. Within days, the news spread across the land, shocking the world.

Although Charles Carter had already heard many people talking about chaos, the world had not yet completely fallen apart. Now, rebels were rising everywhere, bandits ran rampant, foreign tribes eyed the land hungrily, and powerful clans each held their own territories, with ambitious men stirring restlessly… Yet, in name, there was still a unified empire—Daxia. It was the end of a dynasty, but the era of warlords had not fully begun.

There were many who had seized mountains and declared themselves kings, but none had yet openly raised the banner of rebellion. Things were still at the level of “bandits” and “demonic cults.”

The true watershed of chaos would be when officials were killed, rebellions started, cities attacked and seized—signaling the utter collapse of imperial authority.

The Luo family was not a particularly powerful force, but it had a long lineage and was a recognized noble house. It also had a special trait—rumor had it the Luo family was connected to the royal family.

When Charles Carter first arrived, he heard Emily Foster say as much. No one could say exactly what the connection was, but it might not have been just a rumor. Just look at how Branch Master Taylor didn’t even wait for reinforcements, but rushed through the night despite her illness to save them—this was proof enough.

Now, a local noble house connected to the royal family had been wiped out by a demonic cult in a single night. It was as if the royal family had been slapped in the face, and it seemed to herald the true beginning of chaos, the storm about to break.

And among all this, an obscure name entered the public eye through Daxia’s wanted notices.

The killer: Charles Carter!

…

A thousand miles away, North Mang.