What was depicted on the screen right in front of Veronica was a Japanese looking woman who has similar facial features with Veronica as she was bound by a number of chains in an area that looks like a dungeon cell.
Not only that, but this woman looked bruised and battered from the top of her head to her sol of her feet as she seems to be unconscious due to how she was dangling from the chains. When Veronica saw all these, she couldn’t compose herself well enough as tears suddenly broke out from her eyes. Even Undying Soul who stood beside Veronica shivered when he saw this as he thought.
’Seems like the ruthlessness of the man has dwindled one bit over the years’
"Now will you do as I say?" Franklin suddenly said with an indifferent look on his face. But Veronica didn’t give him an answer yet as she first asked in a trembling and hoarse tone in as much as she was trying to calm herself down. "Why.....?"
"Well it’s quite simple, she was against the organization am in which is a taboo to the highest degree since it’s this same organization that brought me to where I am today. So because of that, she has to be punished for her actions and needs to be taught a lesson"
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"She needs to be punished and taught a lesson? For 20 years!? Because of this your twisted and masochistic disciplinary nature, I didn’t see my mother for a whole 20 years. I even thought she might have even passed away and you just didn’t have the courage to tell me. But now it seems I am dead wrong, Gosh why did mum had to get married to such an evil and twisted man like yo–"
"Enough!!" Franklin suddenly interrupted Veronica who has now broken down for her mother with a furious tone as his aura suddenly flared up and completely changed the atmosphere in the throne. "You will say no more regarding this if you don’t want to be in same fate as your mother. Now I will ask you this for the last time, will you do as I say?"
Veronica was silent for the first few minutes as she was reaching her boiling point while she was in conflict with her mind. But in the end, she suddenly relaxed as she thought in sorrow. ’Am sorry, Hutton....’
"I.... Will do as you say"
"Good, now quickly follow Undying Soul and attend the Culinary Excellence awards and make sure you play your role well if you want to see your mother again" Franklin said with an indifferent look on his face.
"No one is stepping out of this throne room" but right when anyone could react to what Franklin said, a voice suddenly reverberated across the throne room as a man appeared right in between Veronica and Undying Soul.
"Who are you!?" Seeing this, Undying Soul quickly reacted as he backed off and instantly sent out a not so simple looking palm strike that seems to be imbued with death qi. But the man didn’t even flinch by Undying Soul’s hurried attack as he quickly sidestepped and dodged the attack while he sent out a palm strike of his own.
Bang!!
"Argh!!" Undying Soul cried out in pain as he was sent flying by the man’s palm strike. When, Veronica saw all this, she hurriedly back off as she stared at the man in vigilance. But the man didn’t even give her a simple glance as he quickly shifted his attention towards Franklin who was still seated on the throne room.
But unlike Undying Soul and Veronica who instantly raised up their guards towards this man, Franklin was still seating on his throne with a relaxed demeanor as he spoke. "To what reason do I owe this visit, Mr. Darlington"
Apparently, the person who just appeared in Franklin’s throne room and attacked Undying Soul is none other than Darlington, the top instructor in the Ying Yang Dojo and a Nascent soul cultivator.
"Oh? Do I get to have a reason for visiting you Mr. Franklin? Aren’t you overestimating yourself a little bit?" Darlington replied with a light smile on his face. But when Franklin heard him, he suddenly narrowed his eyes due to anger that is now building up within him.
"So you are the Darlington I have stories about being a beacon of the righteous path, well you will still pay what you have down to me here in double folds" but in the next moment, Undying Soul suddenly spoke up as he stood back on his two feet. As for Darlington, he just turned his gaze back on Undying Soul as it was now filled with indifference.
"You dare challenge the righteous with such vile arts, Undying Soul?" Darlington’s voice then echoed, firm and authoritative.
"Righteousness?" Undying Soul sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "Sorry to break it up to you but your path is nothing but delusion! Let me show you the inevitability of death!"
With a guttural roar, Undying Soul unleashed his power. The throne room darkened as a torrent of deathly energy surged from his body. Shadows twisted and screamed, forming ghostly apparitions that lunged at Darlington with claws of pure malice. At the same time, black chains erupted from the ground, seeking to bind the righteous cultivator.
But Darlington moved.
With a simple shift of his palm, a golden light erupted from his body, dissolving the apparitions into harmless wisps of smoke. He stepped forward, undeterred, and his movements were as fluid as flowing water, each step echoing with a faint hum of profound Daoist resonance.
"First Palm: Breaking Illusions."
Darlington’s palm struck outward, and a golden wave of energy tore through the air. The black chains shattered instantly, their fragments evaporating under the light. Undying Soul staggered, his eyes widening as the oppressive aura of death around him faltered.
"You—!" Undying Soul growled, summoning a swirling vortex of necrotic energy around him. His voice boomed. "Die, Darlington! Eternal Decay Art: Death’s Embrace!"
