Sean Lockwood clenched his fists.

His eyes burned with hatred.

’Just who is targeting me?’

No matter who it was, this was a grudge he would never forgive.

He swore he would one day make that person suffer a fate worse than death.

His face was now twisted with extreme rage, a far cry from the noble and serene man who had once played the zither beneath the maple trees.

Just then, someone passed by them.

Seeing Jocelyn Grant and Sean, the passerby couldn’t help but cover their face in disgust.

"Where did these beggars come from?"

"Absolutely filthy."

Hearing this, Sean Lockwood was on the verge of a breakdown.

"What nonsense are you spouting? I’m..."

He wanted to say he was the Little Martial Uncle of the Primal Heaven Sect, but the words died on his lips.

’No... I absolutely can’t let anyone know I’m a disciple of the Primal Heaven Sect, let alone a Golden Core Stage Cultivator. A Golden Core Stage Cultivator falling to such a state... I can’t afford that kind of humiliation. If word got out, I’d become a laughingstock in the Cultivation World.’

Sean Lockwood wasn’t the only one on the verge of collapse; Jocelyn Grant’s expression was just as grim.

Jocelyn Grant shot the person an angry look, her tone sharp.

"We are not beggars."

The person glanced at them.

"A dog doesn’t call itself a dog."

With that, the person turned and walked away, clearly not wanting to waste any more time on them.

Jocelyn Grant: "..."

Sean Lockwood: "..."

Humiliated like this, Sean Lockwood was so overcome with anger that he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He looked down at himself.

For a moment, Sean Lockwood himself felt lost in a daze.

’Why do I have to go through all this?’

He was the Little Martial Uncle of the Primal Heaven Sect, with profound cultivation and high seniority. He was revered by thousands in the Primal Heaven Sect; ordinary disciples had to address him as Martial Uncle and bow in his presence. He was so used to being high and mighty. Who could have imagined he would one day fall so low? Now even a random passerby could look down on him.

’Who on earth holds such a grudge against me?’ Sean Lockwood racked his brains but couldn’t figure it out.

All he wanted was to become stronger, to become an unrivaled existence, a master of his own domain. How had his cultivation plummeted from the Golden Core Stage to the Foundation Establishment Stage?

At that moment, he felt as if he had been framed. Not only that, but he felt incredibly unlucky, as if his fortune had taken a drastic turn for the worse.

’When did all this bad luck start? It seems... it was after I met Jocelyn Grant.’

Once the thought surfaced, he couldn’t push it away.

That was it.

It was after he met Jocelyn Grant.

Sean Lockwood lowered his head slightly, lost in thought as the events of the recent past flashed before his eyes. It felt like all the misfortunes one might not encounter in decades had all happened at once.

Being seen with his clothes in disarray, setting fire to the Maple trees and getting trapped in an array, being teleported to the Demonic Beast Mountains only to be hunted down immediately after... Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.

He recalled investigating Jocelyn Grant’s background; the men who had gotten involved with her all seemed to have met bad ends. Thinking of this, he turned to look at Jocelyn standing beside him, a flicker of fear in his eyes.

’Am I really just overthinking this?’

Sensing his gaze, Jocelyn Grant touched her face.

"Senior Brother, what are you looking at?"

Sean Lockwood looked down.

He told himself,

’No... I must be overthinking things.’

’Jocelyn Grant’s constitution is naturally compatible with mine, a perfect complement. I can only grow stronger by cultivating with her. These are all just accidents.’

’My cultivation has only dropped, I can build it back up. But without Jocelyn, I’ll be stuck at the Golden Core Stage for the rest of my life, with no chance of ever getting stronger.’

’No, I can’t stop at the Golden Core.’

Thinking this, he gave a faint smile.

He lovingly stroked Jocelyn Grant’s face. "Jocelyn, you have a smudge on your face. Let me get it for you."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

She was clearly touched.

But when she looked up, she saw Sean Lockwood with his eyepatch over his blind eye, his tattered clothes, and his grimy face. Her expression immediately stiffened.

Jocelyn Grant took his arm. "Senior Brother, let’s go back. Master can definitely help you restore your cultivation. And your eye will surely heal."

Remembering that Sean Lockwood had lost his eye while saving her, Jocelyn was once again deeply moved.

With this in mind, she said, "Senior Brother... no matter what you become, I’ll still love you. Even if your eye can’t be healed, it doesn’t matter."

’Once we get back to the Sect, everything will be all right.’

’Then we’ll hunt down those people and get our revenge.’

’I won’t let a single person who hurt me get away with it.’

As they were speaking, a crowd of people rushed past them, some even flying directly overhead using Sword Control.

"What are they doing?"

Hearing her question, a passing female cultivator glanced at them. Though her expression was disdainful, she couldn’t resist informing these two country bumpkins, who clearly came from nowhere, of news everyone in the Cultivation World knew.

"My heavens, fellow cultivators, where did you two escape from that you don’t know about this? Let me tell you, the Blood-Venerate of the Demonic Sects and his wife are holding their wedding ceremony tomorrow evening at the Bloodfiend Den’s main headquarters."

"The Demonic Sects are going all out this time. For three days, they’re treating the entire Cultivation World to wedding candy and handing out Spirit Fruits. Not only that, they’re also giving away free talismans and all sorts of Elixir Pills. Wait... don’t you have phones? The Bloodfiend Den made an official announcement. I’ve gotta go, there’s a lottery event soon. If you’re lucky, you could even win top-grade spirit stones."

As she spoke, she had already taken off on her sword and vanished in an instant.

Upon hearing this news, Jocelyn Grant’s face twisted in rage.

Celeste Grant.

’Celeste Grant again.’

’I’ve been through hell, narrowly escaping death multiple times. And yet she’s having such a grand wedding, with the entire Cultivation World celebrating for them!’

’What gives her the right?’

"Celeste Grant, what gives you the right! AARGH!"

Jocelyn Grant screamed in a fit of rage, accidentally channeling her cultivation and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Perhaps because they heard Celeste Grant’s name, the people passing overhead paused instinctively before cursing, "Are you crazy? What are you shouting for in the middle of a Cultivator City?"

Among them were a few passing Demon Cultivators, who flew down to land directly in front of them.

"What was that? You got a problem with our Lady?"

Jocelyn Grant didn’t dare to speak. The two Demon Cultivators before her were both at the Late-stage Foundation Establishment. If a fight broke out...

She and her Senior Brother were no match for them. "Apologies... I said Julian Grant. He’s a male cultivator. It was a misunderstanding."

"Hmph... Like you’d have the guts. Next time, enunciate clearly. If there is a next time, I won’t let you off so easy."

"Get lost! What rotten luck."

Cursing and muttering, the two of them left, leaving Jocelyn Grant standing frozen on the spot.

She clenched her fists.

Her eyes turned red.

’Celeste Grant, what gives you the right to have all this?’

’You’re supposed to be trampled under my foot, rotting in the mud. What gives you the right to be so celebrated while I’m being mocked by everyone?’

Sean Lockwood took her hand.

"Jocelyn, we need to leave. Now."