Chapter 42: The Veteran Beneath the Three-Eyed Dragon’s Gaze [Part- 2]
The Veteran Beneath the Three-Eyed Dragon’s Gaze [Part- 2]
He stared at the gates of the Salvatore Family with disbelief.
"This Salvatore Family..."
"Could it truly be some ancient imperial clan... or perhaps an unrivaled sacred land in disguise...?"
Adrian Valerius had a secret.
He was not merely a cultivator and a respected member of the Celestial Fate Pavilion.
He was also a master of Heavenly Geomancy.
Even more astonishing, he possessed the legendary Eyes of Heavenly Geomancy, an innate gift so rare that countless cultivators could only dream of obtaining it.
Through those eyes, the invisible became visible.
Fortune flowed like mighty rivers.
Destiny intertwined like endless threads.
The spiritual veins of heaven and earth rose and fell like the tides of an eternal ocean.
While ordinary people saw only mountains, cities, and living beings, Adrian saw something far deeper.
He saw the hidden currents that determined the rise and fall of kingdoms.
He saw the blessings and calamities surrounding every individual.
In his eyes, things that others considered intangible—fortune, destiny, and the geomantic balance of heaven and earth—were as clear as the sun hanging in the sky.
That was why the destruction of the Ashthorn Family and the Ravencreast Family had reached him almost immediately.
He had known about the incident from the very beginning.
Yet he had deliberately remained silent.
He was waiting.
Waiting for Victor, the Patriarch of the Salvatore Family, to come to him personally and offer an explanation.
There was another reason as well.
Tobias Ashthorn had once been a disciple of the Crimson Abyss Sect.
The Crimson Abyss Sect was infamous throughout the Azure Sovereign Kingdom.
Few dared provoke them.
Their cultivation relied upon the terrifying Abyssal Blood Possession Scripture, a sinister art that devoured death aura, resentment, and endless slaughter to strengthen its practitioners.
Because of this, every disciple possessed combat strength far beyond others of the same cultivation realm.
The price, however, was equally terrifying.
Every disciple eventually became an extremist.
Cold-blooded.
Violent.
Utterly unreasonable.
To them, slaughter was as natural as breathing.
By killing one of their disciples, the Salvatore Family had not merely eliminated an enemy.
They had openly slapped the entire Crimson Abyss Sect across the face.
Such humiliation would never be tolerated.
Several days earlier, those fanatics had already contacted Adrian Valerius.
Calling it a discussion would have been laughable.
Calling it a notification was much more accurate.
In reality, they had simply delivered a single message.
"We’re going to Aurelia City to wipe out a clan. Stay out of it."
There had been no negotiation.
No room for objection.
Only absolute confidence.
Originally, Adrian had intended to secretly warn the Salvatore Family.
Regardless of the conflict, Aurelia City remained under his jurisdiction.
Allowing an entire family to be massacred within the city would inevitably bring endless trouble.
Yet...
Three full days had passed.
The Salvatore Family had shown no reaction whatsoever.
No preparations.
No requests for assistance.
No signs of panic.
It was as though they knew nothing...
Or feared nothing.
Left with no other choice, Adrian personally came to the Salvatore Family estate.
Major events were already drawing near.
The appearance of the Heavenly Secret Realm alone would attract countless powerful factions.
The last thing Aurelia City needed was another disaster before that.
However...
The moment he stepped outside the Salvatore Family estate...
Every instinct honed through decades of studying Heavenly Geomancy suddenly screamed at him.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The surrounding flow of destiny felt unlike anything he had ever encountered.
Without hesitation, Adrian activated his Eyes of Heavenly Geomancy.
Golden patterns bloomed within his pupils.
The world before him instantly transformed.
The ordinary scenery disappeared.
Invisible currents of fortune flooded into view.
Then—
He witnessed the terrifying scene before him.
A colossal Three-Eyed Auspicious Destiny Dragon silently watched over the entire Salvatore Family estate.
Its body stretched across the heavens like a living mountain range.
Golden scales shimmered beneath the sunlight, each one radiating ancient majesty.
Its claws gripped the very fabric of destiny.
Boundless fortune poured down from the heavens like a never-ending rain of golden light.
Every drop strengthened the foundation of the Salvatore Family.
Every breath of the dragon caused the surrounding destiny to become increasingly profound.
Even during his youth, when he had followed the Celestial Fate Pavilion to visit the legendary World Creation Holy Land...
He had never witnessed such an overwhelming phenomenon.
Not once.
His pupils trembled violently.
His breathing became uneven.
The hostility he had carried while coming here vanished without leaving the slightest trace.
Replacing it...
Was pure awe.
And a growing desire to quietly turn around and leave.
"This Salvatore Family is far too strange..."
He muttered under his breath, unable to hide the shock in his voice.
"This level of fortune... this kind of destiny..."
"At this point, I’d believe it if someone told me they’re an ancient Imperial Clan..."
He swallowed nervously.
"Damn it... is there really an ancient imperial family surnamed Salvatore?"
Countless thoughts collided inside his mind.
None of them made sense.
None of them explained what he was seeing.
Just then—
His entire body suddenly shuddered.
Every hair on his body stood on end.
A chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
A series of slow footsteps echoed beside him.
Each step was light.
Calm.
Almost gentle.
Yet every footfall landed directly upon Adrian’s heart, causing it to beat wildly inside his chest.
His instincts screamed at him.
Danger.
Without realizing it, he slowly raised his head.
An elderly man dressed in plain black robes had somehow appeared before him without making the slightest ripple in the surrounding air.
His long black hair was tied loosely behind his back.
His black eyes were calm and lifeless, carrying the silence of someone who had witnessed countless ages come and go.
His weathered face bore the marks of endless years.
Across his back rested a broken ancient sword.
More than half of its blade was missing.
Dark stains covered the rusted steel.
No one could tell...
Whether those stains were merely rust...
Or blood that had remained upon the blade for countless forgotten eras.
The old man emitted no cultivation aura whatsoever.
He looked like nothing more than an ordinary veteran who had survived too many battlefields.
Yet... Adrian knew with absolute certainty...
This old man could kill him as effortlessly as crushing a single ant.
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