The vortex surged forward, a concentrated force of death intent, capable of corroding even the strongest of defenses. Yet Darlington did not flinch.
"Second Palm: Severing Darkness."
With a flick of his wrist, Darlington’s second palm strike cleaved through the death vortex like a blade of divine judgment. The energy dispersed harmlessly, and Undying Soul stumbled backward, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"No… this cannot be…" Undying Soul muttered, desperation creeping into his voice.
Darlington’s eyes gleamed with righteous fury as he raised his hand for the final strike. His voice was calm but unyielding. "You have walked a path that leads only to ruin. I will end this now."
"Final Palm: Heaven’s Judgment."
Darlington’s palm descended like a celestial decree. The golden light surged forth, enveloping Undying Soul completely. The dark cultivator let out a piercing cry as his defenses crumbled under the sheer power of the attack. His deathly aura dissipated, his Nascent Soul shattered into fragments, and his body fell to the floor, lifeless.
The throne room fell silent, the oppressive air lifted, and the golden light faded. Darlington stood tall, his gaze fixed on the defeated figure before him. With a deep breath, he turned and walked toward the throne where Franklin is still seated, his voice soft but resolute.
"Justice prevails, as it always will. I will prove that fact after I am done with you Franklin"
"Well I must say, the rumours didn’t do you justice based on how strong you are Mr. Darlington" Franklin suddenly said with an impressed smile on his face. "But don’t think it will be this easy for you to get to me"
Darlington’s eyes narrowed as he approached, his aura of golden light still radiating from his body. "Your schemes end here, Franklin. No amount of words will save you now."
"Is that what you think?" Franklin asked with a more intriguing smile on his face.
Just as Darlington reached the foot of the throne, the air around him shifted. A faint hum of suppressed energy rippled through the room. His brows furrowed, sensing something amiss, but it was already too late.
Without warning, a dozen cultivators materialized from the shadows, their presence concealed by an intricate formation that Darlington had failed to notice amidst the battle. They were led by a peculiar figure—Eccentric.
Eccentric was a gaunt man with wild, unkempt hair streaked with silver and piercing, mismatched eyes. He wore a patchwork robe, its colors clashing violently, and his grin was unsettling, almost deranged. In his hands, he held a jade talisman glowing with malevolent energy.
"Eccentric," Darlington muttered, his body tensing as he instinctively gathered his spiritual energy. "How did you—"
Before he could finish, Eccentric clapped his hands together, and the cultivators around him acted in perfect unison. A formation of dark red sigils flared to life beneath Darlington’s feet, forming an intricate array of glowing lines that pulsated with sinister power.
"Activate!" Eccentric shouted, his voice echoing like a thunderclap.
From the ground, an obsidian cage erupted, its bars engraved with countless runes that shimmered with suppressive energy. The cage snapped shut around Darlington in an instant, trapping him before he could even react. His golden aura flickered violently as the runes suppressed his cultivation, cutting him off from the Dao.
Darlington struck out with his palms, but the cage absorbed the brunt of his attacks, the runes glowing brighter with each failed strike. His movements grew sluggish as the cage’s suppressive power drained his strength.
"What is this sorcery?" Darlington demanded, his voice filled with restrained fury.
Eccentric cackled, his voice grating and wild. "Oh, mighty Darlington, did you really think you were untouchable? This cage was designed specifically for those like you—Nascent Soul cultivators who think themselves invincible! Now you’re nothing but a trapped beast."
Franklin rose from the throne, his slow, deliberate movements filled with smug satisfaction. "You see, Darlington, righteousness may be powerful, but it’s also predictable. I knew you’d come charging in here with your self-righteous indignation. And I prepared for it."
Darlington’s eyes blazed with anger as he glared at Franklin. "This cowardice will not save you. The righteous path cannot be caged forever."
Franklin chuckled, descending the steps with an air of superiority as his gaze suddenly rested on Veronica who was still standing nervously at the side of the throne room. "Oh, I’m counting on it. But for now, you’ll stay right where you are while I finish what I’ve started. Eccentric, ensure our honored guest doesn’t escape. Seems like at the end of the day, I am the one who is going to get the job done."
Eccentric bowed mockingly. "As you wish, my lord."
Darlington’s mind raced as he sat within the cage, his strength ebbing under its suppressive force. His breathing steadied as he closed his eyes, silently reaching deep into his soul for a sliver of hope—a way to escape. But as he focused, Eccentric and the cultivators tightened their formation, their presence like a noose around his neck.
The throne room, once a place of grandeur, had become a battlefield of schemes and shadows, with Darlington trapped at its heart. The light of righteousness dimmed, but in his heart, it still burned fiercely, waiting for the right moment to reignite while he thought.
’Sorry about this Hutton, but please hold on till am out of this mess’