CHAPTER 118: WE’LL HUNT HIM DOWN

If it were any other time, Julian would not have spoken the truth, but now he had no choice. He wanted to enlist the help of the people in front of him, so he had to show enough sincerity. He could only lie so much before his scheme would become obvious to them.

"F-From what I could tell, he was a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator," Julian said hesitantly. The interest that had been brewing within Bella immediately fizzled out.

"You mean to tell me that you are in this state because of a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator?" She asked, her tone now even colder than before. She was not happy, and Julian could sense that.

He quickly raised his hands in the air as if he were surrendering while speaking hurriedly.

"L-Lady Vyre. I’m speaking the truth. I swear it. When I met him, his aura was only that of a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator." His forehead was dripping with sweat now.

His next moves would be determined by whether they believed him or not. He didn’t know what they would do if they didn’t believe him. He was also slightly exasperated. He was actually telling the truth this time, yet people didn’t believe him.

Just as he was waiting for Bella to make a decision, something unexpected occurred. One of the cultivators from the team suddenly spoke up. It was one of the cultivators that City Lord Richards had tasked to follow Bella and he team. He was an older individual with a bulky build.

His strength was at the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment realm, the same as Bella’s. He was also the most powerful cultivator among the second group of cultivators and served as some sort of leader for them.

"Lady Vyre, if I may?" He asked tentatively. Bella narrowed her eyes and turned her attention to him. Over the past few days, she had learnt a bit about everybody, including the man speaking.

She knew he was a well-respected figure among his peers and was someone who wouldn’t speak out of turn without a good reason.

She nodded her head slightly, gesturing for him to come forward. When he was in front of her, he bowed his head slightly before speaking.

"Thank you for permitting this lowly one to speak, Lady Vyre."

"Spare me the small talk. Just say what you have to say." She replied, not in the mood for flattery.

"I recognise this young man here. He is the number 1 outer disciple of the War Machine Sect. He is also the son of City Lord Richard." The man said. As soon as he said these words, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

Even Bella, who usually had a cold expression on her face, could not help but show a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Julian, who was still on his knees, glanced up in surprise. He was a bit surprised and confused as to how one of these individuals recognized him. Even went as far as to mention that his father was the City Lord.

Bella turned her head to face Julian, now taking a deeper look at him. It was true. She could see the faint resemblance between the two of them. They were indeed related.

As for the claim that he was the rank 1 outer disciple, she didn’t think he was lying. It was a claim that could easily be proven when they got back to the city. She didn’t think that he would risk his life on such a stupid lie.

Seeing that his identity had been revealed, Julian pounced on the opportunity.

"He’s right, Lady Vyre. My name is Julian Richards, from the Richards family of Stonehold City. I am also the Rank 1 outer disciple of the War Machine sect.

Everything I’ve told you here has been the truth. That mysterious cultivator was indeed in the Foundation Establishment realm." He said, this time with a bit more confidence.

With his identity, he knew that Bella would start taking his words more seriously. And that was exactly what happened. Bella didn’t dismiss his claims this time. She instead placed a hand on her chin and started pondering.

"Was he in the Foundation Establishment realm, or did you sense the aura of the Foundation Establishment realm from him?" She said after pondering for about a minute.

Julian, taken aback by her sudden question, didn’t know what to say.

"W-What do you mean, Lady Vyre? Isn’t that the same thing?" He asked. Julian’s confusion hung in the air, his brow furrowed as he tried to process Bella’s question. The Vyre family cultivators exchanged glances, their disciplined silence unbroken, while Elder Glenda’s lips curled into a faint, knowing smirk. Belladonna’s eyes, sharp and unyielding, bore into Julian as if peeling back layers to uncover the truth beneath his words.

"Not the same," she said, her voice measured but laced with a hint of impatience. "A cultivator’s aura can be masked or manipulated. If this ’mysterious cultivator’ was truly Foundation Establishment, you wouldn’t be in this state, chased down by a rank 5 beast like some common prey. Either he was hiding his true strength, or something else was at play.

Perhaps he was using an artifact to disguise his aura. So, think carefully. What did you sense?"

Julian’s mouth opened, then closed. His mind raced, replaying the encounter that had led him to this miserable state. The cultivator had appeared out of nowhere, cloaked in shadow, his aura faint but distinctly Foundation Establishment. Yet, there was something off, something Julian hadn’t noticed in the heat of the moment. The way the man moved, his speed, far surpassed what a normal Foundation Establishment realm cultivator could accomplish. Could he have been deceived?

"I... I’m not sure," Julian admitted, his voice faltering.

"His aura felt like Foundation Establishment, but he was... too calm. Too precise. Even when I was speaking to him, he didn’t seem like he had been in any danger since the beginning."

He wasn’t lying. These were Julian’s true thoughts. When he had interacted with Adrian, even though he had been outmatched, he didn’t display any panic and simply tried to weasel his way out of the situation.

He began to doubt whether the person he met was truly in the Foundation Establishment realm. He had done too many bizarre things that couldn’t be explained. Especially what he did on the cliff. Vanishing into thin air was certainly not something an ordinary cultivator could accomplish.

However, that didn’t matter. He was going to have his revenge, and he was going to use these individuals in front of him to accomplish it. He decided to fan the flames even more, but this time, he was going to do it with the truth.

"There is also one more thing." He said, addressing Bella again.

"When the wolf appeared, he suddenly vanished."

"What do you mean, vanish?" Bella asked, now more interested in this situation.

"We were near a cliff when the wolf suddenly attacked. Instead of running away, he simply jumped off the cliff. We initially thought he was going to kill himself; however, that didn’t happen.

We didn’t hear a splash, and when we went to check, his body didn’t appear in the river below. As if he were never there."

Now Bella was truly interested. If he was able to disappear as Julian said, that meant that it wasn’t a normal cultivator. If he had used a formation, it could still be explained. But Julian said he jumped off a cliff.

What did this mean. Either Julian was telling and incredibly elaborate lie, or someone was doing something shady in the inner regions. Perhaps, it was indeed related to the beast tide.

Whether it was his own power or some sort of artifact, it was something that they couldn’t ignore.

"Very well," Bella said at last. "We’ll hunt him down. But if this turns out to be a waste of our time..." Her gaze bore into Julian’s soul. "You’ll pay for it with more than just your dignity."

Julian nodded hastily. "I understand." However, inwardly, a smile had appeared n his face. With the support of the Young Mistress of the House of Vyre, finding that bastard would be much easier.

Julian spent the next few days with Bella and her team. During that time, he was trying his possible best to get closer to Bella. If he were able to forge some sort of connection with her, his future would sky rocket.

The power and prestige he could gain would surpass whatever he had now by a large margin. It would basically guarantee his family’s stability and his succession as the next City Lord of Stonehold City would be a foregone conclusion.

Perhaps,.... Maybe he could even gain enough power to propose to her in the future. Yes, that’s right. Julian was having such thoughts about Bella.

If she knew what was going through his mind, she wouldn’t hesitate to flay him right there in the Misty Mountain. She would make him suffer an agonizing death through the use of the poisons that her family was well known for.