My Mother is the Villain

Chapter 30: Lancelot

Some people seemed to have seen this tree before, so they weren’t particularly surprised.

What truly caught their attention were the roots emerging from beneath the ground—some extremely long, others only about a meter in length.

Yet, neither the longest nor the shortest roots were the most eye-catching. Instead, it was the thickest roots that drew the most attention.

The Valley of Life was already bustling when they arrived, and even more people continued to pour in. Several flying vessels could be seen in the distance.

One of the most striking was a flying vessel with wings that continuously emitted lightning.

Naturally, it belonged to the Heavenly Lightning Sect.

Victor spotted Bella there, clad in her armor, her hair tied up beneath her helmet.

What was interesting was that their escort was actually Bryce Allen.

Perhaps the sect trusted in its prestige—there was no need for an elder, just a senior disciple accompanying the younger ones.

Even from afar, Bella had already glanced in Victor’s direction, though she ultimately acted indifferent.

There was also a flying vessel shaped like a dragon—from the Dragon Blood Sect.

A floating mountain drew attention as it moved through the air, carrying burly youths atop it—members of the Mountain Blood Clan.

But none of those were the most eye-catching.

The most striking of all was a gigantic sword.

Young people in white robes stood atop it, eyes closed as they held their swords—the Immortal Sword Sect, a sect that had produced three World Monarchs, just like the Heavenly Lightning Sect.

Below, several people had already arrived. They were connected to the roots, visibly absorbing lifespan.

Those who arrived late hurriedly searched for roots of their own.

When counted, the number of roots was fewer than the number of people present.

Naturally, competition was inevitable, and the strong would seize the thicker roots.

Rumble!

The Heavenly Lightning Sect’s vessel approached the Russell Clan’s vessel.

This seemed to be arranged by Bryce.

The sect’s disciples appeared uncomfortable, but Bryce wore a bright smile.

He casually leapt onto the Russell Clan’s vessel.

"Young Master, it’s been a while. You’ve become even more remarkable," he said to Victor in a tone far too friendly to be sincere.

Unlike him, Bella—Victor’s fiancée—remained on her own vessel, as if she had no intention of speaking with him.

"Senior Allen." Victor nodded and even addressed him as senior, causing Bryce’s eyes to light up as he took it as a sign of respect.

Although he was a vile man and a sycophant, Victor actually quite liked him—he was always useful.

Before they could continue their conversation, the gigantic sword from the Immortal Sword Sect suddenly approached the Russell Clan’s vessel as well.

This piqued Victor’s interest.

He then realized that the one standing at the very front was just a boy who looked no older than fifteen.

He had pale white skin and long black hair.

Since Victor had begun cultivation at thirteen, he was somewhat surprised to see someone younger than himself.

Most striking of all, the boy seemed to have already reached the Peak Lord Realm.

"Young Master, this boy, Lancelot Stuart, is an exceptionally talented sword genius. His talent is said to rival that of the founder of the Immortal Sword Sect—the Immortal Sword Monarch. He is also his descendant," Bryce whispered to Victor.

He was clearly trying to replace Emma’s role as Victor’s attendant.

If asked, he would likely agree without hesitation.

"Immortal Sword Sect, what is the meaning of this?" Alisa stepped forward and asked.

It turned out they were deliberately blocking the Russell Clan.

This immediately drew the attention of everyone in the valley, who wondered if a conflict was about to break out.

The Heavenly Lightning Sect and the Russell Clan were close allies.

A conflict between their younger generations wasn’t enough to spark a war between the factions.

But the same couldn’t be said for the Immortal Sword Sect.

Although not official enemies of the Russell Clan, they weren’t allies either. In the previous era, Margaret had killed quite a number of their members—from geniuses to even their sect master.

More importantly, they had the Immortal Sword Ancestor.

That ancestor dared to adopt the same title as their founder—naturally, he was extremely powerful, rivaling the Bloodline Master.

The latter was only considered stronger because he was far older.

Lancelot glanced at Alisa briefly before turning his gaze toward Victor.

Everyone, including Bella, watched him closely.

They wondered if this boy was here to pick a fight.

But Lancelot merely stared at Victor.

"Victor Russell, you are a vile man. You are not worthy of a Heavenly Woman. I am here to ask you to cancel your engagement with my senior sister, Alexandra Spencer," he declared.

"Oh..." Victor hadn’t expected to hear something like that.

"Young Master, this boy and Alexandra Spencer are both disciples of Lady Jade Sovereign from the Heaven Emperor Academy. Lady Jade Sovereign is a peak cultivator with great fame across the Ancient Human Continent. She is especially skilled in mentoring and is widely acknowledged as the best teacher. Many human World Monarchs are her disciples," Bryce whispered again.

Victor nodded.

Many things were starting to connect.

"Did she ask you to say this?" Victor asked in response.

He wanted to know, as he had never even met the woman. Who knew what she thought about him—or their engagement, which had been arranged not just by two factions, but by his own father, a World Monarch of the previous era?

Even though that World Monarch had already passed, it was still technically his era—it would only truly end with the rise of the next generation of World Monarchs.

"No, not her. My senior sister abides by her promises. She would never ask for something like this. But, only a madwoman would want to be with you. I know she doesn’t want this arranged marriage, but she cannot avoid it. That’s why you should know your place," Lancelot replied.

His voice echoed loudly, allowing everyone to hear.

Quite a few people nodded.

Although Victor’s appearance was striking enough to make many women restless just by looking at him, he was clearly not a good man.

Even the beginning of his cultivation carried a disgraceful story—stealing someone else’s talent.

A man like him wanted to stand beside a Heavenly Woman? Truly unworthy.

"Boy, are you courting death?" Suddenly, another voice rang out, filled with killing intent.